You should. You should.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 45% of the vote.
Veterans Affairs February 7th, 2014
You should. You should.
Veterans Affairs February 7th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister boasted that there are over 650 points of service for veterans. We have first-hand accounts from veterans that they faced long waits, only to be told to call the 1-800 number to get assistance. Veterans have invited the minister to go with them to Service Canada centres to see the lack of service.
When will the Prime Minister fire his minister and reopen the nine VAC centres? If he does not, we will in 2015.
Foreign Affairs February 7th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I want to express my concerns regarding the frequent ceasefire violations along the border of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. These incidents have resulted in the tragic loss of life. Recently, an Armenian soldier, Armen Hovhannisyan, was shot and killed by Azeri troops.
At present, the envoys of the Minsk Group of countries are visiting the region and these violations serve only to complicate their work. As we are on the eve of a meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris, it is essential that both sides exercise restraint and control of their militaries to ensure a productive atmosphere for this meeting and for the important work of the Minsk Group.
Canada has always been, and will continue to be, a supporter of peace talks between the parties. The OSCE Minsk Group should be the only venue for the resolution of this conflict. I am asking that we work to ensure that no future aggressive actions, such as the recent one by the Azeri military along the border, take place so that negotiations toward peace can continue constructively.
Fair Elections Act February 7th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I am sure that if you check the blues you will find out that the government member called my good friend a liar. If I heard right, the expression he said is, “You are lying”. I would ask the member if he would get up and apologize to my colleague from Winnipeg North. That is the only right thing to do.
Electoral Return for Selkirk-Interlake February 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, would you undertake to get back to this House as to the times that ministers took in order to answer?
Electoral Return for Selkirk-Interlake February 5th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order.
After conferring with the Clerk, I was told that a question and an answer should be 35 seconds. I would ask of you, sir, if you could please time the answers that we received today from the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Minister of Canadian Heritage , and the Minister of State for Finance and get back to us on the time.
Business of Supply January 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives came back into government, I got a call from one of the members saying that they were restoring the allied veterans.
Mr. Konn, an allied veteran from my riding who fought for us, went to ask for funds, and the minister's office called back and said that sorry, he was not one of ours.
At least we did the honourable thing by saying that we were only going to give to the veterans who fought for Canada. We did not mislead the veterans. They knew what they were looking for. I even know the country the member is talking about, because I come from that country. When people lined up in Crete and had falsified documents, the government of the day had to do something to make sure that people did not line up and get funds they were not allowed to, because they provided falsified documents.
Go and get your facts straight—
Business of Supply January 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I looked at the list of offices and the amount of work they are doing, and the case officers and the veterans they are servicing. In Charlottetown alone, I see the number 2,138. If it is not the busiest office, it is one of the busiest offices. To close that office in Charlottetown and take it to Halifax is a real shame.
Although the minister was there a couple of weeks ago, and he hastily called a meeting with the veterans at the very last minute to reassure them, well, the figures speak for themselves.
Not only that, veterans from across the country wanting to see the minister, to look him in the eye to say that he should not be closing their services, came to this House. The minister asked for a meeting with them, and he did not show up. There were two members of Parliament, the parliamentary secretary, and his chief of staff, and they blew the veterans completely aside.
The veterans came downstairs to the Charles-Lynch theatre in order to hold a press conference. At the very last minute, the minister blew in and said, don't point your finger at me. Well, that is not the way to deal with veterans. This is not the way to deal with people we have asked to put their lives on the line.
The minister gets up and says that we are going to wash their windows, clear the snow, and cut their grass. Maybe the Prime Minister should fire that minister, let him become the minister, and the rest of us can go cut his grass, shovel his snow, and clean his windows. There is more to it than--
Business of Supply January 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, if I am not mistaken, of the nine service people who have committed suicide, one or two of them might have been from Petawawa, which is in her riding.
If one dials 411 and asks directory assistance for the 1-800 number for Veterans Affairs, one will get 866-522-2122. I challenge anyone in this House, at this very moment, to dial that number. The answer will be: “We're closed, and if this is an emergency, dial 911”.
This is what the Conservative government is doing. After 4:30 p.m., they shut the number down, thank you very much and goodbye.
Business of Supply January 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, there have been reports that the 50 or so positions that are about to be filled are not being filled because of office politics football.
I know personally that a lot of the people who are suffering are reaching out to many of us and wanting to speak. This is why the vets took it upon themselves and have set up a 1-800 number. I will repeat the number for whoever is listening: 1-855-373-VETS, which is 8387. Vets call upon vets and get help. We need more clinicians to assist, and it is a real shame that the government is not moving in the direction of providing people with the assistance they need.