Bill Graham

[Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Standing Committee, May 10th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, all hon. members can understand why the Prime Minister is trying to distance himself from this matter. This issue has now far surpassed the matter of the member for Saskatoon—Wanuskewin. It is now the credibility of the office of the prime ministership that is in question.

Why did it take the condemnation of the Canadian Bar Association, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, aboriginal leaders and a host of other Canadians to get the Prime Minister and the member to act in the best interests of Canada?

[Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Standing Committee, May 10th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the bizarre saga of the member for Saskatoon—Wanuskewin continues to trouble Canadians. Today he issued a rambling self-congratulatory exculpatory and somewhat ambiguous statement.

Will the Prime Minister finally put closure to this unfortunate affair and confirm to the House and to Canadians that the member will no longer serve as the chair of the aboriginal affairs committee, or for that matter any, other committee of this honourable House?

[Justice, May 9th, 2006]

Enough is enough, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister continues to refuse to condemn the remarks by his committee chairman. He continues to refuse to apologize to the chief justice. Let us not forget that it is this Prime Minister who questioned the abilities of justices to render independent rulings.

Will the Prime Minister stand to defend our judiciary and immediately ask for the resignation of this committee chairman?

[Justice, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, a Liberal prime minister always defended our judiciary. This is not some random backbench MP we are talking about.

In spite of the Prime Minister's pledge to allow committees to elect their own chairs, he appointed that member, surely knowing that his appointment would offend aboriginal Canadians. He says that he withdrew some of his remarks, but yesterday the member made it clear that he is unrepentant about them.

For the sake of our parliamentary integrity, for the sake of our aboriginal peoples, for the sake of his own credibility, will the Prime Minister now demand the resignation of his chair of that committee?

[Justice, May 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister refused to condemn the outrageous remarks of the member for Saskatoon—Wanuskewin. The House was told that these were one person's views, not the government's.

During the election campaign, the Prime Minister himself opened the door to this kind of thinking when he complained about being constrained by “a Liberal appointed court system”. He even talked of a conspiracy to stack the court with Liberal minded judges.

Will the Prime Minister admit that his reluctance to condemn the remarks of the member is in fact because in the end they reflect his own view and that of his party?

[Justice, May 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, that is just hot air. Worse still, this is the same member who supported the people who abandoned an aboriginal man on the road one winter night when it was -25 degrees Celsius, and whom the Prime Minister appointed chair of the House Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

Out of respect for our judges and our aboriginal peoples who founded this country, will the Prime Minister demand that the chair of that committee resign?

[Justice, May 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is his personal view that judges are trying to play the position of God and then he accuses the Chief Justices of Canada, when they step into this role, that suddenly some kind of mystical power comes over them?

This is not just from the member but it is from the party that so famously gave us, “To heck with the courts”.

Seriously, what action has the Prime Minister taken to rein in this embarrassing member and has he apologized to the chief justice and members of all the courts of our country?

[Justice, May 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are the envy of the world because we live in a country governed by laws, laws that are consistently and fairly applied by a competent, capable and independent judiciary.

For years the Conservatives, who do not like our democratically adopted laws, have been attacking our judges, but this weekend the member for Saskatoon—Wanuskewin went too far. “Ridiculous,” he said, “the judges think they are divine”, and accused the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of believing she has mystical powers.

What does the Prime Minister intend to do to stop these absurd and politically motivated attacks on our Canadian judiciary?

[Child Care, May 4th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, we will see.

In the meantime, this government does not understand that the country needs a real daycare program. The NDP abandoned children in November. Now the Bloc Québécois is capitulating to the Conservatives. Nevertheless, the Liberal Party will steadfastly defend the interest of children. We are sticking to our guns.

Can the government explain why it took a billion dollars away from benefits paid to families to finance this disappointing plan in the budget?

[Child Care, May 4th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, spring money for farmers is like choice in day care.

Earlier today the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development had an epiphany in the House and admitted that there is a shortage, that the waiting lists are too long, and that some families have no option.

Why is the government taking $1 billion out of existing child support systems and killing a plan with all the provinces that would have created the many thousands of day care spaces that the government today admitted in the House do not exist?