Debates of Feb. 5th, 1997

Employment

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, it should be clear to the hon. member, who was a part of the government for most of that period, that during the period in question this government created more jobs than England, France, Germany and Italy combined.

It is also true that there are still too many Canadians who cannot find work. As far as I am concerned and as long as I am a member of Parliament, if there is one person in the riding of Hamilton East who wants to work and cannot, then I have more work to do.

Speaker's Ruling

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, yesterday in the House we had an unfortunate incident and there was an allegation of the use of unparliamentary language by some of our members of Parliament.

I have discussed the situation with the Speaker who was here at the time. I have reviewed not only the blues but Hansard . I have reviewed the video tapes and also the sound tracks.

In my view, for whatever reason, unparliamentary language was used in the Chamber and I would like to remedy that situation because the two members of Parliament who were involved are in the Chamber now.

This is the situation as I understand it. One member of Parliament for the Reform Party, the member for Okanagan-Shuswap, was on his feet giving a speech and in the course of his speech there were exchanges. According to Hansard and according to what I heard and saw, the hon. member for Scarborough Centre interjected a word. That word I judge to be unparliamentary. Because the hon. member is here now I will address him directly and ask him to please withdraw the statement he made in this House yesterday.

[John Cannis, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to clarify as to how this word was used or not used. I certainly want to state, as I have all along, that the word was used in a plural sense, not a singular, and certainly not addressed to the hon. member.

Out of respect for you, Mr. Speaker-

[The Speaker]

These situations are always unpleasant in the House. I put it to the hon. member directly and clearly, will he withdraw categorically the word he used, yes or no?

[John Cannis, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Out of respect for you and the House, Mr. Speaker, I do.

[The Speaker]

Thank you.

[An hon. member]

Point of order.

[The Speaker]

I am dealing with this matter. I will come to the point of order in just a minute.

Evidently the word that was used by the member on the government side was reacted to, of course, by the hon. member for Okanagan-Shuswap. He, in his excitement, and we sometimes get excited in the House, used words which in my view were unparliamentary.

The hon. member for Okanagan-Shuswap is here now. I would ask him to please withdraw those remarks from yesterday which were unparliamentary.

[Darrel Stinson, Reform, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I respect your request that I withdraw my statements. However, the member for Scarborough Centre has made statements which demean me and my colleagues in this House, as well as millions of Canadians. He has made statements to the same effect-

[The Speaker]

I know hon. members want to explain but for our purposes here in the House, I simply want to address the matter of unparliamentary language which was used. I put the question to the hon. member for Okanagan-Shuswap: will he withdraw, categorically, the unparliamentary language that was used yesterday, yes or no?

[Darrel Stinson, Reform, Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Yes I will, Mr. Speaker, but I would like to defer to tomorrow at three o'clock.

[The Speaker]

Colleagues, I have addressed the hon. member and I thank him for withdrawing categorically, as the other member did.

As I said at the beginning, it was an unfortunate situation that happened. Points were brought up. I have asked for withdrawals from both sides. I do have the withdrawals now and as far as this situation is concerned, unless members have other points of order they want to bring up, this situation as it refers to yesterday, as far as the House is concerned, is closed.

Points Of Order

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for dealing with yesterday and I hope that never happens again.

I want to refer to something which has just happened today. Let us hope this is not going to be a regular thing.

When you were on your feet trying to get order after the member did not only just say he had called one a racist but that it was in the plural, the member for Vancouver South hollered across at us: "The truth hurts, doesn't it guys?"

If this Chamber is ever going to be elevated to anything that is above sub-human, it is this kind of behaviour over there that I will not put up with as a member any more-

[The Speaker]

Like all hon. members, I hope that-

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh.

[The Speaker]

I did not hear any comments while I was on my feet.

Colleagues, I have appealed to you before and I appeal to you again. We are in the profession of using words as weapons. We also use them to compliment, many times. Surely we use words to defend our constituents and those things which we believe in.

Like all of you who are here, I would hope that debate would be carried on yes, forcefully, but yes, in a civilized way. Unless there are further points of order which do not deal with the situation from yesterday I would be prepared to move on to our business of the day.

