Lost his last election, in 2004, with 39% of the vote.
Food Inspection March 19th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister of agriculture.
Since 1993 the Canadian government has been right sizing, harmonizing and generally saving Canadians money. Could the minister explain what the single food inspection agency is and how it will benefit and save Canadians money?
Child Labour March 14th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, child labour is not restricted to southeast Asia. Notwithstanding our peacekeeping efforts, such practices exist in Haiti.
Recently the Toronto Star published an article on Haiti's slave children in which it recounted the physical, emotional and sexual abuse that upward of 300,000 children must face each and every day.
The problem appears at first glance insurmountable, yet groups in my constituency such as Fergus' St. Andrew's HEARTS are helping to support a school, orphanage and feed program in Cap Haitian which is diverting a small number of children from a life of misery.
I was delighted to hear that Canada is supporting a global effort by the International Labour Organization to eliminate child labour and that about $1 million a day from CIDA's budget is devoted to the programs to adjust to children's needs. I encourage the Canadian government to look to the needs of the children of Haiti.
National Farm Safety Week March 7th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to make all members aware that March 7 to March 13 is national farm safety week. Last year in Ontario alone there were 24 farm related deaths which might have been prevented.
During national farm safety week children and parents are invited to become farm safety super sleuths. Farm families are encouraged to make a serious effort to identify and correct areas on the farm where safety can be improved.
The overall objective of the campaign is to increase the awareness of hazards present on the farm.
As a farmer, I cannot begin to stress the need for all of us to work together to decrease the number of farm injuries and fatalities in 1996 and into the future.
Recognition Of Quebec As A Distinct Society November 29th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, yesterday and today the third party and the leader of the third party talked about our proposal on the regions of Canada. We proposed four. He has said there should be five.
My question to the leader is: Is the fifth region B.C. or Alberta?
National Unity October 30th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, Monday and Tuesday of last week I had the opportunity to meet with 50 students from Collingwood Collegiate Institute and to be part of their demonstration for national unity.
These students took it upon themselves to show their deep commitment to the people of Quebec by coming here to Ottawa-Hull to talk with and to share their concern and love for this great country with students from Quebec. They implore the people of
Quebec to vote no today and to share their dream of a united Canada that is respectful of their language and traditions, as well as being judged one of the best countries in the world in which to live.
I have with me today a petition from 359 students from Collingwood Collegiate Institute asking Quebecers to keep their faith in Canada and Canadians.
Petitions October 25th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the second petition contains 175 signatures and calls on the government to remove impediments to the mining industry such as overlapping regulations.
The petitioners pray and call on Parliament to improve the investment climate to stimulate the industry and to keep mining in Canada.
Petitions October 25th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am presenting two petitions today.
The first contains 25 signatures and calls on the government to amend the Young Offenders Act.
National Horse Of Canada Act October 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure to have this opportunity to speak on the bill before the House by my colleague from Lanark-Carleton, Bill C-329, an act to recognize the Canadian horse as the national horse of Canada.
The history of this breed is impressive. The Canadian horse was introduced into Canada in 1665, when the King of France sent horses from his own stables to the people in his North American colony. The breed thrived and multiplied in its new home from 145 head in 1679 to over 5,000 in 1720, in that short period of time.
The history of the Canadian horse is also the history of Canada's agricultural pioneers. These animals became an invaluable ally to the settlers in their efforts to survive and prosper in their new homes.
I want to talk about this for a minute, because I found it very interesting. When the member from the third party was here he said we should be talking about more important things in the House right now. We have a motto on my farm back home. The motto is very simply this: mindful of the past, planning for the future. It goes to show members how important our history is to us in this country. If we have no past, we really do not have much to look forward to in the future.
In these days of tractors and modern machinery, when a farmer goes out to plow his field he hops into a 100-plus horsepower tractor that is pulling anywhere from six to ten furrows behind him in an air conditioned cab. He is listening to the radio and the markets as he is doing his job. However, back in the days of the Canadian horse, a farmer went out and had a single furrow in front of him, the horse in front of him, the reins around his neck, two hands on the handles, and he went out plowing.
Today, with the equipment we have we can plow 15 to 20 acres a day. Back then, a farmer plowing a field with a horse in front of him could do two acres a day. Members might be interested to know that for every acre he plowed behind a horse he had to walk 10 miles. For the farmer to do two acres a day he would walk 20 miles. I should be getting more exercise like this.
