House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2006, with 47% of the vote.
Hepatitis C April 23rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have come to see the health minister as Dr. No: no to more money for health care, no to fair compensation for hep C victims. The government can yet say yes: yes to human needs, yes to all victims of hepatitis C.
The upcoming vote is a watershed moment in this parliament, not a test of confidence but a critical test of liberal compassion. Will the Prime Minister say yes to compensation for all victims of hepatitis C?
Fisheries April 22nd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister knows that federal environmental mismanagement and his government's woeful response to this catastrophe keeps tens of thousands of east coast families in crisis.
An all party committee from Newfoundland and Labrador is here today in Ottawa following up on the all premiers' letter in December pleading with Ottawa to recognize that we are dealing with a long term problem that requires a long term solution.
Will the Prime Minister ease the suffering caused by this tragedy and pledge a comprehensive response sensitive to the particular needs and conditions of coastal communities?
Fisheries April 22nd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, mismanagement has led to disaster in the east coast fishery, threatening to destroy an ecosystem, an economy and an entire culture. The human and financial costs are staggering.
Will the Prime Minister use the occasion of Earth Day to admit that federal mismanagement was the principal cause of this catastrophe? Will he finally respond to the December 12, 1997 pleadings of all five eastern premiers to immediately establish an Atlantic groundfish program successor to TAGS?
Banking April 21st, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the nature of the debate has to understood.
The Minister of Finance says that he does not intend to be told what to do by the banks. He says: “Just watch us”. Canadians have just watched this government once already, with the GST. And what happened? The GST is still with us, and one minister had to resign.
Does the Minister of Finance intend to resign if the mergers go ahead the way the banks want them to?
Banking April 21st, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the finance minister talked tough yesterday about bank mergers. “Just watch us” sounded like the minister might even consider for once putting public interests ahead of corporate interests.
But Liberal commitments are a bit like a mirage in the desert. As you get closer they vanish. Commitments to revisit NAFTA, vanished; to abolish the GST, vanished; to introduce national child care, vanished; to repeal drug patent legislation, vanished.
Why should we believe this finance minister when he says he is tough enough to take on the megabanks?
Bettye Hyde April 21st, 1998
Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate Bettye Hyde's nomination for the Royal Bank award for Canadian achievement. The Royal Bank will remember Bettye Hyde. When it tried to close her bank branch Bettye rallied the neighbourhood and won.
It has been a lifetime involvement for Bettye Hyde, mother, community volunteer, early childhood educator and environmentalist.
That is why we like Bettye and believe that her achievements and life meet the criteria set by the Royal Bank with respect to this award.
Bettye Hyde, who is 80 years of age, is still an active person. Just imagine what it would be like if there were more Bettye Hydes in Canada.
Bettye was big enough to keep her money in the Royal Bank as long as it keeps its branch in her neighbourhood. Is the Royal Bank big enough to honour someone who fights for the way things should be, not the way those in charge say things have to be?
Whether the Royal Bank chooses Bettye, she is a winner and that makes us all winners. It is called community. It is something even a bank should understand.
Banking April 20th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, why does the Minister of Finance keep hiding behind the task force on financial services when its members have said themselves they are not looking at the bank merger issue?
Canadians want to have a say in the future of our banking industry. Unfortunately the finance minister says they have to wait until the bankers have had their say, wait until the task force reports, wait until the mergers are unstoppable, wait until there is a loss of tens of thousands of jobs. The bank mega mergers are not waiting. Why is this government waiting until it is too late to make a difference?
Banking April 20th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.
“Whenever bankers rush to do the same thing at the same time it is a sure rule that problems will follow”. So states today's Financial Times . Through his delay, our finance minister resembles a pipe major leading the parade of mega-mergers.
Let me remind the finance minister that he has a duty to the Canadian public that comes before his Bay Street buddies. Small depositors, small businesses and small communities across this country want to know why the Canadian government will not launch an immediate inquiry into these revolutionary changes and massive concentrations in the banking industry.
Hepatitis C April 20th, 1998
Mr. Speaker, today Canadians heard about the heroic fight of hepatitis C victims in Ireland who after years of fighting finally won a fair compensation package from their government. Sadly it took the death of a prominent activist to bring enough shame on that government to act.
The Canadian government has the opportunity now to act with compassion and end the battle being fought by the wounded, the sick and their loved ones.
Instead of acting with fairness and justice the government has drawn an arbitrary line separating those who would be compensated from those who would not.
Today the victims of hepatitis C stood united on Parliament Hill refusing to be divided by government motivated by cost rather than compassion.
I call on the government to ease the suffering of all hepatitis C victims and to offer a fair and just compensation package for all now.
There must be justice for all the victims of hepatitis C. By showing some compassion, the federal government would avoid forcing the victims to suffer through lawsuits.
Hepatitis C April 3rd, 1998
Mr. Speaker, the minister can repeat his mantra. He can continue to try to evade his responsibility but it does not change the facts.
Unlike this health minister, some provinces have had the courage to acknowledge that the proposed compensation package does not provide a satisfactory solution for tens of thousands of victims.
Is the minister now prepared to negotiate a new deal? Will he say yes to all victims by bringing more money to the table, or will he continue to say no to fair compensation for all hepatitis C victims?