Hec Clouthier

[Team Liberal, November 29th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as player-coach of team Liberal, I want to say how proud I am of our hockey players.

Last Thursday night we played in the second annual parliamentary hockey championships. I must point out that the only reason the opposition finally found winning conditions was because of outside help. Just as its members rely on the media to provide ammunition for question period, they relied on two reporters who made a big impact, although little Jimmy Munson needed a booster seat to see the game. Their goalie, also not an MP, was the real ringer. He was more acrobatic than Patrick Roy.

Team Liberal, made up entirely of MPs, showcased two impressive rookies. The member for Pickering-Ajax—Uxbridge shared goal tending duties with the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, and the member for Vaughan—King—Aurora scored a goal.

It was a great game for a great cause, the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. I extend special thanks to the Corel Centre for donating the ice.

Mr. Speaker, the puck stops here. In the millennium rubber match we will fill the opposition net with these pucks.

[Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, November 23rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a great honour and privilege to salute the brave men and women of the second regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.

The RCHA was formed in 1905 as a fast, mobile brigade that would gallop into action with a 13 pounder quick firing gun. Also in 1905 Sir Wilfrid Laurier deemed it of vital national importance to establish Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in my great riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke.

Base Petawawa was specifically chosen for RCHA so it could train on wide open spaces with varied terrain. It was and still is a world class military training ground. As a result the RCHA became great Canadian heroes in World War I and World War II. It was the first into the bloody battles, the first to win and the first to die.

The rallying cry was “Root, toot-a-toot, toot-a-toot, merry men and women are we. There is none so fair that can compare to the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery”.

[Supply, November 22nd, 1999]

Madam Speaker, I listened with great interest to my colleague from the South Shore give a rather compelling, thought-provoking dissertation on this particular treaty, but one thing struck me very clearly. It seems to me that the Conservative Party, which is perceived to be a bit right of centre of the political spectrum, is completely at variance with the loyal opposition.

I was wondering if the member from South Shore could fill me in on how members in his party could ever believe that they would ever come together with the Reform Party in some kind of a united alternative when it disagrees with something as fundamental as this.

Would the hon. member for South Shore please inform those members present on all sides of the House why his party's position is so different from the loyal opposition, and especially from the position of the member for Wild Rose who seems to think that the member for South Shore is coming from the wrong side of the boat on this?

[Health Care, November 17th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, health care is of primary importance to all Canadians. It certainly behooves the health sector to have a strong vibrant leadership.

In my great riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, we are saying goodbye to an ardent, accomplished, admirable administrator. The departure of Sheila Schultz as chief administrative officer for the Pembroke General Hospital is bittersweet. My riding has lost a person who is a paragon of proficiency in the field of health care. But the community gained immeasurably because with Sheila Schultz at the helm, all patients at the hospital could rest assured that compassionate care was rendered and delivered by her capable team.

It may interest members to know that my colleague the member for Leeds—Grenville was born at the General Hospital.

Of course, Sheila Schultz, in her own modest manner, would say that she had a great teacher in the previous administrator, Sister St. Mark, who taught her everything she knew.

I congratulate Sheila and wish her a happy retirement and good health for years to come.

[Supply, November 4th, 1999]

Selective amnesia.

[Supply, November 4th, 1999]

They don't think.

[Nuclear Industry, November 4th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's nuclear energy industry contributes an impressive $4.5 billion annually to the country's economy and directly employs 30,000 people. Atomic Energy of Canada's Chalk River plant employs nearly 2,000 people in my great riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke.

As a result of our national nuclear program, many spinoff industries have been created which employ roughly 100,000 people. One such company is SRB Technologies of Pembroke. This is a successful growing company run by bright, aggressive young people such as vice-president Stephane Levesque.

SRB Technologies manufactures tritium-filled light sources, Betalights, which have both scientific and commercial applications, from luminous energy emergency signs to military vehicles. Next year SRB plans to expand, hire more people and increase sales in both Canada and around the world.

I am proud to salute Stephane Levesque and his great upper Ottawa valley company.

[Royal Canadian Dragoons, October 29th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a distinct honour to speak on the eve of a monumental milestone in the apocalyptic annals of Canadian history.

One hundred years ago tomorrow, on October 30, 1899, 1,000 Canadian soldiers left Quebec City to fight in the South African Boer War. It was Canada's very first overseas mission. There were soldiers representing all seven provinces at the time.

The Royal Canadian Dragoons, who are now based at CFB Petawawa, in my great riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, represent one of this country's oldest military units. Just last week the RCDs received millennium funding to restore the 116 year old King's Banner which was used to rally the troops during the Boer War. It will be on display at the Base Petawawa Museum.

I cannot begin to describe the diligent dedication of those Boer War veterans, and the thousands of Canadian men and women who bravely represent Canada as peacekeepers throughout the world.

[Canadian Neutron Facility, October 27th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is with a great sense of duty and purpose that I rise today to speak on behalf of the proposed Canadian neutron facility.

For the past year I have been passionately pursuing, propounding and, plainly put, just pitching the multitudinous merits of the new facility at Chalk River which would serve all Canadians.

The Canadian Neutron Facility will be a world class neutron beam laboratory. It will provide essential materials research for both industries and universities. It will also help advance our multibillion dollar CANDU reactor technology. Not only will our bright, young brilliant Canadian minds stay here to work and do research, the facility will attract scientists and researchers from around the world.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the distinguished students we have visiting today from France will one day be working at Chalk River, in the marvellous region of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke.

[Speech From The Throne, October 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am very very proud of my family. My father was a logger and a farmer, and I am proud of that.

The hon. member says that the member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke is always talking about people. But Canada is its people. I would tell my friend: “Stay in Canada because you know that this is the greatest country of them all. Stay calm, my friend. You know very well that it is the country of all the people served by all the members of this House of Commons”. I am very surprised that he feels education is not—