Lost his last election, in 2006, with 35% of the vote.
National Parole Board November 23rd, 1999
Mr. Speaker, National Parole Board commissioners have absolutely no right to discuss any file concerning the board with anyone outside this organization.
These are extremely serious allegations. Either the hon. member has evidence to support his claims and, if so, he should provide it, or else he does not have such evidence and should therefore exercise caution.
Restorative Justice Week November 17th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, this week, the Correctional Service of Canada and communities throughout the country are celebrating Restorative Justice Week.
Restorative justice focuses on victims, the accountability of offenders, and the involvement of citizens in creating healthier, safer communities.
This year, the Correctional Service of Canada established the Restorative Justice Award in memory of Ron Wiebe, most recently the warden of the Elbow Lake and Ferndale correctional institutions. Mr. Wiebe passed away in July after a tough battle with cancer.
Yesterday, at Ferndale Institution, CSC Commissioner Ole Ingstrup presented the first Ron Wiebe restorative justice award.
The first award went to the Church Council on Justice and Corrections, which is celebrating 25 years of educating and advocating for restorative justice. The second is being awarded posthumously to Eleanor Brown, a senior citizen volunteer who was very involved in this field.
I urge all members to join with me in congratulating the recipients of the first Ron Wiebe award for restorative justice.
Organ Donation Act November 16th, 1999
Madam Speaker, the hon. member for Dewdney Alouette worries because the lawyer representing the RCMP Public Complaints Commission at the APEC hearings attended a fundraising dinner in Vancouver.
I cannot understand how such a question could be raised in the House. Unless my colleague does not understand the first thing about the legislation as it stands and its mechanisms. This matter has strictly nothing to do with the government.
I will explain for the umpteenth time, in the hope that the message will get across a little bit better this time.
The complaints commission was established in 1986 to investigate complaints made by the public against members of the RCMP.
Under the 1986 legislation, the commission is an independent administrative tribunal. It conducts investigations as it deems appropriate and is accountable for its practices and procedures. It is operating at arm's length from the government. That fact should be emphasized and repeated again, and I would repeat it in 15 different languages if I could: the commission is operating at arm's length from the government.
In the APEC hearings, the chairperson of the commission appointed Mr. Ted Hughes to deal specifically with the events that took place in Vancouver.
Mr. Hughes has a great reputation as an experienced lawyer and, under his direction, the hearings have made considerable progress. To date, more than 60 witnesses have been heard. I think Mr. Hughes has given all possible assurances that his work is absolutely honest and beyond reproach. In fact, that in itself is the best guarantee that the Canadian public will know exactly what happened at the APEC summit.
In performing his duties, Mr. Hughes recruited Mr. Marvin Storrow, who is the lawyer in question; he attended a fundraising dinner and has resigned, not to bring the work he was doing into disrepute.
The commission has nothing to do—
The Economy November 5th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, this morning Statistics Canada announced some good economic news: in October, the unemployment rate dropped 0.3% to 7.2%, which is the lowest it has been since March 1990.
This economic indicator shows us that our economic and financial policies have been effective. The conditions created by the Liberal government are contributing to the economic growth of Canada and to improving Canadians' quality of life.
Without getting hung up in a lot of numbers, let us simply say that, this year alone, 253,000 new jobs have been created.
While the opposition parties have been wasting their time tilting at windmills, 253,000 more people have found dignity in employment. While the opposition acts up, we have been acting.
Egyptair Flight 990 November 1st, 1999
Mr. Speaker, EgyptAir flight 990 has turned into an absolutely unspeakable tragedy for 18 Canadian families.
Although words are inadequate, I want these families to know that all of us in this House, all of the parties together, are sharing their pain.
The victims include Claude Masson, the deputy publisher of La Presse . A person universally recognized for his humanity, who rigorously seeks out the truth in the facts and their honest interpretation and who finds such definite expression for the social role of the press and the media in general, can be said to have been a success in life, a life that was far too short.
