Garry Breitkreuz

[Petitions, April 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition also comes from constituents in the Saskatchewan area. Their petition is in regard to ensuring that Canadians have a fair electoral system. They are advocating that there be a suitable forum of proportional representation whereby everyone can cast an equal and effective vote to be fairly represented in Parliament regardless of their political beliefs or place of residence and to be—

[Petitions, April 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present. They are all from constituents in my riding in Saskatchewan.

The first petition concerns the right of farmers to save, reuse, select, exchange, and sell seeds. They are concerned that ancient practices will be criminalized and will harm farmers, citizens, and society in general. Therefore, they are asking Parliament to refrain from making any changes to the Seeds Act or the Plant Breeders' Rights Act through Bill C-18 that would further restrict farmers' rights or add to farmers' costs in enshrining in legislation restrictions on their ability to save, reuse, select, exchange, and sell seeds.

[Petitions, April 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the final petition is very similar to the one I just described. The petitioners ask that personal sanctions against those individuals or family members and associates who are responsible for human rights violations, criminal activity, or corrupt business practice in Ukraine be stopped.

[Petitions, April 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition deals with issues in the Ukraine. The petitioners call upon the Parliament of Canada to stand with the Ukrainian people during this difficult time and to continue to forcefully oppose all efforts to repress their rights and freedoms and to monitor developments closely and utilize all options at Canada's—

[Petitions, April 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to introduce three petitions from the constituents in my riding of Yorkton—Melville.

The first petition deals with the issue of sex-selective abortions.

Ultrasounds are being used in Canada to tell the sex of an unborn child so that expecting parents can choose to terminate the pregnancy if the unborn child is a girl. Ninety-two per cent of Canadians believe sex-selective pregnancy should be illegal. Two hundred million girls are missing, creating a global gender imbalance crisis and causing girls to be trafficked as a commodity.

Therefore, the undersigned are calling upon members of Parliament to condemn discrimination against girls occurring through selective pregnancy termination.

[Constituency of Yorkton—Melville, April 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is with mixed emotions today that I rise in this House to officially announce that I will not be seeking re-election in 2015.

For the past 20 years it has been an honour and a privilege to represent the people of Yorkton—Melville in east central Saskatchewan. I am filled with gratitude for my constituents, who have entrusted me with the responsibility of working on the nation's business through seven Parliaments. Who would have thought that a simple farm boy, educated in a one-room country school, would end up working here?

I want to take this opportunity to thank my wonderful wife Lydia for standing by my side all these years. I could not have done this without her advice and support. Surrounding myself with first-rate, dedicated staff has also been tremendously helpful.

God has indeed blessed me, and I want to thank Him.

I look forward to continuing my work on behalf of the constituents of Yorkton—Melville for the remainder of this 41st Parliament. There is still a lot of work ahead of me on a number of important issues, including Canada's gun laws.

I have been part of three political parties and have made many friends across our great country. I will truly miss working with you all.

[Firearms Reclassification, March 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, gun owners across Canada are outraged by the RCMP's arbitrary reclassification of Swiss Arms and CZ 858 rifles last month. This was a decision made by non-elected bureaucrats that does nothing to increase public safety.

Our government's recent announcement of an amnesty to protect from prosecution the owners of these now-prohibited firearms is a good first step. It gives our Minister of Public Safety the time he needs to come up with a permanent, reasoned solution to a longstanding problem.

Now is the time to establish an independent firearms expert technical committee composed of real firearms experts, including those from the civilian gun industry. Then, and only then, will the issue of firearms classifications be addressed in a fair and balanced manner.

All those gun owners who have been affected by reclassification issues past and present can rest assured that I am working with the Minister of Public Safety to make this committee of firearms experts a reality, so stay tuned.

[Public Safety, March 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in the last few days unelected bureaucrats in the RCMP Canadian firearms program have turned thousands of Canadians into criminals. At the stroke of a pen and without any oversight by Parliament, individuals who owned a number of popular sport shooting firearms had their previously non-restricted firearms reclassified as prohibited. This means that there is a chance that law-abiding gun owners, through no fault of their own, could be charged with unauthorized possession of a prohibited firearm.

What will the Minister of Public Safety do to ensure that no Canadian faces consequences as a result of this unacceptable decision?

[Petitions, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition from constituents in the province of Saskatchewan in regard to reducing the risk for anaphylactic passengers. They draw attention to the House that on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, members of Parliament voted unanimously in support of the anaphylaxis motion, Motion No. 230, which states:

That, in the opinion of the House, anaphylaxis is a serious concern for an increasing number of Canadians and the government should take the appropriate measures necessary to ensure these Canadians are able to maintain a high quality of life.

Therefore, the Canadian Anaphylaxis Initiative and the petitioners request that Parliament enact a policy to reduce the risk for anaphylactic passengers that is applicable to all forms of passenger transportation within its jurisdiction.

[Situation in Ukraine, January 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to add my voice to the voices that I heard from both sides of the aisle here. I appreciate the opposition supporting us in this regard. I would also like to thank our Prime Minister for the strong stand he has taken in regard to this issue, and I thank our Minister of Foreign Affairs as well.

I represent the region of Yorkton—Melville, which has a high percentage of people of Ukrainian ethnic descent who came here decades ago, and some more recently. They have expressed to me their concern, and I am here today to pass that on to all those present and those listening. They realize the importance of freedom and the expression of that freedom through democracy.

I appreciate very much that this matter has been brought forward here today and I want to thank the member opposite for his remarks.

My question for the member is this: how important is it that Canada stand by nations in which their people are being oppressed? Is it important that we oppose governments that abuse their power?

My constituents have expressed great concern in this regard, and I am wondering if the member feels the same.