Kyle Seeback

[Diwali, November 2nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, with Diwali fast approaching, I want to say a few words about the significance of this great festival.

The celebration of Diwali has become known as the victory of good over evil. It refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling ignorance. With this awakening comes the compassion and awareness of the oneness of all things. This brings ananda, joy or peace. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this inner light.

Last night in Ottawa, we celebrated Diwali with our great Prime Minister. In my own riding of Brampton West, there will be many Diwali celebrations in Mundhirs, Gurdwaras and peoples' homes.

May this Diwali illuminate our lives and bring the shower of glory, prosperity, peace and health. Best wishes to all those who celebrate Diwali and their families.

[New Democratic Party of Canada, October 23rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the leaves are falling and the air is getting colder. It can only mean one thing, that winter is coming.

As Canadians, we embrace winter with skating, skiing, warm coats and hot chocolate.

Unfortunately, this magical time of year is clouded by a new threat. The NDP leader is proposing a $21 billion carbon tax that will make it more expensive for Canadians to feed their families, heat their homes and drive to hockey practice. Part 4 of the party's platform lays it out clear as day, and the NDP leader himself has stated that this would be used to generate billions in new revenues.

Canadians can trust our government to defend them against this costly new tax that will kill jobs, stall the economy and ruin winter.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 22nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, I have heard first-hand from first nations who have expressed frustration with the complicated and lengthy land designation process.

We know that land designation is an important tool for economic development on reserve. Can the minister please tell the House what the government is doing to assist first nations to unlock the economic potential of their land?

[Small Business, October 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this week is small business week, which marks the important contributions that small businesses make to the Canadian economy. These job creators employ the largest number of Canadians, which is why our Conservative government is constantly looking for ways to lower their taxes and help small business grow.

Would the finance minister tell the House how economic action plan 2012 is helping Canadian small businesses get ahead, unlike the NDP and its plans for a job-killing carbon tax?

[Foreign Affairs, October 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Canada and Jamaica have a close and long-standing bilateral relationship. Trade between our two countries is in excess of $350 million.

Could the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs for Americas and Consular Affairs inform the House about an important upcoming event in the relationship between our two great countries?

[Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, October 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have heard a lot of speeches today by members of that party criticizing the government for this piece of legislation. They repeatedly say that they support getting tough on crime, “but....” They say they support cracking down on foreign criminals, “but....” There is always a but. There is always a reason. They always have an excuse for not supporting legislation. At some point it becomes clear that their protestations actually show that they do not support cracking down on criminals, including foreign criminals and having them removed from the country more quickly.

Would the member and her party finally admit that they do not support cracking down on crime and do not support faster removal of foreign criminals?

[Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, October 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I noticed that my colleague was talking about concerns with increasing ministerial discretion. It raises an interesting point. I am sure my friend is aware that in 2011 the Quebec National Assembly passed a unanimous motion asking the minister to stop two people from coming to Canada due to their comments encouraging hate and violence against women and homosexuals. Unfortunately, there was no ability for the minister to stop those people from coming into the country. The bill would address that issue.

Do the New Democrats agree or disagree with Quebeckers and the Quebec National Assembly? Do they think that people who promote hate and violence should be allowed into Canada? If they do not think they should be coming into Canada, why will they not stand and support the legislation to give the minister the power to do exactly that?

[Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, October 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North keeps saying that somehow members on this side of the House are saying that permanent residents are criminals and that this legislation would target permanent residents. We on this side of the House do not believe that permanent residents are a bunch of criminals who are going to be deported. The only ones slandering permanent residents here are those members and the member for Winnipeg North.

I want to know if they want to apologize to the 1.5 million permanent residents in our country who do a darn good job contributing to this country.

[Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, October 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague's speech with a certain degree of interest.

What I find particularly disturbing in the comments raised by the people on that side of the House are the wild accusations that somehow we are moving away from a society that cares about refugees and the people who come to this country. Nothing could be further from the truth as proven by our record on many occasions. We have increased the number of resettled refugees by 20%. We will be inviting more than 14,000 additional refugees to settle in Canada, which will give us the highest refugee resettlement rate in the world. Therefore, I would caution my colleague on making careless comments like that.

I agree that the legislation would give the minister certain powers. One example is with respect to people who want to come into this country and spread hatred. We had a situation like that last year and people in Canada were saying that we should not be allowing these types of people into the country. This legislation would give the minister the power to say that those people are inadmissible to Canada.

Why will the member not support the minister keeping people who would spread hatred out of the country?

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, by introducing the faster removal of foreign criminals act our Conservative government will put a stop to serious foreign criminals being able to delay their removal from this country for years, sometimes for up to 10 years, during which time they can continue to commit crimes against innocent Canadian families.

Could the minister please update the House on the reaction of Canadians to this piece of legislation?