Lost her last election, in 2008, with 39% of the vote.
Points of Order November 24th, 2005
Yes, you do not have any respect and you do not have any respect for the members either. Yesterday you said that the Quebec members said no. Not one member from Quebec said no yesterday. I wanted to say that too.
I would like a clarification, Mr. Speaker. We voted yesterday to ensure that this bill would be sent to committee. We were ready to send it to committee, but it is the Bloc that wants an election, not us.
Points of Order November 24th, 2005
You never listen.
I know you do not have any respect for this decision, but the point of order was that one—
Points of Order November 24th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I really think that the hon. member is being dishonest when he says that we have two faces.
We should say exactly what happened in this House. No one is against seniors. On the contrary, it is the government that introduced legislation in this regard. We did all we could to get assistance.
Points of Order November 24th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I believe the vote that took place in the House last night was misrepresented outside. I would like to bring to the attention of the House that this may even a point of privilege, my privilege as a member in this House, in terms of how I and members on the Liberal side voted last night.
We voted on a section of a particular private member's bill, the private member's bill of the member for Champlain, a member who is now retiring and who we wish a good retirement, which you, Mr. Speaker, had ruled sections 2, 3, 4 and 6, the retroactivity part of that bill, as being out of order. What you said in your judgment when that bill was read for the first time was:
--its provisions would infringe on the financial initiative of the Crown and thus prevent the Chair from putting the question to a vote at third reading.
You did allow the bill to be voted on at second reading. You went on to say that if it were supported at second reading, which is exactly what happened yesterday in this House, it would then proceed to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. That is exactly what was voted on in the House last night.
When the hon. House leader of the Bloc rose last night, the Chair did not point out to the hon. member that was exactly the ruling that took place in this House.
I would like the Chair to reiterate what you had reiterated when that bill was first put, that it could have second reading but not third reading in this House because it was ruled out of order, especially sections 2, 3, 4 and 6, which concerned the retroactivity part of the bill.
Child Poverty November 24th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, we welcome the report of Campaign 2000. However, I would like to remind all members here what it recommended in 2005 and what the government has done. We have an effective child benefit system with $12 million in the national child tax benefit.
We have a universal accessible system of quality early learning and child care, something that the government has done. In fact, we signed our 10th agreement this morning with New Brunswick.
We have a significant increase in affordable housing. We have more affordable housing today, thanks to the minister of housing. There are more good jobs. There is no other government's--
Parliament of Canada Act November 23rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I was not registered for that vote because I was distracted. I would like to be registered as voting with the government against the motion.
Canadian Islamic Congress November 23rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, last week the Canadian Islamic Congress hosted its seventh annual gala dinner on Parliament Hill. The theme of this year's gala event was “Honouring Canadian Muslims' Contributions to the World of Business”. During the dinner, a series of awards were given to a number of deserving individuals.
It is my pleasure to note that among those honoured was Youssef Hariri, a law student and member of the executive committee of the Lebanese Islamic Centre located in my riding of Ahuntsic. He received the CIC 2005 Youth Community Award, which honours young Canadians under 30 years old who have given outstanding service to the Muslim community in Canada.
Congratulations, Mr. Hariri.
Dr. Peter Zwack November 15th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that we learned on November 8 of the passing of Dr. Peter Zwack, president of Autism Society Canada.
Dr. Zwack was a staunch defender of the social integration of disabled persons, especially those with autism.
Dr. Zwack was actively involved in numerous organizations that provided services for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder and/or an intellectual disability.
He served as president of Autism Society Canada, president of the board of directors of Miriam Home and Services, member of the executive committee of the Fédération québécoise des Centres de réadaptation en déficience intellectuelle, president of the Quebec Federation for Autism and other Pervasive Development Disorders, and vice-president of Autisme et autres Troubles envahissants de développement Montréal.
He was a great Canadian who was dedicated to issues related to autism spectrum disorders and will be sadly missed by the autism community. Our condolences go out to his family in this time of deep sorrow.
Privilege November 4th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I draw the Chair's attention and the member's attention to page 127 of Marleau and Montpetit where it states:
Members are subject to the rules of relevance and repetition and the Speaker must ensure that the debate is focussed on the terms of the motion.
We have not risen to talk about relevance, but that certainly has nothing to do with the privilege motion.
Privilege November 4th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I will continue with the highlights. First of all, the pamphlet was sent even before Justice Gomery made his report public. Bloc members showed a great lack of respect by refusing to wait to know the highlights. Now they even maintain their allegations. A lie repeated 1,000 times does not become a truth and they know it very well.
Second, I too read the Gomery report. I am under the impression that they choose the parts that suit them. I personally choose to quote parts concerning the responsibility of other ministers, like this one, on page 430:
On the evidence there is no basis for attributing blame or responsibility for the maladministration of the Sponsorship Program to any other Minister of the Chrétien Cabinet, since they, like all Members of Parliament, were not informed of the initiatives being authorized by Mr. Pelletier, and their funding from the Unity Reserve. Mr. Martin, whose role as Finance Minister did not involve him in the supervision of spending by the PMO or PWGSC, is entitled, like other Ministers in the Quebec caucus, to be exonerated from any blame for carelessness or misconduct.
They can wear themselves out telling the media a different story. They do not want to hear the truth because it does not interest them. They do not respect this House and the electors of my riding and of the ridings of all members on this side of the House. They insist on reading one or two quotes taken out of context from Justice Gomery's report.
The report continues:
—ministers are not responsible for what they do not know about the actions and decisions of the PMO or other Ministers, or about the administration of departments other than their own.
There is no proof in the report. We respect our justice system. We may have different opinions on the future of this country. Indeed, I have been fighting for 35 years against separatists. However, I have the greatest respect for this institution and for the rules that govern it. I do not see the same respect on the other side.