Dick Harris

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, February 1st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Conservative forestry caucus, I have been following this rail service issue for quite some time and talking to the various sectors that use the rail line.

When we came up with the package to introduce this legislation, it seems to me that we had unanimous support for the bill and its contents from the shipper coalition across Canada and almost every, if not every, sector. To listen to the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley and the member for Gatineau speak, it would appear that they do not agree with the shippers, the very ones the bill would affect. The shippers support it wholeheartedly and want us to get it through. However, the two opposition speakers appear to be saying that this is not what the shippers want. To whom are they listening? Are they listening to the shippers or to some secret voice in their caucus?

[Natural Resources, February 1st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Keystone XL project would create massive jobs and economic growth across Canada and the United States. Canada benefits from increased development and getting a world price for our oil, while the U.S. will benefit from energy security from an important ally. The NDP members are, of course, opposed to the Keystone XL. They are opposed also to Canadian jobs and opposed to Canadian growth.

Could the parliamentary secretary inform the House on the latest endorsement of this important economic project?

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, February 1st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister of State for Transport, the minister, the stakeholders and all of the people who were involved in putting this fair rail service agreement together.

I want to follow up on the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley's question. The minister pretty much answered it, but I would like the Minister of State for Transport to reply.

As has been the case in the past, there have been 20 or 30 shippers who have had an issue with either CN or CP. If there were 20 at one time, it is my understanding that the fine would be $100,000 per day per complaint, which would be about $2 million a day. Could it be assumed that the shareholders of the two railways would be the most encouraging people to get that resolved sooner rather than later?

[November 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I was taken by the comment the member just made about the Senate being an anti-democratic body. The last time I looked, there were a couple of parties represented by senators and some independents. They have sessions, much as we do, with a Speaker. They have free votes in the Senate, and every senator is able to express his or her ideas on any particular subject before voting.

I would like to ask the member, unless I am really missing something, how she sees that as undemocratic, when it operates basically the same way this House does. Apart from the fact that senators are appointed rather than elected, the operation is exactly the same. She was referring to the operation as being undemocratic. I would like her to explain that.

[Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, November 2nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for all the work he has done on the international trade files working with the minister.

I want to make a comment and get my colleague's opinion. History shows that Canada is and always has been a trading nation simply because we can produce far more goods and services than we could ever consume in this country. Therefore, it has always been in our best interest to be a trading nation and to aggressively seek trade arrangements with other countries around the world. Canada has built itself through trade with other countries.

As time goes on, there is more competition for the trading dollar and, therefore,Canada needs to stay current and to always be seeking ways to improve trade arrangements with other countries. Maybe the member could give us some reinforcement on how this global trade continues to enhance our economy and how important it is to creating jobs and benefiting our economy.

[Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, November 2nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard the world according to the member for Ottawa Centre, who states that people take different views of international free trade agreements. I would imagine there are numerous approaches in people's minds about how trade should be done.

The fact is that our Minister of International Trade has taken a very aggressive, measured and strategic approach. We are signing more trade agreements than the previous government's members ever thought of doing in the 13 years they held a majority. While we are signing trade agreements, the New Democrats are voting against every single trade agreement we bring here for passage in legislation. We are signing them; they are complaining about our signing them and voting against every one.

I suggest that our economic record, given this recent time of global pressures, has indicated to countries around the world that we are on the right path, that we are a leader in the global economy and that our country is stable. We still have pressures coming our way, but we will manage them because we have good government, and that is why we are sitting on this side with a strong, stable majority government.

[Petitions, October 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have several hundred names from central British Columbia, including my riding, where the petitioners call on the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to confirm that every human being is recognized by Canadian law as human by amending section 223 of our Criminal Code in such a way as to reflect 21st century medical evidence.

[Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, October 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with much humour to the member's statement about the government being ignorant and the minister not understanding certain things that those members have to say about the bill. It is absolutely astounding that the member of that party can stand up and complain about not having enough time to study the bill when budget information has been out for several months now.

Since I have been in this House, and this is my 20th year in the House, the NDP has never voted in favour of a government bill. Those members have always given fair warning that they would be voting against government budget bills even before they were read in the House. I do not know how she can stand and say that NDP members do not have enough time when they have already said that they will be voting against the bill before it was even presented.

[Combating Terrorism Act, October 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the member opposite clearly knows there is a difference between combatting terrorism, which is worldwide, and trying to prevent it from coming to Canada or occurring in Canada, and fighting domestic crime in our streets. The member somehow equates them as being one and the same. Of course, they are not.

She talked about providing more education programs for our youth and investing more money in education, but there is one thing I never heard her say, unfortunately, and maybe it is because she does not think that parents have a responsibility to give good guidance to their children. I think the NDP believes that the government should bring up our kids and not their parents. She knows that the household environment that kids are brought up in is led by the parents. If the parents are not responsible and do not provide a meaningful household environment to bring their kids up in, the children are going to look elsewhere for comfort. It may be a street gang or they may quit school early because they are not being encouraged by their parents to stay in school.

Simply throwing money at the problem and not getting to the root of the problem of irresponsible parents is not an answer, as New Democrats would have us believe.

[Combating Terrorism Act, October 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I am wondering whether the member for Nanaimo—Cowichan could provide the source of that report that she is quoting from? I just want see how those comments might be leaning.