Brenda Chamberlain

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, February 16th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the GST rebate has gone over really well in my community of Guelph. Mayor Quarrie is extremely pleased that her community will receive about $2 million in rebates. She has talked about doing great things for infrastructure and fixing some of the things in the city that need to be done.

The hon. member talked about a lot of things in her speech but she did not mention how much money the city she lives closest to will receive from the federal government. What kind of good things could it do for the community? I would be interested in hearing that.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I also have signatures of 25 Canadians supporting and asking Parliament to uphold the traditional definition of marriage.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I also have signatures of 85 Canadians calling for the designation of a national day of prayer.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present several petitions today.

I have signatures of over several hundred Canadians opposed to the decriminalization of marijuana. They ask for better education, prevention, enforcement and treatment programs, and they ask for stronger penalties.

[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, September 17th, 2003]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-446, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to introduce a bill which seeks to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act which I believe needs to be amended.

In my community, like many others in Canada, there is an alarming growth in the number of large scale marijuana grow operations. While law enforcement officials are putting in every effort to eliminate these operations and catch the individuals involved, they have expressed a great dismay to me that the courts do not seem to be giving these criminals adequate sentencing.

The purpose of the bill is to provide real sentences and real punishment for those convicted of growing or producing cannabis. It would provide a minimum sentence of imprisonment along with a minimum fine for first time offenders and greater punishment for repeat offenders.

I am tabling the bill because it is time to get tough on these large scale grow-ops and I believe that the bill will do just that.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act, February 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am voting in favour of the motion.

[Petitions, February 5th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, on November 29, 2001, Steven Truscott submitted a 690 application to the Minister of Justice. On January 24, 2002, the justice minister appointed Justice Kaufman to review the 690 application. On February 4, 2002, a coalition of three MPs was formed to push this issue forward.

We now have a total of 26 MPs in this coalition and 32 Senators. We request that the House move this issue along as quickly as possible by getting Justice Kaufman to get all the data needed to make a decision. We now have 7,000 signatures.

[Kyoto Protocol, December 2nd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, on that particular point, I know that the hon. member supports jobs. The company that the member is speaking of was literally started by one man who immigrated here. Now he has 18 plants across my city. It is unbelievable what this man and his company have done. To dismiss the fact that a company can take some money to move ahead and lead the way for the rest of the country and at the same time change the world while it is doing that, is really too bad.

I feel that these things are important. I hope the government will continue leading.

[Kyoto Protocol, December 2nd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the member is right, the numbers are shifting but they are shifting upward, not downward, for support of Kyoto. That is the first thing.

The second thing the member talked about was industry. I really believe our great country will be on the leading edge. We have always been a leader and we will, in the green technologies, continue to lead. I have great faith that we will continue to generate jobs in that field and help the country and the rest of the world.

Unlike the member across the way, I really believe Canadians can do it and can do it best.

As far as the implementation date and why we would move toward this, we have been working on this for a long time. We have to move toward it. If we do not, we will be shirking our responsibilities.

I pointed out areas that we need to look at, and the member agreed. We need to look at the provinces and all kinds of other things. We can work toward that together, and I think that is important.

[Kyoto Protocol, December 2nd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it is a good question but it is really simplistic at this stage. I think the member is confused between ratification and the plan. We are looking to lead right now. We are moving in the direction of making a commitment for a better world, one that will serve our grandchildren and our great grandchildren well. I believe the hon. member would want that for her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

We have to move toward this. For the costing and the plan, we will all have to work together with the provinces and with Canadians. I believe we can do it, that we can be successful and that we must do it.