Harold Albrecht

[Armenia, April 12th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday I was honoured to attend the Armenian genocide commemoration in Cambridge. Between 1915 and 1923, millions of Armenians were subjected to unspeakable suffering and approximately 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Although 104 years have passed, the horror of the Armenian genocide has not diminished.

On April 24, thousands of Armenians will gather in Yerevan to remember and to commemorate the lives lost. I have had the privilege of meeting Canadians of Armenian descent, who contribute so much to my home community in the Waterloo region and to our great country. I look forward to joining fellow Canadians at the Armenian genocide commemoration in North York later this month.

Remembering the Armenian genocide should motivate us all to continue bridge-building initiatives and to do everything in our power to ensure that such a terrible tragedy never happens again. We will remember.

[Petitions, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the third and final petition is signed by hundreds of Canadians, calling on the House of Commons to support Bill S-214 and ban the sale and/or manufacture of animal tested cosmetics and their ingredients in Canada.

[Petitions, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition points out that there is not adequate palliative care in the country and that it is impossible for a person to give informed consent to assisted suicide or euthanasia if appropriate palliative care is unavailable to them.

Therefore, the petitioners call on Parliament to establish a national strategy on palliative care.

[Petitions, April 10th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present today.

The first is an e-petition signed by 640 Canadians. It calls on the Government of Canada to exercise its moral, legal and political authority to ensure the safety of the public and innocent children by making a registry for high-risk child crime offenders and allowing lifetime criminal restraining orders for offenders to stay away from their child victims and the victims' families.

[Criminal Records Act, April 8th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I was speaking to a number of people from the Canadian Police Association last week when they were here on the Hill. They have some concerns about the bill.

My colleague mentioned waiving the fee of $631. However, on the other side of that, I think before we pass the bill we as parliamentarians need to know what the cost would be to the treasury if we totally eliminate all of the fees.

More importantly, regarding the concern of totally eliminating the waiting period, I agree the inordinate amount of time that people are currently waiting is too long. However, would my colleague not agree that simply shrinking that waiting period to at least give the board a few days to research the final outcome would be a wiser solution than simply eliminating it totally and making the waiting period less than a minute?

[The Budget, April 1st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are seized with how critical the topic is we are discussing, and it is very difficult to hear because of all the chatter on the far side of the room. I would ask you to bring the House to order, please.

[Harry Watts, March 20th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday, I was honoured to join in the celebration of life for Mr. Harry Watts, along with Canadians from every province and territory, hundreds altogether. I am deeply grateful and humbled to have known him as a dear friend.

Harry served Canada during World War II as a motorcycle dispatch rider; he delivered messages that were top secret and too sensitive to be sent by way of telegraph or telephone. His book, The Dispatch Rider, sold over 4,000 copies, and all profits were donated to charities. One of his favourite charities that he supported was National Service Dogs, which helps provide dogs to children with autism and to veterans suffering from PTSD.

Harry lived every day to the fullest during his over 95 years of life. Harry's love of God and his strong faith sustained him right to the day of his physical death on March 10, 2019.

I would like to thank Harry's family for sharing him with all of us. They are in our prayers as they journey through this valley of loss and grief.

We will remember him.

[Petitions, March 18th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition by Canadians pointing out that 18 years ago the Chinese Communist Party started a violent and illegal persecution against Falun Gong due to its popularity and the fact that it was not controlled by the state.

The petitioners are calling on the Canadian government to condemn the illegal arrest of Canadian citizens for practising Falun Gong and they are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Canadian citizen, Sun Qian.

[Justice, March 1st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' relentless pressure on the former attorney general in the SNC-Lavalin affair is not only an embarrassment but potentially criminal. In one of those interactions, the former attorney general said that the Prime Minister jumped in, stressing there was an election in Quebec, and said, “I am an MP in Quebec, the member for Papineau.”

Later, the former attorney general told the finance minister that engagements from his office to hers on the SNC-Lavalin affair had to stop. They did not stop.

The Prime Minister has lost the moral authority to govern Canada. He must resign. When will he resign?

[Petitions, February 27th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition, signed by over 500 residents of Canada from western Canada, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. These petitioners are pointing out to Parliament that the Liberal government has established a prison needle exchange program that will be implemented across Canada. The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers was not consulted on this plan, which puts its members and the Canadian public at risk. Our previous Conservative government passed the Drug-Free Prisons Act, which revokes parole for those who are caught using drugs behind bars. Under the new regulations, an inmate who is approved for the prison needle exchange program is not required to disclose this fact to the Parole Board. Therefore, the petitioners are calling on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Safety to end the prison needle exchange program and to implement measures that would increase the safety of correctional officers and our surrounding communities.