House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1997, with 35% of the vote.
Acoa November 16th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I find the hon. member's attitude toward Atlantic Canada and ACOA unacceptable and I will tell you why, Mr. Speaker. ACOA produces for Atlantic Canada 13,000 jobs every year. The Reform Party does not like it. Post TAGS has looked after 25,000 displaced fishermen and plant workers. The Reform Party is against it.
If the hon. member and his party are interested in getting any seats in Atlantic Canada, they had better get their act together.
Acoa November 16th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member knows that because there is a court case involved I cannot report on the specifics. What I can say is that ACOA recognizes the comparatively high risk and the potential high gain from sectors such as biotechnology.
ACOA will continue to fill the critical financing gap that is caused by the high prospect technology base start-ups which traditional financial institutions are sometimes reluctant to do. We are not ashamed of that.
Remembrance Day November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I address veterans of the great war and other veterans who are with us today.
Clearly this is a special occasion for special people at a special time. As we approach Remembrance Day and we celebrate veterans week, we who are so fortunate to have largely known only peace in our lives would do well to remember those who built our nation in the earlier years of this century. For so many war was a constant companion of their youth.
This Remembrance Day is a special one for it is the 80th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that silenced the guns for the first world war. The killing fields of Europe became remarkable at long last for their silence. More than 650,000 young Canadian men and women served. More than one in ten or 68,000 never returned.
These figures are just figures. They do not show the human side of war. They do not show the cold, the wet, the rats and the stench of trench warfare. They do not show the fear and the horror of war. They do not show the sorrow, the broken hearts shared both on the battlefield and by friends and families back home when entire battalions and regiments would be cut down as they marched in the maelstrom of enemy machine gunfire, whether it be the virtual annihilation of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in a mere 30 minutes fighting at Beaumont Hamel or the 80% fatality rate suffered by Canadian regiments during 10 days of drawn out fighting at Passchendale.
These figures do not show the triumph of Canadian spirit, ingenuity and determination during such battles as Ypres, Vimy Ridge or Amiens. It was indeed during the first world war that Canadians would earn a reputation for being among the most professional and effective soldiers. These brave Canadians earned for our country international recognition, respect and independence.
It is a sad fact that not many veterans of that war are with us. Perhaps there are a few hundred. Some would say their steps are a little more tentative these days, their hands perhaps a little more shaky, and their eyesight somewhat dimmed. After all, as the nation approaches the millennium, veterans of the great war are approaching and have surpassed their own centenary. Despite the many changes that age visits upon us, their legacy to their home and native land remains etched in time. We consider them a national treasure.
We are delighted, indeed honoured, to have our World War I veterans with us in the House today and, as we have done earlier, we salute them.
No sooner was that war over and won, a mere two decades later Canadians again were called upon to offer up their lives in the fight against tyranny in World War II. They fought on land, at sea and in the air. They fought for their homes, for their families and for their country. Just a few years later we answered the call to Korea.
Every time a country came under threat of occupation and enslavement, Canada answered the call, and our peacekeepers have kept up this military tradition by maintaining peace for over half a century.
This week it is our turn to say to those who lost their lives and to their families and to those who returned to build a great nation that we the inheritors of their courage and determination will continue to honour their sacrifice by acts of remembrance and the telling of their story to our children from one generation to another. We will not forget.
Veterans Affairs November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I have discussed this in committee.
I want to tell the hon. member that no one is more concerned about the health of veterans than we are on this side of the House, in this government.
I also want to tell the hon. member that this country has the best veterans' benefits in the world. I stand by that.
I also want to tell him with respect to the Perley-Rideau veterans' hospital that we are concerned about the level of health care. I do not know if the hon. member is aware of it or not, but I will tell him and all members of this House that we have done two audits. The last one was done in April. The audits show that the health care is the same level as it was four years ago.
Veterans Affairs November 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is aware that there is an all-party agreement, presented in a committee report, which is before parliament and which the government is considering. He is very much aware of the file, as am I, and we have discussed it personally. He is also aware that this is a very complex file. It is 58 years old.
I want to assure the House that this government will take the time that it needs to take all of these factors into consideration and put forward the most positive solution possible to this age old problem.
Veterans Affairs September 30th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I met with the veterans on two occasions in the last week. The bill will be before the House before the end of the year.
Veterans Affairs September 28th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows the legislation that was passed was not retroactive. She also knows the legislation gives these veterans exactly the same benefits she is asking for.
I wrote her a seven page letter on August 12, explaining her 40 points. If she wants to know any more, she has to go back to her Conservative cronies because it was they who passed the bill.
Veterans Affairs September 28th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I met with the veterans shortly after they arrived on the steps of the House of Commons and I discussed the situation with them.
In particular, I was concerned about their health and welfare so I described the amenities that were available for their sustenance on this strike.
The hon. member knows that legislation passed in 1992 gives these veterans exactly the same benefits as armed forces veterans to recognize the tremendous contribution they made to the freedom and security of this country.
Veterans Affairs September 25th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, I met with the two veterans, Mr. Pope and Mr. McLean, shortly after they arrived on the steps of the parliament buildings. I had a good discussion with them. I promised them and committed to them any creature comforts they might need as they embark on this particular voyage.
I assured them that the legislation that was passed in 1992 was not retroactive and that merchant navy veterans receive exactly and precisely the same benefits that those in uniform receive right now.
Furthermore we will be passing omnibus legislation this fall which will remove any doubt that merchant navy veterans will have regarding their status for the key contribution to the freedom and democracy of this country that we exercise in the House every day.
Federal Law-Civil Law Harmonization Act, No. 1 June 12th, 1998
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-50, a first act to harmonize federal law with the civil law of the Province of Quebec and to amend certain acts in order to ensure that each language version takes into account the common law and the civil law.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)