Truth and humanism today have lost a strong defender.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police October 28th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, this year we are celebrating an important stage in the life of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, namely 25 years of women in the force.
On September 16, 1974, at exactly the same moment across the country, 32 women aged between 19 and 29, from all provinces except Prince Edward Island, were hired as regular members of the RCMP. Today, some 14% of the force are women. That amounts to some 2,000 women.
The appointment of women police officers not only radically changed the RCMP and other police forces, it also helped radically change the role of women in the workplace and to change public perception of this role and of the police.
Many activities have been organized in celebration of this event, but much remains to be done. The change is essential if we want Canada to continue to set an example with community police and police close—
Women's History Month October 27th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, October is women's history month. In this Année de la Francophonie, which is particularly exciting in Quebec, I would like to pay special tribute to those women who fought for the right to vote for women in Quebec.
In 1907, Marie Gérin-Lajoie and Caroline Beïque founded the Fédération nationale Saint-Jean-Baptiste to promote women's civil and political rights. They called for a reform of the civil code at the time and demanded a commission of inquiry be set up to examine women's rights.
In 1922, still not having obtained the right to vote, Marie Gérin-Lajoie went to Quebec City with a group of women in order to lobby the premier. In the following years, Idola St-Jean and Thérèse Casgrain took over. After a number of years of vigorous efforts, women in Quebec finally obtained the right to vote on April 25, 1940.
Since then, because of the profound convictions of these activists, a number of Quebec women have been elected to the National Assembly of Quebec and to the House of Commons. Despite that, however, the men to women ratio is far from representative of Canada's total population.
Youth Criminal Justice Act October 21st, 1999
Madam Speaker, Bill C-6 will provide exemptions for private sector activities governed by the provinces, if one of them has already passed legislation essentially similar to federal legislation to protect personal information.
The Province of Quebec has already passed legislation to protect personal information, legislation that is essentially the same as that proposed by the federal government. The organizations covered by the Quebec legislation will be exempted from the application of Bill C-6 in the case of transactions taking place entirely within Quebec.
The federal bill will add to the protection provided by the Quebec law for consumers in that province. These laws apply to different activities, and the federal law fills in the gaps in the coverage provided by the Quebec law.
Bill C-6 resolves problems and situations that can simply not be covered by provincial laws, however rigorously they are drafted.
One example might be a company with its head office in Alberta that gathers information on consumers in Quebec. Neither of the provinces is under the authority of the other and therefore a federal scheme is required.
Once Bill C-6 has been passed, the privacy of Quebecers will be the best protected in Canada, since they live in the only province that has enacted legislation to protect personal information in the private sector.
As far as national security is concerned, I would like to repeat what has already been said and that is that the police and government authorities will be able to do no more and no less than they do now.
I think Bill C-6 is good legislation for Quebec and good legislation for Canada.
Youth Criminal Justice Act October 21st, 1999
Mr. Speaker, I had not really intended to take part in this debate now, but I find it absolutely unbelievable that at the end of the 20th century, almost at the beginning of the 21st century, the Reform Party would still trot out the theories of justice of yesteryear.
I still cannot believe that someone would still say “To solve the problem of crime we just have to put people in jail because that will scare them”.
This is beyond belief. It is as if these people had never heard of restorative justice, presumption of innocence and the very foundations of modern justice.
I am really extremely disappointed.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police June 11th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, since I could not finish earlier, I will do so now.
A memorandum of understanding was signed by the solicitor general, the RCMP and the Treasury Board to ensure that all new contract positions with the RCMP are filled by the Treasury Board and not by the RCMP. The member neglects to mention this.
As for the DNA bank, I am happy to report that the backlog in British Columbia has been reduced by 30% in the last six months.
If the member opposite had bothered to consult his own colleagues, and find out what is happening here at RCMP headquarters with respect to the DNA bank—