House of Commons photo

Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was sikh.

Last in Parliament March 2011, as Liberal MP for Bramalea—Gore—Malton (Ontario)

Lost his last election, in 2011, with 28% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Visitor Visas September 30th, 2009

Mr. Speaker, every week I meet with constituents to discuss solutions for various problems. The single most common issue that I am asked to address is the high rates of refusal for temporary residence visas.

Relatives and friends are denied entry to Canada for important events like birthday celebrations, weddings and funerals. Many applicants who have been granted visas in the past are now finding their applications being rejected without ever being told why.

The refusal by the government to address the needs of Canadians by amending the current practices for issuing visas and creating a bond system is only causing anguish for Canadians and their families.

I call on the government to immediately institute a system of visitor visa bonds and end the unfair treatment of these Canadians and their loved ones abroad.

Petitions September 18th, 2009

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of my constituents.

As a country that respects human rights, and under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the petitioners draw attention to the right to life, even for the unborn.

They call upon Parliament to pass legislation that will guarantee protection of human life from the time of conception until natural death.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns September 14th, 2009

What was the total federal spending from Industry Canada in the riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton during each fiscal year from 2004-2005 to 2007-2008, itemized according to: (a) the date the money was received in the riding; (b) the dollar amount of the expenditure; (c) the federal program from which the funding came; (d) the department responsible for allocation of the funding; and (e) the recipient of the funding?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns September 14th, 2009

With regard to temporary residence visas (visitor visas): (a) in each year during the period of 1986 to 2009, for each Canadian High Commission, Embassy, and Consulate around the world, what was the number of visitor visa applications (i) submitted in each year during the period, (ii) approved each year during the period, (iii) refused each year during the period and the reasons given for each refusal; (b) what regulations are in place with respect to compassionate considerations for visitor visa applicants; and (c) in each year during the period of 1986 to 2009, for each Canadian High Commission, Embassy, and Consulate around the world, what was the total amount of revenue collected from (i) all visitor visa applicants, (ii) applicants whose visitor visa applications were refused?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns September 14th, 2009

With respect to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration: (a) what has been the average total processing time for applications for Permanent Residents and Canadian citizenship submitted in each of the last ten fiscal years (i) nationally, (ii) in each province and territory, (iii) in each of Mississauga, Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario, Québec City and Montréal, Quebec, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, and Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia; and (b) what has been the total backlog of applications for Canadian citizenship in each of the last ten fiscal years (i) nationally, (ii) in each province and territory, (iii) in each of Mississauga, Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario, Québec City and Montréal, Quebec, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, and Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns September 14th, 2009

With respect to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, what has been the total departmental spending on citizenship courts, divided by line item, for each of the last ten fiscal years (i) nationally, (ii) in each province and territory, and (iii) in each of Mississauga, Toronto and Ottawa, Ontario, Québec City and Montréal, Quebec, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia?

Medical Isotopes June 10th, 2009

Mr. Speaker, the head of the Ontario Association of Nuclear Medicine says that many of Canada's hospitals will run out of medical isotopes by Thursday or Friday. This uncertainty will force hospitals to reschedule treatments and diagnoses of patients with cancer and heart and bone disease. Hospitals have been told not to expect shipments from South Africa and the Netherlands in time.

The Chalk River facility produces approximately 40% of the world's supply of medical isotopes and it will be out of commission for at least three months. The government has no credible plan and has not implemented any measures to ease the concerns of patients as we head into a global isotope shortfall.

The minister said that the situation is “sexy”, but we know that Canadian cancer patients are worried more about their health than the minister's inaction and poor judgment.

Petitions June 9th, 2009

Madam Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of my constituents.

As citizens of a country who respect human rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the petitioners draw attention to the right to life, even for the unborn. The petitioners call upon Parliament to pass legislation that will guarantee the protection of human rights from the time of conception until natural death.

Tobacco Act June 2nd, 2009

Mr. Speaker, May 31 was World No Tobacco Day.

It is only fitting in light of the efforts of so many anti-smoking groups that we have this debate today on ways to prevent young people from becoming addicted to a product that kills thousands of Canadians every year.

I am proud to rise today and speak to proposed legislation that would amend the Tobacco Act and assist in protecting our young people from tobacco addictions while encouraging the tobacco industry to amend its marketing practices.

Recently I rose in this House to support a petition signed by several hundred of my constituents demanding that this Parliament take immediate action in amending the Tobacco Act. The petitioners were asking for changes to limit and restrict the marketing of tobacco products to minors.

Studies show that increased exposure to tobacco advertising has a significant impact on the decision by young people to start smoking or using tobacco products. We also know that 85% of all regular smokers started smoking before the age of 18.