The horse has always been there. I come from Grey County in Ontario. When the surveys of Grey County were first being done there were two surveys. One was called Rankin and the other was called Trainer. The distance from Owen Sound down to Hamilton is about 150 to 180 miles. When these gentlemen were setting out the surveys to lay out the townships and the roads and everything in the early 1800s, which does not seem all that long ago, the fields were not there. It was all covered with forests. These gentlemen came with backpacks and horses from Owen Sound. They worked their way down and set up food caches all the way through. They came from Hamilton and worked their way up so they could start to do these surveys. The surveys took quite a while.
When the surveys were done, of course, there was still a forest to clean away so we could get into agriculture with open fields. The horse was there again. The farmers were cutting down trees and were using horses to pull those trees and stumps away.
This summer I was up in Collingwood, which is part of my riding. They have a fair up there called the Great Northern Exhibition. They show horses up there. It is part of our heritage, our past. I watched and handed out trophies this year for the horse pulls. It is a very competitive atmosphere.
In my own village of Holstein, we have a Santa Claus parade every year. One of the prerequisites to be in that parade is to have a horse-drawn float. There are Mennonites and Old Order Mennonites in my area who use horse-drawn equipment, the horse and buggy, the democrat. Maybe the pages do not know what a
democrat is. It is a long wagon affair with a number of seats in it, which a sizeable family can sit in. Some of these families have eight to ten kids, all behind the horse.
In the Depression years our family lived on a farm. We had a large stand of timber on the farm and we sold wood. How did we get it to town? We hauled it with a horse. This was all part of agriculture.
The Canadian horse is known for its strength and endurance. There have been a number of historical accounts of the horse's performance and ability to outperform animals of much greater size. I am talking about Belgians and Percherons, horses of that kind, which are sizeable horses when you get beside them. Never get stepped on by one. I did when I was a child.
One story tells of a butcher who hooked his Canadian horse to a buggy and travelled 250 kilometres from Quebec City to Montreal in less than 12 hours, outracing the overnight steamer that was racing against him to collect an unpaid bill.
There was another account from the Breeder's Gazette of Chicago in 1914. I think the hon. member touched on this, but I will say it again, because we have to show how good the Canadian horse is. It is not very often that we in this House beat our own drum on how good we are as Canadians. I think we should do it more often. The Canadian horse is a good example. We have a wood merchant who was the owner of a Canadian horse weighing approximately 1,050 pounds. He harnessed it to the same pull against another horse about 200 pounds heavier. The Canadian horse was always kept in its harness traces, well stretched and never showed as much fatigue as his heavier mate. After two years of common work the heavier horse died. The question on the cause of death'', the driver answered,is the Canadian horse made him die of overwork''.
That goes to show how good this breed is that we are trying to recognize as something that is Canadian. Canada should be very proud too because as a united country we are number one in the world today. Again I have to stress the fact that my colleague from the third party seems to miss this point. I find it unfortunate that he and my Bloc colleagues they do not understand how good they have it right now.
Despite its qualities the Canadian horse almost faced extinction through inbreeding and neglect. In 1886 a few admirers banded together to establish a breed registry or a stud book listing all the purebreds.
In 1907 a second book was opened and the federal government department of agriculture funded a panel of judges to survey approximately 2,500 horses out of which only 969 were acceptable and registered as foundation stock. That is how close we were to losing the Canadian horse.
Between 1913 and 1981 the federal and Quebec governments launched programs to maintain the breed. However, in 1976 with only 383 Canadian horses left on record, once again the horse was destined to disappear. This is what the hon. member across was talking about, this resiliency of Canadians. We bounce back. We will bounce back. We always do bounce back. The Canadian horse is a good example of this.
During the past 10 years there has been a resurgence of interest in the breed. People are rediscovering the little iron horse. Is that not a great way of describing a symbol of Canada, the little iron horse. It is a gentle hardworking breed, an intelligent, multi-purpose horse. There are breeders in my riding of Wellington-Grey-Dufferin-Simcoe that have written to me to proudly describe these animals, which is one of the reasons I am here today supporting the member's bill.
