Susan Truppe

[Sutherland Cup, May 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, after over 60 years, the London Nationals have done it.

This weekend, in front of a capacity crowd at London's Western Fair Sports Centre, the London Nationals defeated the Cambridge Winter Hawks 4 to 2, to win the seventh and deciding game of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League's Sutherland Cup final.

The Nationals are one of many successful sports teams in Canada's London. All year they battled hard and played their heart out. Their hard work and determination was rightfully rewarded with their first Sutherland Cup championship.

I would like to congratulate the entire London Nationals organization and roster, including owner Ken Eansor, head coach Kelly Thomson and the coaching and training staff, and team captain Scott Lombardi. A special congratulations goes to Paul Hopkins, who scored two goals in game seven.

London is proud of the Nationals. Go Nats Go.

[Status of Women, April 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Miramichi for her hard work on the status of women committee.

We introduced matrimonial property rights legislation that would finally allow judges to enforce emergency protection orders that would save lives and protect women from violence.

Aboriginal women, international organizations and even the Manitoba NDP have been calling for this for many years, but shockingly, the Liberal leader has instructed his caucus to vote against this protection. We call on him to reverse his position now.

I am proud to say that our Conservative government continues to stand up for the rights of aboriginal women.

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hard-working member for Oxford for his very good question.

We have introduced matrimonial property rights legislation that will finally allow judges to enforce emergency protection orders that save lives and protect women from violence. Aboriginal women, and even the United Nations, have been calling for this for many years, but shockingly, the Liberal leader has instructed his caucus to vote against this protection. If he truly wanted to listen to the United Nations, he would support this bill. I am proud to say that our Conservative government continues to stand up for the rights of aboriginal women.

[Citizen Culture, April 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to a federal investment of $81,500 the London Arts Council and London Heritage Council are partnering to deliver a program designed to enable London's broader community to engage and explore in all of what London's arts and heritage organizations have to offer.

Citizen Culture encourages newcomers, new Canadians, Londoners, tourists, and students to engage in cultural experiences at 22 participating arts and heritage organizations in London. As the program develops, more arts and heritage organizations will be added.

Through Citizen Culture, the arts and heritage sector in London will encourage new community relationships, and increase visitor attendance, volunteer opportunities, and employment in the sector.

Our government is proud to support London's arts and culture. So far this year, I have been pleased to announce over $245,000 in federal funding for arts and culture projects in London, Ontario. I invite all Canadians to join us in Canada's London and participate in our Citizen Culture program.

[Financial Administration Act, April 23rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we believe that senior executive positions on crown corporations should be based on merit. We understand that women are under-represented on these boards. That is why budget 2012 launched the Government of Canada's advisory council on women on corporate boards. We believe in promoting the qualities of talented and capable women, without the need to create legislated gender quotas.

Also, in my riding of London North Centre I hosted a round table for women on boards. These were leaders in non-profit and for-profit businesses. The consensus was that we do not put quotas on corporate boards or on any boards.

[Canadian Centre for Child Protection, April 22nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lianna McDonald and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for the successful launch of its new website, needhelpnow.ca.

Over the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of reported cases of young people involved in peer exploitation. This type of exploitation, often called sexting, is generally defined as youth creating and sharing sexual images with their peers over the Internet and/or wireless devices.

It is clear that youth need a place to access information on dealing with such incidents, and in the most extreme cases, a place to report their concerns. Needhelpnow.ca will provide youth with the information they need to recognize when things have gone too far and what they can do to report and prevent such incidents from occurring.

Our government is pleased to support the work of organizations like the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to help educate and protect Canadian youth. I urge all hon. members to put needhelpnow.ca on their Twitter and Facebook accounts to help get the word out to our Canadian youth. That is needhelpnow.ca.

[Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act, April 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, for most Canadians undergoing a breakdown of a conjugal relationship or the death of a spouse or a common-law partner, there is legal protection to ensure that the matrimonial real property assets are distributed equitably. For couples living on reserves governed by the Indian Act, sadly this is not the case.

For more than 25 years, since the 1986 Supreme Court of Canada rulings in Paul v. Paul and Derrickson v. Derrickson, aboriginal women and children living on reserves have not had the same rights to matrimonial real property. For them, the breakdown of a relationship or the death of a spouse or a common law partner could mean insecurity, financial difficulties or homelessness.

Now is the time for action. I do not know why the members opposite do not support women having rights on reserves.

Could the minister explain how time allocating Bill S-2 would help fill this long-standing legislative gap and enhance access to justice for first nation communities and, in particular, for aboriginal women?

[Figure Skating, March 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, last week the city of London welcomed the world. The 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships were seen by millions around the world and generated a boost to our city's economy.

Londoners of all ages flocked to Budweiser Gardens to view the impressive sound and light display. Of course, the performance on the ice at Budweiser Gardens located in my riding of London North Centre was phenomenal. Patrick Chan skated his heart out as he won a gold medal. Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford impressively won a bronze in the pairs program, and London's very own Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won a silver in the ice dance.

The Government of Canada is the single largest contributor to sport in Canada and supports participation and excellence from playground to podium. We were proud to deliver $2.2 million for this event.

I would like to congratulate all of Canada's skaters for once again making us proud. I would also like to thank the city of London, Tourism London and Skate Canada and its hundreds of volunteers for hosting such an impressive event.

I am proud to be a Londoner.

[Northern Jobs and Growth Act, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to hear that the official opposition supports the bill.

We have done our homework, and Bill C-47 is good sound legislation that will implement land claim agreements. It is good for Nunavut, and it is good for the Northwest Territories. It will help increase predictability and efficiency so that northerners can achieve the prosperity they seek. Let us allow Bill C-47 to continue its journey through the legislative process in the Senate and help to ensure that the benefits of this legislation make their way to northern citizens.

[Northern Jobs and Growth Act, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, members of the opposition have made a point today of mentioning the government's reluctance to consider amendments to Bill C-47 that had, in most cases, been recommended by witnesses in the committee. For the record, I would like to address those comments from a different perspective.

Generally speaking, most of the recommended changes have been brought forward in our consultation efforts for both parts of the bill, and we have heard them before. Where accommodations could be made, they were, and there were hundreds of them. In other cases, accommodations were not made, for a variety of very good reasons. As an example, it has been suggested that the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board should have the authority to deny access under certain circumstances. The land claim agreements do not provide the authority for the board to deny access. When a mineral right is issued under an act of Parliament, the holder of the right is inherently entitled to exercise that right and cannot be denied access.

The bill would not change the rights of access or mineral 10-year regime that currently exists in the NWT, nor should it.