Paddy Torsney

[YMCA Fellowship Honour, May 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to rise in the House today to recognize a Burlington resident, a noble Canadian and a fabulous volunteer, Dr. Mahmoud Ali.

Dr. Ali has been a community leader for many years. His commitment and service have earned him the YMCA's highest distinction, the YMCA Fellowship Honour. In addition to chairing the board of directors of the YMCA of Hamilton--Burlington, Dr. Ali was instrumental in opening a downtown YMCA to family membership in 1988 and presided over the international development and health sciences advisory committees. He had hands-on involvement in the establishment of the YMCA's first international partnership with Costa Rica. Most recently, Dr. Ali collaborated with Hamilton Health Sciences to incorporate hospital services within a new YMCA facility.

Since 1978, 75 exemplary YMCA leaders have received the Fellowship Honour under the sponsorship of the Governor General of Canada.

I wish to extend congratulations to the YMCA and say “way to go” to Dr. Ali.

[Anti-Doping In Sports, April 29th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, Canada continues to be a leader in the worldwide fight against doping in sport.

In fact, this past weekend as co-chair of the meeting of the International Working Group on Anti-Doping in Sport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Canada proposed the creation of an international instrument against doping in sport, and I am pleased to report the development of a memorandum of understanding to strengthen the collective efforts against doping in sport.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is leading a parallel process to develop world anti-doping codes, and Canada has a strong international reputation in the area of anti-doping and we will continue to show leadership. Both the memorandum of understanding and the code are expected to be in place in time for the 2004 Paralympic and Olympic games in Athens.

I congratulate the team that worked so hard on this initiative.

[The Environment, April 25th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a remarkable Canadian, Mr. Herb Hilgenberg, a private citizen of Burlington who provides a titanic public service every day.

Fifteen years ago this retired business executive and self-taught weather forecaster began an interesting hobby that quickly grew. For the last decade and a half Herb Hilgenberg has spent 10 hours a day, seven days a week, providing personalized marine weather forecasts to sailors and commercial vessels on the Atlantic passages from his home office, free of charge.

He uses the Internet, two computers, two satellite dishes, four radios and a fax machine, and predicts the weather with an accuracy rate of 95%. He is so accurate that as many as 90 commercial ships and sea-going yachts check in with Herb each day. The U.S. national weather service and the U.S. navy use his information and techniques.

American and Canadian search and rescue agents have asked Herb for assistance in finding missing vessels and the Canadian Coast Guard nominated Herb for a national search and rescue award.

[Child Protection, April 24th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, over the last month the issues relating to child pornography and the protection of children have been on the minds of most Canadians and certainly of all parliamentarians.

The government has made the protection of children one of its top priorities, as the Minister of Justice has reinforced in the House and in the media.

In light of this commitment to our children and their protection, would the Minister of Justice please tell the House why he and the government opposed yesterday's Canadian Alliance supply day motion?

[The Environment, April 22nd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, today is Earth Day, a day when all Canadians can take up the challenge to reduce their impact on the environment. Each of us can take a look today, and during this week, at our own personal actions, perform a little audit and make some positive changes. The sum total of all of our human activities combined will have a major impact on our environment.

In the last few decades many of us have at one time or another reduced our waste and reduced the energy we consume as gas prices rose. In the last few years we have thought more about our influence on the quality of the air we breathe and the water we so desperately need for sustenance.

We are the ones who can make a difference. We must all make some effort by continuing to reduce, reuse and recycle, use composters, walk, ride and turn off the tap while we brush our teeth.

Many Earth Day events have taken place across the country over this past weekend. In Burlington some 250 people picked up litter and made a difference in their own local environment. Let us think globally, act locally and we can all get there.

[Research and Development, April 12th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the government has announced major funding in genomic research across Canada. In fact just this week it made a significant investment in Ontario.

I wonder if the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development could tell the House how funding in genomic research will improve Canadians' quality of life.

[The Environment, April 12th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, Monday, April 22 is Earth Day, a day to recognize the continuing care needed for the well-being of our planet, a day to recommit to making a difference locally and succeeding globally.

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 in the United States as a way to increase people's awareness of the environment. Now, more than six million Canadians will join some 500 million people in over 180 countries staging events, projects and addressing local environmental issues.

To commemorate Earth Day in Burlington, the 4th annual community clean-up challenge will take place on Saturday, April 20. All residents of Burlington are invited to join Mayor MacIsaac and me in collecting litter, improving and beautifying our city. We are encouraging individuals and local organizations to clean up their own neighbourhoods and improve our local environment.

I encourage all members of the House to organize similar events in their communities. Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity for family and friends to join together to care for our environment. We can make a difference.

[International Women's Day, February 28th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, March 8 is International Women's Day, a day to celebrate and remember the contributions of women around the world and at home in Canada.

Canadians are particularly focused this past week on our fine Olympic athletes: Catriona LeMay Doan, Jamie Salé, Cindy Klassen, Clara Hughes, Becky Scott, Veronica Brenner, Deidra Dionne and our national curling and ice hockey teams. These are fine examples of great Canadian women getting out there and doing amazing things.

In Burlington I will be hosting our 6th annual International Women's Day breakfast. The guest speaker is Jill Davis, the editor in chief of our local newspaper. Her success as a journalist is sure to inspire the audience which will include 18 young Canadian women from local high schools.

Through events like this I hope to help encourage and inspire the next generation of women, the future leaders of Canada and great Olympic champions.

[2002 Winter Olympics, February 25th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to stand today to acknowledge the tremendous accomplishment of a great group of Canadian athletes.

The entire country watched yesterday as the members of our men's ice hockey team won its first Olympic gold medal since Oslo in 1952. The team, as all proud Canadians know, includes Ed Belfour, Martin Brodeur, Curtis Joseph, Rob Blake, Eric Brewer, Adam Foote, Ed Jovanovski, Al MacInnis, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Theoren Fleury, Simon Gagné, Jarome Iginla, Paul Kariya, Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, Joe Nieuwendyk, Owen Nolan, Mike Peca, Joe Sakic, Brendan Shanahan, Ryan Smyth and Steve Yzerman

This group of talented and dedicated athletes won the gold medal under immense international and domestic pressure. Together with their head coach Pat Quinn, all their assistants and the Great One, Wayne Gretzy, they made us all proud. Their win capped an incredible Olympics for all Canadian athletes.

I say way to go Canada. Vive le Canada.

[Sima Samar, December 14th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is a real honour for me to rise today to congratulate Dr. Sima Samar, this year's recipient of the John Humphrey Freedom Award.

On December 10, International Human Rights Day, Dr. Samar was honoured for her efforts to end the oppression of Afghan women and children. Putting herself at risk to fight for the rights of women to education, employment, mobility and medical care, for over a decade Dr. Samar has operated schools for girls and health clinics in Afghanistan and the refugee camps of northern Pakistan.

Dr. Samar has long advocated for women's involvement in public life. Now, as deputy prime minister in the Afghan transitional government, she will have a strong voice in the decision making of her country.

As Dr. Samar said “I will continue my work so that women's rights in Afghanistan will be counted as human rights and that girls will no longer be punished for having a notebook and pen in hand”.

Colleagues in the House warmly welcomed Dr. Samar earlier this week and I am confident that she understood in the thunderous and prolonged applause she received that she has our hopes and prayers, that we have her in our minds and that we wish her and the Afghan people the best of luck.