Mario Silva

[Petitions, February 25th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure today to present a petition on behalf of my colleague, the hon. member for Kings—Hants, signed by people from all across Canada.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to ensure that an appropriate question is included in the next census questionnaire aimed at determining the demographics of brain injury and to ensure that the government closely examines aspects of its health policies, pension provisions, including CPP and justice issues, in order to properly support those with brain injuries.

[Civil Marriage Act, February 21st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I posed a question earlier which still needs an answer. It is a simple yes or no question. There has been a right conferred on gays and lesbians across the country. Over 5,000 of them already have a marriage licence. Is it the Conservative Party's view or its policy to take away those licences, which were legally issued, from gays and lesbians across the country?

[Civil Marriage Act, February 21st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, after listening to the member I feel compelled to ask a question that I believe has received very little clarity from both the member and from his party, and it centres on the issue of the over 5,000 licences that have been lawfully issued to gays and lesbians across the country.

I would like to know, from his standpoint and that of his party, whether they plan to have those licences, which were issued lawfully, taken back. Is their message to Canadian gays and lesbians, who are planning to get married in the near future, that they should stop their marriages because they would be acting contrary to Canadian law?

I would like to know his viewpoint on this issue because it is a fundamental issue about whether we will be taking away licences that have been issued and taking away rights from Canadians.

[Electoral System, February 21st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the essence of progress is the need for renewal. This principle applies to all things, including our electoral system.

In provinces across the country there have been concerted efforts to reflect on the current state of the electoral system and to consider alternatives that would invigorate and renew the political process.

In May of this year, British Columbians will have an opportunity to vote on the recommendation of their citizens' assembly, which has proposed a single transferrable vote system. Quebec has a draft bill before it, currently being studied by a parliamentary committee, and Ontario has created the democratic renewal secretariat.

Indeed, in democracies across the world changes are being introduced that are designed to encourage voter participation to demonstrate to citizens that they have a stake in the governance of their countries.

I encourage the government and all members of the House to continue to move forward expediently with electoral reform at the federal level. In so doing, we would encourage Canadians to participate fully in one of the most invaluable legacies of our nation's founders, our free and democratic system of governance.

[Health, February 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, it has been two years since the SARS tragedy hit the city of Toronto. One of the criticisms made centred on the lack of coordination and communication with the World Health Organization, possibly exacerbating an already difficult situation.

In light of these concerns, what is the Government of Canada doing to remedy this?

[Questions on the Order Paper, February 15th, 2005]

Madam Speaker, the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Social Development has spoken passionately many times, both here in the House and in committee, about the building blocks for a social economy.

There is no question in my mind and in her mind that the legislation is very important for building those building blocks for the social economy.

On the issue of child care, which is essential for so many parents and, of course, for the province of Ontario and the city of Toronto, which is where I was elected, about 20,000 people are on a waiting list for subsidized spaces. No matter how much money is given to parents, there will never be enough spaces in the system. We do have to be aggressive in implementing this particular policy.

The federal Liberal government has been trying for many years to get all provincial parties to the table in order to put a comprehensive child care system in place but most provinces in the past have resisted. Perhaps the hon. member could give us her views on the social economy.

[Housing, February 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has provided programs that are designed to ensure that Canadians are adequately housed. Some of these programs have been put on hold by provincial and municipal governments. As the Speech from the Throne recognizes, shelters are the foundation upon which healthy communities and individual dignities are built.

Can the Minister of Labour and Housing tell the House what programs exist and what negotiations are taking place?

[Wal-Mart, February 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, last week it was announced that the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, had decided to close its store in Jonquière, Quebec.

This action followed the decision by employees to have a union represent their interests. After only nine days of contract talks, the giant retailer is closing its doors. Despite denials to the contrary, it is clear that the closing of this store, the first Wal-Mart outlet to close, directly flowed from the contract negotiations.

It is imperative that workers be protected from this kind of flagrant corporate injustice. When workers choose to be members of a union, they should not do so with the fear that their jobs will be lost in such a punitive manner.

Canadian workers deserve better. They deserve decent jobs with reasonable wages. They have the right to work in unionized environments without having their employers using the back door to avoid having to bargain in good faith.

We should all stand up for these workers in Jonquière and across Canada.

[Employment Insurance Act, February 8th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know and it may be important for this House to know why this bill mentions a change in the composition of the Canada Employment Insurance Commission. I think that, currently, four commissioners sit on the commission and the bill would raise that number to 17. How did the member get to that number of 17 commissioners for that commission?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2004, No. 2, February 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, for many years, actually for most of the history of this country, the cities had very few dealings with the federal government. The attitude of most federal governments was that cities were a provincial jurisdiction and according to the Constitution they dealt with the provinces, and the federal government dealt with the provincial governments.

It was this government that realized that the cities and the communities across this country needed assistance and it needed to ensure that the federal government had a presence. I would like to congratulate the government for dealing with issues like the GST and the gas tax. It is one way in which we are showing good faith and good judgment in our relationship with the municipalities and cities throughout this country, something which is quite historical and unprecedented. I would like to use this opportunity to once again thank the government.