This bill provides us with an opportunity to celebrate this uniquely Canadian horse. We owe much to it for its hard work in developing this country and I encourage all the members to support this bill.
Small Business Loans Act October 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, last summer I had the opportunity of driving around with the member for Parry Sound-Muskoka. We were on a little mission called the access to capital for small business task force.
Over the past two years I have been here, I have seen that the federal government only has the capability to create the atmosphere for the creation and the enhancement of small business. We do not have the money any more to throw at jobs because of deficit reduction, et cetera. One thing we have done is establish the small business centre in Toronto to cut through the red tape.
Bill C-99 is only one part of the overview. The Federal Business Development Bank and business development corporations play very important and crucial roles in the formation and enhancement of small business.
Could the member give us any information on what is being done with them to improve that part of the overview?
Employment Equity Act October 3rd, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I want to say at the outset that I endorse the principle of labour-management consultation and co-operation on matters relating to the workplace under federal jurisdiction.
We all know that working together brings out the best results for all concerned. This is what we are trying to achieve in the wording of clause 15 of Bill C-64 as it has been reported back from the standing committee.
Let me read the introductory portion of what clause 15 currently says:
Every employer shall consult with its employees' representatives by inviting the representatives to provide their views-
Bill C-64 also explicitly recognizes the role of bargaining agents in the workplace. I quote further from clause 15:
Where employees are represented by a bargaining agent, the bargaining agent shall participate in a consultation under subsection (1).
The above provisions underline the kind of environment we all want to have in the workplace.
We do not want management to be making arbitrary decisions without consulting the interest of employees. We want the employees to be fully involved in all matters that involve them, be they health and safety issues or employment equity issues.
We want to have a policy of inclusion followed, not one of exclusion. We believe that everyone in the workplace should have the opportunity to put forward their ideas and views. In line with the entire spirit of employment equity is the elimination of barriers.
The standing committee recognized the value of this type of consultation when it reviewed the bill introduced at first reading. The testimony they heard from the witnesses at their hearings led them to strengthen the provisions. The provisions currently in the bill have already been strengthened from what was originally proposed. All one has to do is to read further in clause 15:
Every employer and its employees' representatives shall collaborate in the preparation, implementation and revision of the employer's employment equity plan.
The standing committee added the concept of collaboration. This goes beyond the concept of consultation. However the standing committee recognized that the concept of collaboration could not interfere with employers' obligations under the act.
It is for the individual employer who has specific obligations under the act that there are provisions for non-compliance when the employer meets these obligations. That is why there is a very important provision at the end of clause 15:
Consultation under subsection (1) and collaboration under subsection (3) are not forms of co-management.
We need to recognize that the responsibility for implementing employment equity in the workplace is that of management. The
current wording of the bill provides for this. That is why I have so many problems with the wording of Motion No. 7. We have to be very careful in considering the implications of the proposed amendment.
If adopted, the amendment would require the employer and its employees' representatives to implement and revise the employment equity plan jointly. In a perfect world perhaps this would work, but we must recognize that we are still trying to achieve a perfect world, as my colleagues from the Reform Party tell me on a daily basis. This is one reason there is need for an employment equity act and this is one reason the proposed amendment goes too far.
A number of problems would result if the motion were adopted and the act subsequently proclaimed into law. Employers could try to evade their responsibilities by saying that progress is being stalled by an unco-operative bargaining agent. Presumably there would be a call for a compliance officer to intervene, but there are no enforceable obligations on bargaining agents in the legislation. There would nothing a compliance officer could do in a case where there are bad relations between labour and management, perhaps as a result or in connection with an industrial dispute.
Employment equity is related to the human resources management field and to the hiring and promotion processes. These are traditionally considered to be areas reserved to management. We have to recognize this reality.
Again I reinforce the purpose of the act as set out in section 2:
The purpose of this act is to achieve equality in the workplace so that no person shall be denied employment opportunities or benefits for reasons unrelated to ability and, in the fulfilment of that goal, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by women, aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities by giving effect to the principle that employment equity means more than treating persons in the same way but also requires special measures and the accommodation of differences.
In summary the purpose of the act is to achieve equality in the workplace and to correct the conditions and disadvantages experienced by certain groups. Bill C-64, as currently worded, provides the appropriate balance between employee participation, management powers and obligations. That is why we should not adopt the motion.