Rod Bruinooge

[Year of the Inuit, November 25th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, today the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami declared 2010 to be the Year of the Inuit. I applaud this national organization and its president, Mary Simon, for launching this important initiative.

As chair of the government's aboriginal caucus, I welcome the year of the Inuit as a time for Canadians to celebrate the accomplishments of the Inuit. It will also be a chance to learn more about the challenges Inuit face in the future.

Canada's 2010 Winter Olympics feature the inukshuk, a proud symbol of the Inuit. The Inuit are proud to share this symbol with the world and want Canadians to see the Inuit in more than just symbolic terms. In doing so, we must work to improve Inuit living standards and address concerns such as their high education dropout rate.

Canada's Inuit population is young and growing in numbers. That makes initiatives like this one so necessary and valuable. I ask the House to join me in applauding the launch of the Year of the Inuit, and I welcome everyone to celebrate with them this year.

[Child Pornography, November 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, our government remains committed to protecting Canadians, particularly our children, from crimes being committed in today's technological environment.

Child pornography is an appalling crime and should not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Today, the Minister of Justice announced legislation to make it mandatory for Internet service providers to report any tips they receive regarding incidents of Internet child pornography.

While we recognize the efforts of major Internet service providers at voluntarily reporting, this legislation will strengthen our ability to protect children from sexual exploitation.

Canadians can count on the government and the Prime Minister to stand up for the rights of victims and law-abiding citizens.

[Aboriginal Affairs, November 17th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I rise first to personally welcome delegates from the National Association of Friendship Centres to Parliament Hill. Our government appreciates the hard work and services these centres provide and we remain committed to increasing opportunities for aboriginals across this country.

Second, I am honoured to welcome 14 National Aboriginal Achievement Award recipients. Each year, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation recognizes the outstanding career accomplishments of aboriginal peoples within Canada. In reviewing the contributions of these award winners, I believe that the goal of providing role models for aboriginal youth is being achieved. The categories for which they are being recognized include health, public service, sports, and lifetime achievement, which was given to Elder William Commanda, who turned 96 on November 11.

As chair of the government's aboriginal caucus, I welcome all of them to Parliament Hill.

[Typhoon Ketsana, October 1st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, our government is making available up to $5 million for emergency and humanitarian assistance because of typhoon Ketsana.

Many Canadians, particularly members of the Filipino-Canadian community are worried about their relatives still in the Philippines who have been affected by this terrible typhoon.

Could the minister of immigration tell us what he is doing to help alleviate their worries?

[Criminal Code, September 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Kitchener—Conestoga for bringing forward this important motion, which I think is going to have a meaningful impact on this debate.

I know a number of people in Canada have been affected by suicide, and clearly within the aboriginal community it is an extensive problem. People do not actually want to end their lives. They simply want to end the pain and that is sometimes forgotten in discussions on suicide. Too often suicide is seen as the only way to end the pain.

Thankfully, many people in the House, from all parties, are looking for ways to improve that culture of life. I am hopeful this motion, when passed, will motivate the House to perhaps make the clarifications that the member has suggested.

In relation to the debate on suicide, there is a movement of late to promote suicide on many fronts. If the motion passes, does the member think it will help push back on the defence of people's views on suicide? Many groups are trying to normalize suicide.

[Aboriginal Affairs, September 18th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, on July 23, Shawn Atleo was elected national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. He is a member and former regional chief of the Ahousaht First Nation in British Colombia. Mr. Atleo brings a wealth of experience to his role.

For 20 years he has served in various capacities, as a first nations leader, negotiator, facilitator, mediator and strategic planner. He has a keen understanding of the challenges facing aboriginal people in Canada.

On September 13, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples elected Betty-Ann LaVallée as national chief. A status off-reserve Mi'kmaq woman, Ms. LaVallée has extensive experience on a variety of issues relating to off-reserve aboriginal people, including fisheries, housing, education, employment, economic development and health. She has also served her country for 17 years as a member of the Canadian armed forces.

This government congratulates them and looks forward to working with both of them, as leaders in this country, to produce real results for aboriginal people.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present to the House today from many citizens of my home province of Manitoba calling upon the House of Commons to extend some valuation to the unborn, as in Canada we do not have any value associated with our unborn children.

[Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act, May 14th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I have a quick question for the member opposite. I know he has been talking about consultation as have his other colleagues. Clearly the Liberal members did not consult their opposition party members in relation to their motion.

As an aboriginal person from the west, having met with many first nations women, clearly there is a great desire to have the opportunity to have matrimonial real property rights. I know the member is suggesting that there needs to be unanimous consultation. We as parliamentarians, when we see something that needs to be rectified, we need to act.

Would the member not agree that we, as parliamentarians, need to extend this opportunity to first nations women?

[March for Life, May 14th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, today an estimated 10,000 Canadians from across the country have gathered on Parliament Hill. These individuals will participate in the Hill's largest annual issue-driven rally. This rally attracts people from all nationalities, ethnicities and political stripes. Despite differences in age, religious beliefs and world views, this group is united by one common belief: that all life has value, including the life of an unborn child.

The March for Life is an annual event that works to increase the understanding and demonstrate widespread support for all life. As chair of the multi-party pro-life caucus, I would like to thank the March for Life organizers and welcome everyone who is travelling to Ottawa for this important event. Keep up the good work.

[Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act, May 14th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I am not surprised at all by the motion put forward by the member for Labrador. It is indicative of past behaviour by the Liberal Party. We worked quite diligently in the aboriginal affairs committee in the past to extend the Canadian Human Rights Act to first nations people and he and his party stood in the way of that at every opportunity.

Today, for him to essentially quash extending matrimonial real property rights to first nations women, does not surprise me either.

Does the member for Labrador actually support extending the opportunity to first nations women to remain in their marital home should their marriage break down?