[The Speaker]

In the last few days and in fact in the last few hours in one case we have had two deaths of former parliamentarians. With your permission I propose to move to tributes for the former member for Timmins, the Hon. Jean Roy.

The Late Jean-Robert Roy

[Diane Marleau, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that we learned of the death, last December 28, of Jean-Robert Roy, who had been the Liberal member for the former riding of Timmins in the House of Commons.

Jean Roy was first elected in 1968 in the riding which was then called Timmins in northern Ontario. He was re-elected in 1972 and in 1974 and served until 1979 when he had to leave politics for health reasons. I know that his constituents would have loved for him to have represented them for much longer.

He went on to serve on the international joint commission for the Great Lakes and as president of the Standards Council of Canada.

Jean Roy was born in Timmins in 1923 and took great pride in his home town, the town where he spent most of his life. Deeply devoted to his family, he was a very special person, gifted with a strong and wonderful personality and with many talents which he put to the service of his fellow citizens.

A successful businessman, he contributed to the economic development of his beloved Timmins. If in the best interests of his community there was a board to serve on or a committee to start up, Jean Roy was always there. His many and significant achievements will serve the people of Timmins for many years to come.

During his 11 years in this Chamber, Jean Roy was never very far from his constituents. He was always ready to serve them with a helping hand and an attentive ear. He will be remembered as an MP who wanted the best for his riding and as a parliamentarian who was not afraid to stand up for causes he believed in.

A man of vision as well as of action, he was inspired by Liberal ideals that secure real opportunity for every citizen in a just and

caring society. As Timmins Mayor Vic Power so aptly put it, Jean Roy believed in Canada for all Canadians.

Jean-Robert Roy was a politician in the most noble sense of the word, someone who committed his life to the service of his fellow citizens. We in northern Ontario have lost a friend, a champion for our region. The Liberal Party of Canada has lost an outstanding member. On this side of the House, we all know of his dedication to our party and to its ideals.

On behalf of the Government of Canada I would like to extend our deepest condolences to his family, his friends and his colleagues.

Mr. Roy was a francophone and proud of his heritage. A man with an engaging personality, Jean Roy used his talents to serve his fellow citizens. As the member for Timmins, he was also sensitive to the concerns of those he represented in this House.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, and of all my colleagues in the House, I offer our sincerest condolences to his wife Georgette, his son Jean and his daughter Louise.

[Ed Harper, Reform, Simcoe Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a fellow Ontarian and former member of Parliament. Jean Roy was first elected to the House of Commons to represent Timmins, Ontario in 1968. He was re-elected in 1972 and 1974.

Mr. Roy devoted much of his life to public service. Born in 1923 in Timmins, Mr. Roy attended school in that city before setting off to Queen's University in Kingston. His career began as an accountant before entering into the construction industry in the United States and other parts of Canada. He spent three years as a construction estimator in Buffalo, New York and then returned home in 1955 to become a partner in Roy Construction Limited.

He immediately became active in his community, serving on the board of directors of the Children's Aid Society, the board of governors of St. Mary's Hospital and as a trustee of the Timmins High School board where he later served as chairman.

Jean Roy was a member of the Canadian Institute of Quality Surveyors. He and his brother Octave were partners in the Senator Hotel in Timmins and Sudbury.

Mr. Roy's devotion to public service was second only to his devotion to his family. In 1947 Mr. Roy married Georgette Clément. He was a father to two and a grandfather to two. Jean Roy passed away last week. To his family we offer our sympathy. He will be missed by all who knew him.

[Elsie Wayne, Progressive Conservative, Saint John, NB]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleague from Sherbrooke and the Progressive Conservative Party, I would like to convey our deepest sympathies to the family of Jean Roy.

I did not have the pleasure of knowing Mr. Roy personally but I understand he was a tireless worker on behalf of his constituents. His involvement in his home community, serving on the board of the St. Mary's Hospital, the Timmins High School board and the Children's Aid Society is an example to all of us.

Mr. Roy had a lengthy career in public life by serving 11 years in this House of Commons. Mr. Roy is noted as being the driving force behind the expansion and modernization of the Timmins airport during his time as an MP.

