House of Commons photo

Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was nations.

Last in Parliament October 2015, as Conservative MP for Madawaska—Restigouche (New Brunswick)

Lost his last election, in 2015, with 17% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Aboriginal Affairs June 19th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, the NDP and that member can try to play politics with the situation of first nations and aboriginal Canadians, but it will lead nowhere. The fact of the matter is that since we have come to office, we have taken measures to improve the well-being of first nations. For example, in the last budget, we again increased significant resources to expand the first nations land management regime, which has led to some $300 million in further investments in aboriginal communities. Again, the opposition voted against it.

Aboriginal Affairs June 19th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, I urge the member to read the entire report. She will see that significant progress is being made across the country. Our government understands that economic development is necessary to improve living conditions for aboriginal peoples.

Since the beginning of our mandate, we have taken measures to improve living conditions for the first nations by giving them the means to fully take advantage of the country's economic prosperity. We have invested in education and training, for example, and we brought in income assistance reform to give these children personalized services to help them acquire skills.

Aboriginal Affairs June 18th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, we welcome the report of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board and we thank the board for its work.

We agree that economic development is key to improving the living conditions of aboriginal peoples everywhere in Canada. That is why since coming to office we have taken measures to improve first nations' well-being by enabling them to take full advantage of Canada's prosperity. We will continue to work with willing partners to continue in that vein.

Aboriginal Affairs June 18th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to the health, safety and well-being of first nation children. The hon. member ought to know that child welfare services are delivered throughout the country according to provincial law and standards. We will continue to take action to ensure that children and families have the support they need to lead healthy lives.

Aboriginal Affairs June 18th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, we welcome this report and we thank the committee for its work.

Our government understands that economic development is essential to improving the living conditions of aboriginal peoples. Since the beginning of our mandate, we have taken steps to improve the living conditions of first nations by giving them the means to fully benefit from Canada's economic prosperity. We also created the first nations job fund and made investments to improve the education system, and we will continue in that vein.

Aboriginal Affairs June 17th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, the health and well-being of first nations is a priority for our government, and we continue to work with the Mercury Disability Board and the Province of Ontario to support their work in addressing the issue of mercury contamination. We have been working in partnership with the first nation and the Province of Ontario for a number of years, and that good co-operation and work will continue.

Aboriginal Affairs June 16th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, this is totally ridiculous. No such instructions are given by the minister to bureaucrats or to anybody. This is just fabrication on the part of the hon. member. I would believe and would hope that she could be better than that.

Aboriginal Affairs June 16th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with first nations in B.C. and throughout Canada and continue working with willing partners to achieve better results and better outcomes for first nations throughout the country.

International Development June 15th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, for anyone who wants the truth, the facts show that no Canadian government has done as much for northern Canada as this Conservative government.

All of our investments in the north, such as the new research centre and the program to help people access good-quality food, have been successful. We will continue to work with people in the north to ensure that they continue to prosper.

Aboriginal Affairs June 10th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, we understand that this is a difficult situation for those first nations individuals and families who remain evacuated from their homes, and of course our thoughts are with them.

We have concluded an agreement with the Canadian Red Cross to deliver evacuation and emergency services to first nations in Manitoba. We have announced plans to advance negotiations that would, if finalized, see the flood evacuees from the Lake St. Martin area first nation return to their home communities. In addition, we are continuing to work with the province to achieve this.