House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 31% of the vote.
Petitions March 13th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to table in the House the following petition.
It is a petition signed by the people of Orleans who support Development and Peace and are calling on the government to adopt international aid policies that support small farmers, especially women, in order to recognize their vital role in the struggle against hunger and poverty.
Wearing of Veils March 13th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, the wearing of the burka and the niqab has been the subject of polarized debate.
The wearing of religious symbols and clothing in the public sphere is appropriate under all but a few specific circumstances.
Obtaining a driver's licence, a citizenship card, or a passport are some of these circumstances, the latter requiring that citizens even remove their glasses for their photo.
In addition, everyone's face should be uncovered during the course of the citizenship ceremony and while he or she is voting.
Basic common sense dictates that a person needs to allow visual identification by the public servant dealing with the issue. If a woman refuses to uncover her face because the official in front of her happens to be male, we should be able to accommodate her by having a designated female public servant available to step in.
Furthermore, anyone wearing a veil that does not cover the face should be allowed to testify in court.
Reasonable Canadians will debate this topic in a measured and respectful manner.
Veterans February 26th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the Juno Beach Centre has just informed me of the sad news that Canadian veteran Ernest Côté died last evening at the age of 101.
The Prime Minister personally honoured him 10 days ago.
Can the Minister of Veterans Affairs please comment on the passing of the valiant Ernest Côté.
Petitions February 25th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I have the honour to present to the House a petition, which is hereby certified as correct as to form and content.
This is a petition to the House of Commons calling on the government to respect the rights of small family farms to store, trade and use seed.
Taxation February 25th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, 100% of families with children in Orléans and across Canada will be better off thanks to the new family tax cut.
We expanded and increased the enhanced universal child care benefit so that every family in Canada can benefit.
The official opposition and the third party would reverse our tax cuts and force every Canadian to pay more, all the while putting more money into the pockets of big bureaucracies.
While they dream of holding Canadians by one hand and at the same time, have their other hand digging in Canadians' pockets, we believe citizens are in a much better position to know how to manage their own family budget.
The third party leader has already said that he would reverse our tax cuts and would impose more taxes, like a job-killing carbon tax.
Canadians are right to increasingly trust this government to put into their pockets more of the money that they have earned through their hard work.
Anti-terrorism Act, 2015 February 23rd, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much for your generosity. Although I am known here for being consistently in my seat to vote, I am generally a man of few words, and you are about to prove it for me.
Nonetheless, it is an honour for me to participate in this debate. I recognize that many of the professionals who work at CSIS, CSEC, and VENUS Cybersecurity are residents of the district that I have the honour to represent here.
The protection of Canadians is a duty that the government holds sacred. That is why our efforts to fight terrorism, guided by a comprehensive anti-terrorism strategy, have been front and centre in our legislative agenda.
We continue to make real progress in ways that are measured and decisive to improve our country's ability to address the terrorist threat.
We passed the Combating Terrorism Act, which criminalizes travel, and attempts to travel, by those who want to participate in terrorist activities abroad.
More recently, we introduced the protection of Canada from terrorists act to ensure that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, known by the acronym CSIS, has the firm legal footing it needs to investigate threats to the security of Canada from wherever they originate.
Now, I think you are about to tell me that I just had the last word, Mr. Speaker. I am grateful for this opportunity.
Committees of the House February 19th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if I could have clarification from you as to the validity of a vote by a member who leaves his seat during the vote and then returns to it in order to vote.
Points of Order February 16th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, February 6, the House Leader of the Official Opposition raised a point of order against me. It can be found on page 11171 of Hansard.
In his intervention, the leader claims that during question period that very day I shouted disparaging and inappropriate remarks regarding the hon. member for Beauharnois—Salaberry. He is right to say that I know what is appropriate and what is not.
I thank the hon. opposition leader for raising this matter. When he did, I was in the public gallery above him with the hard-working president of the Convent Glen—Orléans Wood Community Association. I was not aware of what I might have said to so offend the sensibilities of the hon. member for Burnaby—New Westminster, so I looked in the blues and did not find my intervention.
Obviously, whatever I said caused so little fuss that the keepers of the official record ignored it.
However, I do recall reacting to the preamble to the question from the member for Beauharnois—Salaberry. She said that the Government of Canada, which is so capably led by the current Prime Minister, had cut billions of dollars in health transfers. Since we have increased these transfers by 68%, $14 billion, in nine years, I erupted, something I rarely do.
Since the opposition House leader drew my rare heckling to the Speaker's attention, it is now printed in the Debates of the House of Commons on page 11168.
I am unreservedly contrite for having used the Lord's name in vain. It was an unconsidered intervention. I had never done it before and I will not do it again. I seek your forgiveness, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House.
I have the deepest respect for the member for Beauharnois—Salaberry and for her professional training as a teacher. For that reason, I was surprised by the lack of rigour in the preamble to her question of February 6. She deserves the presumption of good faith. I have no doubt that when she asks her next question, she will—
Telecommunications February 6th, 2015
Oh, my God. Go back to school.
The Environment February 6th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday in Convent Glen I was pleased to join Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada, at the Ecology Ottawa event called “Everyone Loves Trees!”.
This event coincided with Tu B'Sheavat, the Jewish New Year of Trees. With the counter-culture movement of the 1960s, this holiday has morphed into a Jewish ecology day and promotes ecological awareness.
As members know, I have been a tree champion since my Scouting days. In 2011, this House approved my private member's motion to declare the Wednesday of the last full week of September National Tree Day.
At last Tuesday's event, Ecology Ottawa urged each of us to adopt a tree. The typical Canadian produces enough carbon dioxide during his or her lifespan to feed 15 trees, so once again I urge the people of Orléans to get on with it and plant trees to compensate. Whether they want to adopt one tree or 15 trees or would like more information on caring for trees, I encourage them to go to treeottawa.org and adopt a tree today.