His former campaign manager was quoted as describing him as being a born leader and always striving for the best for the riding and never accepting second best.

It is with great sadness that I express our heartfelt condolences for Mr. Roy's wife Georgette, and his children Jean and Louise.

The Progressive Conservative Party extends our prayers and best wishes for the family of Jean Roy.

[Len Hopkins, Liberal, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to add my words to those of others who have spoken with regard to Jean Roy.

Jean Roy was a personal friend of everybody in this House during his days here. He was a loyalist to his community, he was a loyalist to this House of Commons and he was a loyalist to Canada. His heart was in what he was doing. He was a man of principles. He never laid back in the harness; he was always there pulling his weight.

I want to say to his wife Georgette and his family today how proud I am, as others are, to have been their friends over the years. I say to them that they have every reason to be proud of that wonderful Canadian, Jean Roy, who served so well in this House of Commons, in his community, across this country and in the business world.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues in the New Democratic Party caucus I too would like to join with Jean Roy's many colleagues here in this House and former colleagues, family and friends in honouring his memory and expressing our gratitude for the service that he rendered to Canada as a member of this House for 11 years.

I did not know Mr. Roy; he left the House of Commons the year that I arrived. But one can certainly tell from the information that is available about his life that he was a person who served his

community well in this House of Commons and in a variety of other ways and in the community-

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the hon. members from the Bloc Quebecois-

[The Deputy Speaker]

Yes, the hon. member has an excellent point.

I would like to ask all our colleagues to pay close attention for a few minutes. The member has raised a very serious question.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

I am sure if we were talking about one of their people they would be quiet.

Mr. Speaker, I was saying that Mr. Roy served the community of Timmins well, as we can see from the information that is available to us. He was one of those people of which there are many thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands in this country. Far away from the national limelight in communities like Timmins, Sudbury and other northern and rural communities, they are known to people in those communities as people who are willing to do almost anything to advance the well-being of their community. It is with that notion in mind that we in the NDP join with others this day in celebrating the life of Mr. Roy and in extending our condolences to his family and friends.

[Peter Thalheimer, Liberal, Timmins—Chapleau, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I was struck with sadness when I was informed that my good friend and former parliamentarian Jean Roy had suddenly passed away at his home in Timmins on December 28.

Yesterday Jean and his good wife Georgette would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The longevity of their marriage speaks volumes of how Jean viewed all his relationships with people, whether that relationship was in matrimony, in family, in business, in friendship and with his colleagues in this Chamber.

For 11 years, from 1968 to 1979, Jean occupied this seat from which I address this House. He won three consecutive elections and no doubt would have continued to serve his constituents and his country but for a heart attack in 1977. This event forced Jean to retire from active political life and was the reason he did not seek re-election in the 1979 general election.

He loved this Chamber. He worked endlessly. He was never shy to express his strong views on any major topic or issue, whether in caucus, in this House or in public. He was a great parliamentarian.

Although Jean was forced to retire from his political career at a young age, he never ceased to be involved in politics. He loved talking about politics and was involved in every election after his retirement. He was deeply involved in his many community initiatives and contributed much to the community. As a young man I was very much involved and contributed much of my time to his elections in 1968, 1972 and 1975.

I am convinced that was the reason Jean sought me out to be one of his golf partners after he retired. Much of our conversation on the golf course was about the political climate of the day and the future of our country. Jean always had strong opinions and was able to express them clearly.

Jean prompted me to offer my candidacy as a Liberal candidate in the 1988 general election and again in the 1993 general election. Jean had by then become one of my greatest supporters and closest advisers and a friend. As a personal friend of Jean, I benefited much from his optimism, his positive outlook and his political counsel.

Jean was a man who gave everything of himself not only to those around him but also to the society in which he lived. He was a good family man and a good provider. Jean's wife Georgette, his children Louise and Jean, and his grandchildren were always his first priority. Jean served his family and his country well. When all else has been forgotten, service to others endures. What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others remains and is immortal.

Jean loved much and he was loved by all. Love is the greatest transformer. It turns ambition into aspirations, selfishness into service, greed into gratitude, receiving into giving, and demands into dedication. Jean loved much and his deeds will truly live forever.