Art Hanger

[Crown Liability And Proceedings Act, February 26th, 2001]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-277, an act to amend the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act.

Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure and optimism that I am reintroducing this bill today. Its purpose is to ensure that a person serving time in prison will not be able to sue the federal government or its employees under any federal legislation in respect of a claim arising while that person is under sentence.

If enacted, the bill will put an end to the practice of prisoners engaging in frivolous lawsuits against the federal government and to their abuse of the legal system.

I urge all members in the House to give serious consideration to the bill and to support it.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[National Defence, February 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the chief of the air force would probably be fired if he did not agree with the minister.

The minister said that the reduced Aurora flying hours were justified because it was a case of quality versus quantity. Thanks to the Liberal government, when it comes to equipment we do not have either. Would the minister tell the House how sitting in a simulator is quality border patrol?

[National Defence, February 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the minister supported the reduced flying hours for Aurora aircraft pilots by claiming that simulators would make up for the lost time.

He was dead wrong on that assessment. A phone call this morning from Canadian Forces Base Greenwood to my office revealed that the simulators there are more than 30 years old and do not even reflect an Aurora cockpit. Moreover, simulation training is not as effective as flying. In what way does using an outdated simulator protect Canada's borders?

[National Defence, February 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the minister knows full well that Canada has been dragging its heels on this whole issue for some time now. In fact the Americans are looking for some sort of response from Canada and they are not getting it from the government.

The U.S. has embarked upon a proactive defence shield. Instead of weapons of mass destruction as a deterrent, the national missile defence proposes to destroy a nuclear warhead, thus saving lives and certainly preventing untold destruction.

Will the government stand up now in support of the national missile defence program and our national security?

[National Defence, February 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the proposed national missile defence system would play an integral role in protecting Canada's security interests.

Our strongest ally needs our support and wants our support, but the Prime Minister continues to dodge this issue. Canada could have considerable influence if the government would get off the fence and commit its support to the defence of our country and our ally.

Will the government take a proactive role and support the national missile defence system? Yes or no.

[Justice, February 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, assurances of what? Again I ask for a clear statement from the Minister of Justice. Will she extradite those two back to the state of Washington?

[Justice, February 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice. From her own statements will she extradite those two murderers back to Washington?

[Supply, February 15th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, is this the kind of person, I ask the minister, that she wants in her cabinet or in her arrangement of citizenship judges?

[Supply, February 15th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, I will get to the question right now. The issues are Mr. Sekora and the appointment process and what is deemed acceptable and not acceptable when accusations are hurled from the particular minister and in the way she makes her decisions.

Mr. Sekora said that his defeat was assured by 8,000 angry leaky condo owners in the riding and thousands more ethnic Asian voters who do not like to declare what they own and were upset over changes to foreign asset—

[Supply, February 15th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, I commend the minister for putting forward her position on the trade issues. I know she is very well-versed on those as well as on several other issues in the House. As Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, she has a fair amount of authority and has used her authority to appoint several judges in the country, which is how it should be.

I know she is also very capable of rooting out bigots, racists and extremists. She made it very clear in the last election that she has those capabilities. It is always a very touchy subject when other people mention that topic but the minister does not seem to hold back when it comes to those particular issues when she is directing them across the floor.

The minister made a recent appointment of Mr. Sekora who was quoted in the Vancouver Sun on December 13 as blaming his loss specifically on members of B.C.—