I will now call upon Mr. Peter Milliken, the hon. member for the electoral district of Kingston and the Islands, to address the House for not more than five minutes.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 51% of the vote.
Election of Speaker April 3rd, 2006
I will now call upon Mr. Peter Milliken, the hon. member for the electoral district of Kingston and the Islands, to address the House for not more than five minutes.
Election of Speaker April 3rd, 2006
Thank you very much, dear colleagues. Welcome to the 39th Parliament.
I will begin with just a brief history lesson about this particular procedure of electing the Speaker by secret ballot, which was recommended in 1985 by the Special Committee on the Reform of the House of Commons, otherwise known as the McGrath committee. It was recommended at that time as a symbol of the independence of the House from the government and the independence of individual members. As members may know, before that, the Speaker was appointed by the Prime Minister. It is in that spirit that I invite you to participate in this particular exercise today.
The list of members who have withdrawn or who are ineligible as candidates has been placed on each member's desk and is available at the table.
The list of those members who are eligible as candidates has also been placed on each member's desk and is available at the table. Pursuant to Standing Order 3.1, the House must proceed to the speeches from each candidate for the office of the Speaker.
Notwithstanding any standing order or any usual procedure and practice adopted by this House and to help the newly elected members to identify the candidates for the office of Speaker, I will recognize in alphabetical order each candidate by name and by electoral district.
When the last candidate to address the House completes his speech, I will leave the chair for one hour, after which members will proceed to the election of the Speaker.
I will now call upon the hon. Diane Marleau, the honourable member for the electoral district of Sudbury, to address the House for not more than five minutes.
International Cooperation November 25th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, these alleged increases come on the heels of the Liberals having gutted these programs in the first place, but the minister never acknowledges that.
He mentioned AIDS. I wonder if the minister or someone else could explain, why, in spite of all the hoopla about the Jean Chrétien AIDS in Africa bill, not one single pill has been delivered to Africa. People are dying every day and the pretense that the Liberals have actually done something about this continues.
Why do they allow that pretense to continue? Why do they not fess up and say that it was a fraud and nothing has happened?
International Cooperation November 25th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, my question is on the same topic.
U2 singer Bono has said that he hopes his music will last for 100 years. I think Bono himself will have to last for 100 years if he wants to see the Liberals keep the commitment they keep making over and over again. In fact, they now will not even make a commitment to 0.7% of GDP for overseas development assistance, unlike many of the other more progressive countries in the world.
I want to ask the Minister of Human Resources, who is throwing a reception for Bono, how the Liberals even have the nerve to hang out with the guy when they are so distant from what he wants of them.
Petitions November 23rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, that is what I thought I was doing. I was summarizing the petition rather than reading the whole thing. The petitioners want the federal government to ensure that all necessary measures are taken regarding the environmental impact that will result from the diversion of Devils Lake.
They call upon the government to ensure that this is referred to the International Joint Commission.
Petitions November 23rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, this petition has to do with the diversion of water from Devils Lake into the Red River system and Lake Winnipeg. Biota of concern have been discovered in Devils Lake as a result of tests that have been completed recently.
The petitioners hope that North Dakota and the United States will make good on their commitment to have an adequate filter for that water, seeing as they have decided to divert it in any event, despite the will of Parliament and of the Canadian people.
The petition reads, “We, the residents of Canada, call upon our federal government to ensure that all the necessary measures, including legal actions, are taken to guarantee that our concerns regarding the environmental--
Parliament of Canada November 22nd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, the only difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives when it comes to health care is that we have dishonest privatization and honest privatization.
My question is for the right hon. Prime Minister. Last night, Parliament spoke clearly and overwhelmingly in favour of an election call in January for an election in February. I am giving the Prime Minister, the man who said he would address the democratic deficit, the man who said he would have more respect for Parliament and the members of Parliament, one last chance to show that he means it. Will he respect the will of Parliament and abide by the resolution of last night?
National Defence November 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, if anything, the evidence last night demonstrated that the problem is far more extensive than the government has been willing to admit.
However I want to ask the Minister of National Defence another question with respect to those who were deemed not to have served in the second world war by order in council. The department now seems to admit that perhaps as many as half of the 14,000 or so who were deemed not to have served did in fact serve with distinction and were not deserters.
Having acknowledged this now, I wonder if the minister could tell us what the department intends to do about that. Will it be moving another order in council to make these kinds of benefits available to those who are still alive?
Veterans Affairs November 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, yesterday evening, the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs heard very compelling evidence from the Agent Orange Association of Canada; the MLA from New Brunswick, Jody Carr; and many others about the extent to which Canadian armed forces personnel, civilian personnel on the base and other civilians who worked on the base in various capacities over the years were sprayed over a period of 20 years with cancer causing chemicals and herbicides.
I wonder whether the Minister of National Defence would now agree to call the public inquiry that many have called for, while at the same time taking seriously the recommendations for how they could deal better with the situation in the meantime.
Canadian Wheat Board November 17th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, it was reported recently that the Standard & Poor's rating agency downgraded its outlook for the Canadian Wheat Board because of concerns that the Liberals are weakening in their support of the board and are not prepared to vigorously defend single desk selling at the upcoming WTO meetings in Hong Kong where state trading enterprises like the board are being targeted.
It is critical that Canada not trade away the Wheat Board and other orderly marketing institutions like supply management in an attempt to please the coalition of free market fundamentalists and multinational agri-business corporations that want to run the world through the WTO.
The NDP calls on the government to show leadership on these issues and, while it is at it, it could also announce an increase in the initial price paid by the Wheat Board. Farmers need help and they need it now. They do not need to be betrayed by their own government at the WTO.