Mr. Speaker, I vote in favour.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2008, with 14% of the vote.
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2007-08 March 12th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I vote in favour.
Committees of the House March 5th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I vote in favour.
Committees of the House March 5th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I vote in favour.
Committees of the House March 5th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I will vote in favour.
Lena Jacobs March 3rd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the remembrance of Lena Jacobs who passed away on February 23, 2008.
Lena Jacobs, mother of Chief Gibby Jacob, was born on the Mission reserve in North Vancouver, British Columbia on February 9, 1910. At age 98 she was the eldest member of the Squamish First Nation.
Yet, we rejoice in her life. We will remember and treasure her love for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and for her wisdom and knowledge of her community.
Mrs. Jacobs instilled her teachings and values of her culture and language upon her people, and she will be greatly missed. She was one of the few fluent speakers of the Squamish First Nation language.
She is remembered for her active role with the Squamish First Nation, Your Grandchildren's Upbringing Elder Language Authority program, and as a loyal member of Saint Paul's parish.
Mrs. Jacobs was a lady of courage and dedication. She was a loved and respected elder whose legacy will continue to thrive for generations to come.
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act February 6th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I will be voting in favour.
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act February 6th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I just want to make sure my vote was cast in favour.
Youth Criminal Justice Act February 5th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I vote in favour.
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act February 5th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to join in the debate on this important legislation, Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
While this specific bill would not be my first choice when it comes to drafting legislation to better deal with the process surrounding security certificates that the Supreme Court of Canada has declared unconstitutional, it is, nonetheless, the bill we have before the House today.
However, I take great comfort in the fact that the Liberal Party and my colleagues on the committee have passed a number of critical amendments to significantly improve this bill, amendments that, first, will remove any and all evidence that was obtained as a result of torture; second, the retention of the solicitor-client privilege between the special advocate and the accused; and third, the inclusion of the provision that allows the accused to choose his or her special advocate.
While this bill is not perfect, it does include those three important Liberal amendments which I feel would significantly improve the bill.
Does my colleague across the way not think that these important Liberal amendments will go a long way in improving the bill and will help to safeguard both national security for Canadians and, at the same time, respect our Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
Petitions January 30th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I stand today to present this income trust broken promise petition on behalf of Mr. Blake Johnson who remembers the Prime Minister boasting about his apparent commitment to accountability when he said the greatest “fraud” is “a promise not kept”. The petitioners remind the Prime Minister that he promised never to tax income trusts, but he recklessly broke that promise by imposing a 31.5% punitive tax, which permanently wiped out over $25 billion in hard-earned retirement savings of over two million Canadians, particularly seniors.
The petitioners therefore call upon the Conservative minority government to, first, admit that the decision to tax income trusts was based on flawed methodology and incorrect assumptions; second, to apologize to those who were unfairly harmed by this broken promise; and finally, to repeal this punitive 31.5% tax on income trusts.