It is fair to say that advertising and marketing efforts aimed at young people have been a contributor to the rising number of young people using tobacco products.

Recent research has shown us that following a reduction in tobacco advertising there has been a decrease in the number of young people who smoke. However, simply putting further restrictions on the advertising and marketing of tobacco products to young people will only go so far.

We know that tobacco use is responsible for killing approximately 37,000 Canadians every year.

The Liberal Party is supportive of this bill in principle. We believe this bill is a step in the right direction to protect Canadians, and youth in particular, from tobacco marketing.

Our position is that tobacco should not be marketed to young people and should not be advertised in any publications that could be viewed by those under 18 years of age.

We have seen an increased number of tobacco ads in daily newspapers and free entertainment weeklies that are more likely to be read by young people. We believe that prohibiting advertising in all types of magazines and newspapers, regardless of their readership, is a necessary first step.

This bill would ensure that all Canadians, and youth in particular, would not be exposed to tobacco sales pitches. The limiting of advertising is a start, but I wonder if the government has considered the other factors at work here.

For example, some of the current marketing practices include using various flavours and additives that would make tobacco products more appealing to children and youth. We are seeing a growing number of tobacco products, ranging from mini cigars to blunt wraps, sheets or tubes of tobacco, that are available in flavours like grape, cherry, peach, banana-split and even tropical punch. We are also seeing tobacco companies include various additives such as vitamins, sugar and others that taste like candy to help mask the harshness of the tobacco and make it appeal to children and youth.

We are now aware of research findings from various sources, including documents from the tobacco companies themselves that show the addition of fruit and candy flavours to tobacco products makes them more appealing to young and new users. For the tobacco industry, this dramatically increases the appeal for young people to give tobacco a try.

Young people today are aware that cigarettes and tobacco products are highly addictive, and tobacco companies know this. Therefore, they must find new and innovative ways for young people to try them, despite being aware of the dangers. By adding flavours or other additives to increase the appeal of tobacco, it would seem that the tobacco industry is trying to increase the “try factor” and increase sales.

This brings me to my next point. Recent data shows that wholesale sales of little cigars has increased from 53 million units in 2001 to 403 million units in 2007, making them the fastest growing tobacco product on the Canadian market. This is quite alarming and needs to be addressed.

The availability of little cigars and blunt wraps in single or small quantities is one of the contributing factors. Unlike cigarettes, that must be sold in packages of 20, little cigars and blunt wraps are often sold individually and priced for as little as a dollar.

It is important to regulate the industry to create minimum quantities of tobacco products, so that the opportunity to price them low and make them more available to youth is no longer an option.

Bill C-32 would amend the Tobacco Act to extend a minimum quantity provision that exists for cigarettes and apply this to little cigars and blunt wraps, requiring them to be packaged in quantities of at least 20. We agree this change would limit or end the industry practice of selling these products in single or small quantities that are often more accessible and attractive to youth.

My next point is that the bill currently fails to address the concerns of contraband tobacco, which is an important source of supply for youth who decide to start smoking or using tobacco products and acquire them through illegal channels. The primary concern is that contraband tobacco products are cheap and easily accessible, and the bill does not address this issue.

There is a direct correlation between the rise in contraband consumption and the change of government in 2006. We had a strategy in place and a multi-pronged approach to deal with the problem. It appears the government has let the rate of contraband consumption grow to almost 33% nationally, 40% in Quebec and almost 50% in Ontario.

The Liberal health critic and my colleague from Etobicoke North have made very strong statements about this issue in the past. This legislation would be effective in limiting the sale and manufacture of specific types of tobacco in Canada, but in order to effectively reduce the consumption of tobacco by children, the legislation completely misses one primary point.

Kids are not able to purchase legal product and for them to access legal products, someone else must be breaking the law. As such, the legislation will have no impact on one very real problem. It is a well established fact that most teenagers gain access to tobacco from the illegal industry.

The issue of contraband tobacco sales affects several departments including Revenue, Public Safety, Justice, Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Health, Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs.

In making amendments to the Tobacco Act, it should be noted that the bill is a reasonable starting point but must include measures that control accessibility as well as enticement through clever marketing activities.

Petitions May 27th, 2009

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present this petition on behalf of my constituents who feel the changes made to their mail service are creating safety concerns for residents.

The petitioners believe their door-to-door mail delivery should be reinstated, as the community mailboxes create more litter and pose a safety concern for residents.

The residents feel they are being treated unfairly and that they were not given adequate notice. Therefore, they are calling on Canada Post to reinstate their door-to-door mail delivery.