Lost her last election, in 2006, with 39% of the vote.
Petitions May 27th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, the second petition asserts that Bill C-20, an act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children and other vulnerable persons) and the Canada Evidence Act does not go far enough to protect children in Canada.
It calls upon the government to split Bill C-20 so that child pornography can be voted on separately from anything else in the bill. Again, this is signed by several hundred residents in my area.
Petitions May 27th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first calls upon Parliament to pass legislation to recognize the institution of marriage in federal law as being the lifetime union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. It is signed by several hundred residents from the Durham region in my riding.
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act April 29th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I will be supporting the government.
Rosemary Brown April 29th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to pay homage to Rosemary Brown who died this past weekend.
A passionate woman with a determined vision of equality, Rosemary Brown took on the position of volunteer Vancouver ombudsman as “the challenge I have been waiting for all of my life”. She entered provincial politics in 1972 because she was on the board of the Vancouver status of women which urged women to run. In her memoirs Brown wrote: “I have never lost sight of the fact that I was the women's candidate, that they nominated me, worked for me, and elected me”.
In 1972 Rosemary Brown became the first black woman to be elected to political office in Canada, winning her seat in the B.C. legislature. She was a tireless leader in the struggle for rights of men, women and children everywhere. Rosemary Brown was honoured around the world for her life work, as well as in Canada where she was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 1966.
Through her sustained efforts she became an inspiration in the field of social activism. Rosemary Brown's goals endure: to push boundaries, to challenge absolutes, and to make equality a reality for every human being.
Child Care March 21st, 2003
Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Human Resources Development successfully negotiated Canada's first ever national child care program. Her provincial and territorial colleagues agreed to her plan to allocate some $900 million to regulated child care spaces across the country.
Can the minister tell the House what this means in practical terms for working parents?
Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act February 25th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I would like to be recorded as voting in favour.
Human Resources Development February 21st, 2003
Mr. Speaker, we saw, with the release of the 2001 census, that each region of Canada is at risk of facing serious massive shortages in skilled labour by the year 2011. Increasingly, Canadian employers are relying on highly skilled, sincerely motivated immigrants to help address the very serious shortages.
Could the Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration tell the House what moneys were allocated in budget 2003 and to what initiatives they would apply?
Petitions February 5th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from rural route mail couriers who assert that they earn less than the minimum wage and have working conditions that are reminiscent of another era, and that they have not been allowed to bargain collectively to improve their wages and conditions like others.
The petitioners call upon Parliament to repeal section 13(5) of the Canada Post Corporation Act.
Lobbyists Registration Act October 25th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to join in the debate on the motion to refer Bill C-15, an act to amend the Lobbyists Registration Act, to committee before second reading.
In 2001, the all party industry committee reviewed the Lobbyists Registration Act and made a number of suggestions for change. I am very pleased to learn that the government wants to refer the new Lobbyists Registration Act directly to committee before second reading so that all members of the House from all parties will have an opportunity to review, to discuss and to make amendments to the bill.
Today I want to focus on some of the details of the bill. Bill C-15 is about taking a system that works well and making it work much better. It is a bill that draws on the experience of our lobbyists registration process to date in order to make an even stronger system. The bill includes the usual technical amendments, of course, but the core of the bill is the changes that it proposes in three major areas. I would like to comment on each of them now.
The first issue is about clarifying what kind of lobbying the law covers and who has to register as a lobbyist under the act. The law as it stands now makes it clear that people who are trying to influence government solely as citizens or as members of some voluntary group, and who are not getting paid to influence government, are exempt from the act. The focus is on people who are attempting to influence the government as part of their paid employment. They may be consultants who lobby on behalf of other clients. They may be government relations officers or companies or associations or some non-governmental organization. These people need to register. The question is, what triggers the requirement? What constitutes lobbying?
