Carolyn Parrish

[Electoral Reform, November 28th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, on this my last day in the House, I would like to ask when will Canadians, particularly the 10% who support smaller parties and independent candidates, see their votes really count in a modern system that includes proportional representation and fixed election dates?

[Immigration, November 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec solicits French-speaking immigrants from all over the world. After one hour of processing in Montreal, many of those immigrants board planes to Peel region, but their settlement fees of $3,800 per immigrant stay in Quebec.

Would the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration please explain to this House, particularly to the members from the GTA, why settlement fees attached to new immigrants are not withheld for 12 months and then assigned to the province in which those immigrants eventually settle and receive services, such as Ontario and Alberta?

[Airports, November 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, in a question posed earlier this week to the Minister of Transport on the patently unfair rents being levied on Pearson International Airport, he suggested air carriers go to Montreal. He went on to say that everyone has to pay their rent. What arrogance.

Pearson has recently been upgraded at no expense to the government to be one of the most modern hub airports in the world but its future is in jeopardy.

Would the minister responsible for Ontario please explain why he and the members of the largest government caucus have allowed this usury to occur?

[Foreign Affairs, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, there appears to have been a convergence of stars, the moon and timing.

First, there was the visit of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, apparently not to talk about softwood lumber, and then there was last night's securing of a compound in Baghdad for the establishment of a Canadian embassy.

Will the Prime minister commit today to a full consultation with all members of Parliament and through them, with the people of Canada, before contemplating any military support for Mr. Bush's war and occupation in Iraq?

[Canada Elections Act, October 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I vote yes.

[National Defence, October 6th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, without public consultation, Canada's military has shifted to a killing force, dispatched to a high risk area in Afghanistan, where the Taliban is regrouping, the poppy crop is good and powerful war lords are still very much in charge. Today a majority of U.S. citizens wants to bring troops home from Iraq.

Will the Prime Minister, in his laudable crusade against the democratic deficit, assure the House there will be a full and extensive debate in Parliament before Canada responds to any American request for troops in the U.S. effort to foist its style of democracy on Iraq?

[Committees of the House, October 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I vote no.

[Committees of the House, October 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I vote yes.

[Committees of the House, October 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I vote yes on this motion.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 29th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, immigration to Canada can take up to 60 months. French speaking candidates can and are processed through overseas Quebec offices in five short weeks. Quebec receives $3,785 per immigrant, a formula that does not take secondary migration into consideration. Immigrants land in Montreal and within days, sometimes hours, they move on to Ontario and other provinces with no attached settlement fees. They stay in Quebec.

When will the minister take the necessary steps to ensure every province and every immigrant are treated fairly, particularly before we open the floodgates to 300,000 new Canadians next year?