Joe Peschisolido

[Assisted Human Reproduction Act, March 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to be recorded as voting yes on this motion.

[Assisted Human Reproduction Act, March 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to add my vote to that.

[Assisted Human Reproduction Act, March 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to add my vote to those motions.

[Street Racing, February 20th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, next Thursday, February 27 there will be a forum in my riding of Richmond to increase public knowledge and awareness to the hazards of road racing.

In the last two years alone street racing has claimed the lives of five people in Richmond. It is a crime that continues nightly on area streets and has escalated into a major concern for area citizens and police alike.

I am proud to say that Richmond residents are united in their efforts to stop this dangerous activity. We have held discussion groups, awareness campaigns and public education activities to inform residents of the dangers associated with high speed road racing. In addition Richmond RCMP has introduced measures on area streets to target and deter young drivers from this violent activity.

I invite all concerned citizens to this forum to discuss means to curb this violent and reckless practice.

[Indo-Canadians, February 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday, February 15, Indo-Canadians from across Vancouver gathered in my riding of Richmond to address the issue of violence in their community. Their goal was to educate young and old alike of the need to stem the tide of violence that has claimed the lives of nearly 60 Indo-Canadian men.

Organizers Balwant Sanghera, Balbir Jawanda and Paul Binning invited prominent members of our society to speak to the group. They included former B.C. Premier Ujjal Dosanjh and B.C. Supreme Court Justice Wally Oppal. Their message focussed on encouraging the younger generation to seek out and emulate positive role models in their lives.

All Canadians want to see an end to this violence. I congratulate the organizers and members of the Indo-Canadian community for dealing with this serious issue in such a positive and insightful manner.

[Commendation for Bravery, February 11th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to congratulate 32 British Columbians who were honoured last week with a commendation for bravery in a ceremony at the Vancouver RCMP headquarters.

The recipients included eight civilians and 24 police constables who showed exceptional courage in the face of robberies, fires and attempted suicides. These 32 individuals who put themselves in harm's way in order to save the lives of others are truly heroes. These individuals went beyond the call of duty, entering a submerged vehicle to rescue a drowning woman, subduing armed suspects, rescuing a woman who had been shot by her husband, preventing suicides and convicting sex offenders.

I ask the House to join me in sending our congratulations and our thanks to these brave individuals and all others like them.

[Canadian Coast Guard, February 7th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to congratulate the fisheries minister on his announcement on the implementation of a full time, full service, rescue dive program at the Coast Guard's Sea Island base in my riding of Richmond.

A full service dive program means that full rescue dive and backup teams will be installed on a 24 hours a day, 7 day a week basis to respond to maritime emergencies off the lower mainland of British Columbia.

The Coast Guard has allocated an initial $300,000 to recruit and train new divers, and update equipment and facilities. A full dive team will be set up consisting of at least four teams of six divers, and a further $1 million per year will follow to ensure its continuing operation.

This program will be fully compliant with all necessary regulations and will ensure the safety of our divers while giving British Columbians the full time, full service, dive program they value.

[Foreign Affairs, February 5th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I know that the member has worked very closely with the forum. This is the first time that Canada has signed a memorandum of understanding on federalism with another country.

Mexico is working very diligently on this active reform program and it is important for Canada to enhance and work with Mexico in this process. The areas of cooperation in this field include transparency and accountability, intergovernmental affairs and intergovernmental relations. Through this agreement, Canada will work very closely with its friends in Mexico.

[Visible Minorities, January 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, recently Statistics Canada reported that my riding of Richmond, B.C. has the highest proportion of visible minorities in the country. Among municipalities with 5,000 or more, Richmond leads the way with 59% of its population being part of a visible minority group.

The census reported that during the 1990s Richmond was the top ranking city for immigrants to live in with the largest increase occurring in the Filipino community. Canadians of Chinese origin have established businesses and organizations in Richmond making it an exciting multicultural and diverse community in which to live.

Eventually these newcomers will embrace Canadian citizenship and the Canadian way of life. Richmond has excellent schools and community centres thereby making it a wonderful place to live and raise a family.

[Petitions, December 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, my third petition comes from the people of Richmond, as well as Vancouver Quadra, signed by 113 residents. They call upon Parliament to focus its legislative support on adult stem cell research in order to find the cures and therapies that deal with all the illnesses and diseases which Canadians suffer.