Right now the act states that someone needs to register if they are making an “attempt to influence” a public office holder. There are concerns that this definition is too vague to be well enforced. The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology recognized this. When that committee examined this act in 2001, it recommended that the Registrar of Lobbyists, the Office of the Ethics Counsellor and the Department of Justice consult on this issue. That has happened. We have the results before us today.
The act states if there is communication with a public office holder, there is lobbying, plain and simple. Quite simply, the act of communication brings about the need to register.
Clearly not all communication is the same. The bill focuses on communication about legislation, regulations, policies, programs, grants, contributions and contracts. That is lobbying and the rules are clear.
On the other hand, if a person calls a public office holder for basic facts or information, there is no attempt to influence, so that is not lobbying and it is exempt.
The bill takes another step forward because it also cuts out something that the standing committee saw as a potential loophole in the act as it stood. This was the exemption when it is a public office holder who initiates the contact instead of a lobbyist. In essence, the concern was that if it is an attempt to influence, when all is said and done what difference does it make who made the first phone call?
The overall result is to clarify what lobbying is under the law and the requirements for registration. The bill will end confusion that may result when people who should register do not. That will be an important contribution to an even more transparent system.
I would now like to turn to the second major change. This one relates to creating a single registration system for corporations and non-profit organizations, along with simpler registration requirements and stronger de-registration requirements.
As things stand now, the act sets out two different systems. One covers people who are employed by businesses. The other covers people who are employed by non-profit organizations.
For businesses, the registration requirement kicks in if an employee spends 20% or more of his or her time lobbying, so normally only government relations staff and some other senior people may need to register. For non-profit groups, things are different.
The senior officer of a non-profit group has to register on behalf of his or her organization if the total time that staff spent on lobbying is 20% of the time of the single employee. Under Bill C-15 all organizations will follow the process now in place for non-profit groups. Whether for profit or not for profit, if the amount of time spent lobbying by all employees adds up to 20% or more of the working time of a single employee in that organization, then that organization has to register. It is a simple consistent standard for every organization, public sector or not.
To make it even more consistent, it will be the responsibility of the chief executive officer or the equivalent person to register. Under the law all persons who normally do lobbying would be listed too, but by making the CEO responsible for the organization's registration, that leader will be responsible for making sure that his or her organization is meeting its obligations under the law.
There is another element of the registration system: clear rules on how often lobbyists who are consultants need to update their registrations. Under this bill, a consultant who lobbies for clients has to register within 10 days of taking an assignment or a project. These consultant lobbyists would also be responsible to update their registrations at least every six months.
The third and final point that I want to make is a new provision in the law that relates to situations that are uncovered that may point to possible law breaking. Bill C-15 would explicitly direct the ethics counsellor to contact the police when he or she suspects that the law is being broken because of information turned up in one of his or her own investigations on lobbying activities. It could be the Criminal Code. It could be some other federal or provincial law. The result is the same: a requirement to contact the police.
These are the only major changes that would be brought about by the Lobbyists Registration Act. Of course, they are not the only changes. There are other minor technical changes here and there. Some take care of small wording problems. Others resolve inconsistencies between the English and the French versions of the law. However the key point is simple. Bill C-15 makes Canada's lobbyists registration system stronger, more transparent and more effective.
I urge all members of the House to pass the motion promptly so that these proposals can be sent to committee and discussed where all members of the House, all members from every party can make recommendations and examine the provisions under this bill.
National Dystonia Awareness Week October 25th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, dystonia is a neurological disorder that causes powerful and involuntary muscle spasms which may affect as many as 300,000 to 500,000 people across North America. Unfortunately, most of the public knows little about dystonia and victims often go for long periods of time without seeking medical assistance because they are unaware of the disorder.
However there are organizations, such as the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, that are working hard to discover the cause of the disorder and to eventually find a cure. In addition, there are groups of volunteers in communities across the country that are working hard to promote a greater awareness of this disorder.
I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to all those dedicated to creating a better understanding of the disorder and to acknowledge National Dystonia Awareness Week during the month of October.