Claudette Bradshaw

[Honduran Firefighters, November 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to commend three Honduran firefighters who have been residing in my riding of Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe for the past three months.

They have been undergoing firefighting training so that they can return to Honduras to establish the first national firefighters school in their country. They were due to leave Friday when they heard of the disaster which killed thousands of people in their country, many of them friends and relatives, and left countless others homeless.

The building that was supposed to house the firefighting school is in pieces and many people are in desperate need of assistance.

Along with two constituents, Paul Jennings and Paul McFadden, they are returning to Honduras tomorrow to help their country. As well, all of the fire stations in the greater Moncton area have set up collection points to gather supplies.

I am extremely proud of the people of Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe for all they have done to assist the three Honduran firefighters and the victims of Hurricane Mitch.

[Ron Gaudet, November 2nd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ron Gaudet, President of the Greater Moncton Economic Commission, who was recently named economic developer of the year by the Economic Development Association of Canada, a 400 member association.

As president and CEO of the Greater Moncton Economic Commission for the past four years, Mr. Gaudet has seen our region through some difficult times and has played a major role in revitalizing our economy.

Under Mr. Gaudet's presidency the greater Moncton area was named one of the ten best cities in Canada in which to do business for three years in a row.

Mr. Gaudet has greatly contributed to the economic growth of Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe. On behalf of the people of the Greater Moncton area, I thank him for his dedication to the economic development of our community.

On behalf of the people of Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe I congratulate Ron on his much deserved reward and thank him for his dedication to the development of our community.

[The Late Leonard Jones, October 6th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, it looks like a very long time to me now, but in June this summer I began my career with the Boys and Girls Club. Len Jones at the time was the mayor of Moncton. I have known Mr. Jones for a long time. He was a member of the board of directors of the East End Boys' Club when I was working for the Moncton Boys and Girls Club.

After working in the Boys and Girls Club for six years I started the head start program. In those days a lot of politicians said to me that I would not get the support of the community for the children because they were two to five years of age. They were too young. They were not breaking windows and the community would not support me if I started such a program. I went to different agencies and they said the same.

However, two politicians said to me “Claudette, go for it”. Len Jones was one of them. When we started we were in a small house. We did not have any money. Never did I do anything with the head start program without Len Jones being there.

Another thing that shows who Len Jones was was when his daughter Helen went out west. As a community we were shocked that Len Jones would leave the city of Moncton. We said that he would never leave because he had given his life to the city as mayor and as a member of parliament.

I remember my discussion with him. He said “You know, Claudette, I am a family man. I have always believed in what you have done for children. My daughter is going out west and she would like us to move with her”. He and his wife moved out west to be with their daughter.

Len Jones was there for children. He also believed that every child in the school system should learn to speak French from grade 1 up to grade 12. He advocated that.

He was always there for me with the head start program. He always believed in prevention. I would like to say to his family that being in the House of Commons I often think of Len Jones. He had hard battles to win sometimes. Running as an independent was not easy for him, but he stood for what he believed in. If I were to say one thing about Len Jones, it is that he was a man of character.

I thank the House for the chance to speak about Mr. Jones. Like I said, he was always there for children in the Moncton area.

[World Habitat Day, October 5th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations has designated the first Monday in October as World Habitat Day, a day to reflect on our communities and their importance in our lives.

This year's theme is safer cities, a theme that offers an opportunity for people living in cities to consider the current state of their cities and to explore how existing problems can be overcome to make them more equitable and sustainable.

The conditions in which people live determine, to a large extent, their health, productivity and well-being. Our enviable position is largely due to the co-operation of organizations such as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and its various partners.

This morning a Habitat for Humanity Canada “blitz build” was started in Moncton. They will be building a duplex for two families to enjoy. I am a strong believer in the Maslow hierarchy of needs and I believe that housing is one of our basic needs.

Congratulations to everyone.

[Michel Doucet, September 23rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, on September 18, Michel Doucet, Dean of the Université de Moncton Law School, was on the merit list on the occasion of the national symposium on official languages.

