Mr. Speaker, the member for Davenport.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1993, with 37% of the vote.
Committees Of The House November 20th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, the member for Davenport.
Committees Of The House November 20th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, on a point order. It may be my military background but I do believe that we should abide by dress regulations. I believe we have a member in the House who is improperly dressed.
Top Gun Competition November 7th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, last week the Canadian air force team from Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, Alberta participated in a William Tell air to air combat competition in Florida with Captains Steve Nierlich, Ross Granley, Brian Murray and Dave Mercer as the air crew competitors.
Competing against the best from NATO and the United States our team emerged with Captain Steve Nierlich winning top gun honours.
Canada has done well in William Tell in the past but this is the first time in the history of the 42-year-old competition that a Canadian has been the top gun and the Canadian team has placed first overall.
Aeroplanes do not fly well nor do weapons hit their targets without excellent maintenance by the support crews. This win for Canada is a true example of a dedicated team effort. I am sure that all members of this House join me in congratulating these fine representatives of Canada on a job well done. You have brought great honour to Canada and we are proud of you.
Merchant Mariners November 6th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, as we prepare to once again officially commemorate the valiant sacrifices made by veterans of our navy, army, air force and peacekeepers, we pause to pay special tribute to Canadian merchant mariners, the fourth arm of Canada's services.
Their vital role in carrying supplies to our troops in battle was fundamental to allied victory.
Terrible risks were a fact of life. They faced brutal U-boat attacks, surface raiders and marauding aircraft, all attempting to interrupt this lifeline to our troops.
Merchant mariners faced severe conditions on board, shipwreck in a cruel, cold sea often covered in blazing fuel and a prisoner of war camp if they were able to reach land. Sixty-seven ships were lost and on average when a ship went down less than half the crew survived.
Four hundred died during the great war and of the 12,000 merchant mariners who risked their lives to preserve cherished freedoms in the second world war, over 1,400 died.
Despite atrocious conditions, they did not shirk their duty. Thus, it is our duty to remember the contributions and sacrifices they made; a debt too great to ever be forgotten.
West Coast Marine Safety November 5th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Liberals' words sound great but their actions differ: $87 million in questionable corporate welfare to Bombardier; millions of dollars in a questionable flag giveaway program; and more millions of dollars on a questionable information office in Ottawa.
Meanwhile back on the west coast we see cuts; information limited; automated light stations replace reliable manned stations; coast guard vessels and operations are reduced, as are hatcheries needed to rebuild endangered salmon stocks.
An unusually heavy October storm resulted in the failure of several automated light stations leaving mariners and others who rely on vital weather information to fend for themselves.
The decision to postpone closure of the Ganges coast guard station was welcome but apparently has not changed the ultimate Ottawa intention to relocate the station to Victoria. To replace a fast, proven vessel located at the hub of maritime activity in this very busy region with a slower vessel substantially removed from much of that activity simply does not make sense.
This Liberal decision places west coast public safety and lives at risk.
Petitions November 4th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my duty and honour to rise in the House to present a petition, duly certified by the clerk of petitions, on behalf of 107 individuals residing across Canada.
The petitioners call upon Parliament to honour and recognize their Canadian peacekeepers in the form of a Canadian peacekeeping medal.
Veterans Week October 31st, 1996
Madam Speaker, six Books of Remembrance lie in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower, each page bearing the names of those who died carrying the torch of freedom.
Over 114,000 Canadians were killed during the course of World War I and World War II and the Korean war. Many more returned battered in body and spirit.
The peace, security and freedom you and I enjoy comes as a result of the blood they shed and the courage and determination they devoted to casting aside the tide of oppression. Their fate, our future; what a very great price to pay, what a very great debt to owe.
The Memorial Chapel bears the inscription: "They are too near to be great but our children shall understand when and how our fate was changed and by whose hand".
Last fall during the Far East pilgrimage, I stood with youth delegates before a marker on a grave in the Commonwealth Cemetery in Yokohama, bearing the name of a young man who at age 19 died as a prisoner of war. He had been captured at Hong
Kong three years prior at age 16. The impact this marker left on our minds and hearts will never be forgotten.
It also took me to my stepfather, Stanley Edward Akrigg, who died in January at age 96. He was a big boy and he joined the Canadian army in 1914 at the age of 15. At the age of 17 he won the military medal and fought in the battles of Vimy Ridge, the Somme and Passchendaele. Two days before his 19th birthday, in October 1918, he lost his brother, who served in the same regiment, to a German artillery shell.
It also brought to mind my cousin, Ronald Loughton Movold, who was a tail gunner in a Lancaster bomber. He lost his life in Europe in April 1944.
The torch of remembrance must pass to those too young to have known the Canadian warriors who were too young to die. The poppies we wear are a time honoured symbol of their sacrifice. They were inspired by the poem written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae after surviving 12 days of heavy bombardment in his Belgian bunker on May 3, 1915. Through the shelling he saw a cemetery across the road filled with red poppies. Tearing a page from his diary, he wrote the poem "In Flanders Fields". We are responsible to remember their gallant contributions so their sacrifice will not have been in vain and to ensure that we preserve the precious rights and freedoms for which they died.
We must also remember the tens of thousands of Canadians who have served in more than 30 individual missions over 36 years of Canadian peacekeeping. More than 100 Canadian forces personnel have lost their lives and hundreds more have been wounded during peacekeeping tours. They too must be remembered.
Our gulf war veterans were exposed to the intensity and volatility of modern day warfare during their fight to preserve the delicately balanced stability in the Middle East. During the war, many Canadians witnessed on their television screens a blaze of oil fires and exploding warheads. In service to our country and the global community, Canadian lives were scarred. Here too we find personal tragedies and sacrifice.
Veterans week, November 3 to 11, is a time to pause, remember and accept our heroes' challenge: "Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Fields".
Canada Labour Code October 29th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Reform members will oppose this motion with the exception of those who wish to vote otherwise.
Canada Labour Code October 29th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Reform Party members will oppose this motion with the exception of those who wish to vote otherwise.
Supply October 29th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Reform members will oppose this motion with the exception of those who wish to vote otherwise.