House of Commons photo

Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was industry.

Last in Parliament May 2004, as Liberal MP for Prince Edward—Hastings (Ontario)

Won his last election, in 2000, with 50% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Committees of the House April 23rd, 2004

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology in relation to Bill C-9, an act to amend the Patent Act and the Food and Drugs Act.

Agriculture November 6th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I will not repeat the answer that I just gave because the hon. member has heard it a number of times.

When we announce the details of a plan, it will be a national plan. The federal government will be contributing 60% of it. If provinces wish to put the other 40% with it or if provinces wish to do more than that to deal with the cull animals in their province, whether they be dairy animals or beef animals, they will be at liberty to do so.

Agriculture November 6th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, we understand very clearly and have been informed by the dairy industry that about 95% or 96% of its gross income comes from the sale of milk and the other 4% to 5% of its income comes from the sale of cull cows.

The cull cow program is being worked on. Those in the dairy industry selling cull cows will be as eligible for that as those in the beef industry. Every dairy farmer and every beef farmer in every province in the country will be treated the same.

Agriculture November 6th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I said in the House a number of months ago that the consultation process would be ongoing with the provinces and with the industry. That is exactly what is happening.

The decisions will be based on safety and science. We also said, and I have said, that we need to look at another step in the process before a product is commercialized in order to recognize any concerns that may come forward because of this development and innovation.

Agriculture November 6th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, this hon. member has been very vocal in the past suggesting that we in the government work with the industry to make any programs as satisfactory to the industry as we possibly can.

Those discussions are still ongoing as recently as yesterday and today. When those discussions are completed with the industry, that is when we will make the announcement.

Agriculture November 6th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows very well that we have been working with the provinces and the cattle industry.

I know that he wants us to put in place a program that will meet the needs of everyone: the dairy industry, the beef industry, the concerns of the provinces, and the concerns of the whole beef economy.

That is exactly what we are doing. When that is completed, I would be pleased to announce the program.

Agriculture November 5th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I do not know how the hon. member can stand there and say that this program is a hardship. This is a program that provides Canadian farmers the surety that the support of the federal government and the provincial governments will be able to provide to them when serious situations take place.

Yes, the farmers are asked to participate in that themselves, as they have in the past. When we look at the work that has been done by the third party review, it has said very clearly that this program is better than the combinations of programs we have had in the past for farmers, and I think being better is what we are looking for.

Agriculture November 5th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, the way the program is developed at the present time is that we are asking farmers to make a deposit. It is not an annual payment, as the old program was. In order to build support there in the past in the older program, they had to continue putting money into the account every year to build it up. If they used that at any time, they went back to zero, and if they had a call on it in the next year, there was nothing there for them.

The new program is designed so that, as the opposition and other industry people out there asked for and as my own caucus encouraged, it makes sure it is there for beginning farmers and for back to back situations. That is the way it is designed.

Agriculture November 3rd, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I think the gentleman the hon. member is talking about was finance minister when the APF was put in place. I think that says something right there.

Not only did all the BSE recovery money, the $312 million from the federal government, go directly to the producers, so did provincial money at that time. The $600 million in transition money is also going directly to producers across Canada in cheques to their mailboxes.

Agriculture November 3rd, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I do not know how the hon. member can stand there with a straight face and say that the $312 million in the BSE recovery program did not go to the producers, because the cheques went directly to producers who marketed animals through that program.

As we look at other programs in the future, I can assure members that if other programs are put in place that money will go directly to the producers, as well, as it has in the past.