Mr. Doucet has made a huge contribution to the advancement of language rights of the Acadian and francophone communities. He has always encouraged the promotion and development of the socio-legal aspects of official languages. As well, his ideas culminated in the creation of the Association des juristes d'expression française du Nouveau-Brunswick.

Mr. Doucet is an ardent supporter of the advancement of linguistic rights of Acadian and francophone communities.

I would like to congratulate him on being conferred an award of distinction, an honour he truly deserves.

My sincere congratulations to Mr. Doucet for this well-deserved honour.

[Teaching Excellence Award, June 1st, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the constituents of the greater Moncton area, I rise in the House today to congratulate Mr. Andrew Campbell who was awarded the 1997 Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence.

A teacher at the MacNaughton Science and Technology Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Mr. Campbell has been chosen for a certificate of achievement and has been awarded a cash prize of $1,000. This amount will be used to purchase resource materials, teaching aids and other tools to help enhance the teaching environment at the MacNaughton Science and Technology Centre.

We should always take the time to recognize and to thank our teachers for their dedication to promoting the development of our children.

Once again, I speak on behalf of everyone in the greater Moncton area when I say to Mr. Campbell, thank you for your wonderful contribution and congratulations on your well-deserved award.

[Société Nationale De L'Acadie, May 8th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the Société nationale de l'Acadie today begins its official meeting in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

The SNA supports and defends the rights and interests of Acadians through its interprovincial, national and international presence.

The theme of this annual meeting will be the development of an Acadian tourism product. Music, theatre, cultural institutions and other elements of Acadian heritage will be on the menu as a strategy is formulated to consolidate the wealth of Acadia.

I believe it is extremely important that we promote our Acadian heritage. By enhancing our tourism infrastructure we have a great opportunity to promote our culture and to help foster economic development in our region.

I think the francophone summit, which will be held in Moncton in 1999 will contribute to developing tourism in Acadia, as it will bring together more than forty—

[Leader Of Liberal Party In New Brunswick, May 4th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate the new leader of the Liberal Party in New Brunswick, chosen at a leadership convention on the weekend.

Camille Thériault set himself the goal of defending Canada's unity as a francophone in a minority community.

Mr. Theriault has been involved in the constitutional debate and has demonstrated that he is firmly committed to helping to build a strong and united Canada while still promoting the interests of his province.

Mr. Thériault is an old stock Acadian. Born in Baie-Sainte-Anne, he is totally bilingual and has a degree in social sciences, with specialization in political science.

I congratulate Mr. Theriault and I wish him the best of luck as the new premier of New Brunswick.

[Gil Robinson, April 27th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to pay tribute to Gil Robinson, a constituent who has recently returned from working overseas for CESO, Canadian Volunteer Advisors to Business.

Mr. Robinson just completed two terms in Guyana. He was asked to improve the operations of a supermarket in Georgetown and to develop a strategy plan for another supermarket, in Linden.

For the Linden store Mr. Robinson established internal controls to correct a problem with theft, established an operations manual and changed the layout of the store. The Georgetown store was losing money due to excess inventory and high interest rates. Mr. Robinson trained staff in all aspects of food store management and established objectives and priorities.

On behalf of everyone in the greater Moncton area, I want to wholeheartedly congratulate Mr. Robinson for the remarkable work he has done in Guyana.

[Hugh Yik, March 30th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, 15 year old Moncton skater Hugh Yik captured his first consecutive junior men's title at the 1998 Bank of Montreal Canadian figure skating championships in Hamilton, Ontario in January 1998.

Hugh Yik is a grade 10 student at Moncton high school and is the first male skater in more than 20 years to win the national novice and junior titles in back to back years. This win will probably give him the opportunity to participate in the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.

Hugh Yik is currently a member of Canada's figure skating team. From now on, he will compete at the international level.

We are supportive of Hugh Yik's athletic career, and we wish him the greatest possible success.