Paul Bonwick

[Supply, March 21st, 2000]

Madam Speaker, I wish I had more time to respond to the absolutely ridiculous rhetoric which has been brought forward in the House today by the member from the Reform Party. These typical ultra right-wing positions, this rhetoric is divisive. The Reform Party is very clearly trying to divide Canadians.

I cannot use the words I want to because they are not parliamentary and are not supposed to be used in the House, but when the hon. member speaks there should be exceptions in that case. He has made statements that quite simply are not factual. Wal-Mart did not receive one cent yet he is trying to convince Canadians that it did. He made statements that were not based on fact. At the same time I see him grinning and smiling. He thinks it is okay.

What is happening is that Canadians are being misled. It is not right. There is no scandal. The only scandal is the fact that there is an ultra right-wing party in the House so bent on destroying the social fibre of the nation that it will say whatever it takes to get Canadians to support it. At the end of the day I think we have witnessed how Canadians perceive the Reform Party. We saw the drop it took in the polls.

I would ask, in fact I would beg, the hon. member to make use of the facts and have an open mind. There has been enough right-wing rhetoric and political posturing. Day after day I have sat in the House and heard the hon. members simply denounce the facts. It is just not right.

Would hon. members please try to have an open mind for once in this parliament.

[Supply, March 21st, 2000]

Madam Speaker, I too commend the interpreters. Sometimes I wish they could change some of the words because some members do not make too much sense either in French or English.

The first point I would like to make is that the hon. member commented on his experiences when he travels throughout his riding and what his constituents feel about politicians. My experiences have been far different, so he might reflect on himself, his party and the separatists as to why some Quebecers have a feeling in that regard.

He also used the words scandal and democracy. Bloc and democracy, if that is not an oxymoron I do not know what is. Time and time again Quebecers have said no and time and time again the Bloc has continued to force the issue.

I was going to use the word scandal, as my hon. colleague has, but nothing could be further from the truth. The facts are very clear. There was no misappropriation of spending.

I want to hear once and for all, does the Bloc recognize, regardless of calendars or dates, that more money has gone into opposition ridings than Liberal ridings in Canada?

[Supply, March 21st, 2000]

Madam Speaker, I first want to address my questioning in the form of motive and then put three questions to the hon. member with regard to his presentation to the House this afternoon.

With regard to motive, Madam Speaker, you, like many of us in the House, have had an opportunity over the past number of years to sit with Bloc members on numerous standing committees of the House. I certainly believe that no opposition members and no government members have any confusion that the Bloc members bring forward a very partisan position at the committees, the end goal obviously being secession and to eliminate the role of the federal government in their ridings in Quebec regardless of the good work that comes out of the federal initiatives that do great work for their ridings. That is an indisputable fact. I can see heads nodding from the various opposition parties. It is a very partisan position that Bloc members take at the committees.

My question for the Bloc member is threefold. It is very simple and requires only yes or no answers.

First, does the hon. member recognize that more money was actually distributed to opposition ridings through the transitional jobs fund than there was to government ridings? This is a simple question and the answer is either yes or no. He either recognizes that or he does not.

If the member does not argue that absolute fact, I have a second question for him. Is he aware that in the province of Quebec the provincial government must sign on as a partner on every one of those transitional jobs funds?

My last question also requires a yes or no answer. Does he believe that Mr. Bouchard is working in collaboration with the federal government to put in place a slush fund to support Liberal members of parliament in Quebec? Or, is the true fact of his argument and his presentation simply that regardless of the good work the federal government does in supporting the Canadians in Quebec and all across the country, he does not want a federal role in supporting these great organizations within the province of Quebec and, for that matter, other provinces as well?

[The Budget, February 29th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, first the hon. member suggested not to let pride get in the way. Pride cannot help but get in the way for me because I am very proud to be Canadian and very proud to be a member of the government that has brought unemployment rates down consistently for the last six years. I am proud of the fact that we have been able to manage the finances of this nation and actually deal with a surplus.

The hon. member seems to want to go to a flat tax system and gut health care and social programs. The member talked about redirecting funding from HRDC and focusing it on tax reduction.

Would he be prepared to come to my riding and talk to the Georgian Bay Literacy Foundation that got $29,000? It helps people who are illiterate to get jobs. Would he be prepared to go and meet Tracks Youth Unemployment? The people who are underemployed and unemployed in my riding who need the necessary skills so they can go into the job market and secure full permanent employment, would he tell them that the Reform Party does not care about them because it wants to gut the social programs in this country?

[Simcoe—Grey, February 22nd, 2000]

Good news, Mr. Speaker. I would like to make the House aware of a recent event in my riding of Simcoe—Grey. Namely, the announcement that the premiere four season resort developer in Canada, the Intrawest Corporation, has entered into a half billion dollar partnership with Blue Mountain Resorts.

Intrawest is truly an incredible Canadian corporate citizen. It is a company that makes peoples' dreams become reality. Couple this with Blue Mountain Resorts, a family owned business that has for over five decades been the premiere resort destination spot in Ontario. Its staff has a reputation that has consistently exceeded customer expectation.

Now imagine all this located on the south shore of Georgian Bay with the Niagara escarpment as a backdrop. Host to this incredible development is the best kept secret in Canada, the beautiful town of Blue Mountains located a few minutes west of Collingwood.

Mr. Speaker, to you, to the Prime Minister and to all members of the House, I extend an invitation to visit the most exciting place in Canada, Blue Mountain Resorts.

[Heritage Day, February 21st, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate Canada's Heritage Day.

Canadians are well aware that our country's heritage is unique. It reflects our shared and diverse symbols, the languages we speak, our natural and historic sites, the special places of aboriginal people in Canada, and the diverse groups who have built this great country.

This diversity is certainly evident in my riding of Simcoe—Grey. Expressing our heritage means promoting a plurality of choices. It means encouraging the individuals who create as well as those who form audiences. It includes building the capacity of our institutions, communities and industries to promote out culture. It means connecting Canadians to one another and to the world.

Following question period today in Room 200 of the West Block the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust will unveil 12 audio-visual pieces of Canada's heritage that have been preserved and restored for future generations. As a member of parliament on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage I encourage all members to attend this event.

[Member For Brant, February 16th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to one of parliament's most hard working and conscientious members. I am referring to the member from Brant, Ontario, who is the Minister of Human Resources Development. Since her constituents first elected her in 1993 she has been a role model, a leader and a respected parliamentarian of whom all Canadians can be proud.

For the past two years I had the pleasure of chairing a regional caucus of which the minister was an active member. Her passion and caring for all Canadians are unparalleled. She truly is a parliamentarian who cares about her country. She has never wavered from her dedication and concerned interest in serving Canada to the best of her abilities.

On behalf of the constituents of Simcoe—Grey, and indeed all Canadians who support her, I commend the minister for her excellent work and tell her to keep up the good work.

[Christmas Greetings, December 15th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer Christmas greetings to all Canadians.

This is the most precious time of year to spend with loved ones, enjoy the Christmas spirit and, most important, enjoy the company of family. However there are many who are less fortunate, not able to celebrate this festive season let alone have a decent meal. There are young children going without toys.

We can make a difference. I ask my colleagues from all parties to join me and encourage their constituents to give to the many food banks and toy drives taking place in this great land. We should remember as we celebrate the birth of Christ that we should also celebrate this day with a true spirit of giving.

I want to take this opportunity, on behalf of the constituents of Simcoe—Grey, the Bonwick family and the 15 uncles and aunts visiting Ottawa today, to wish everyone in the House a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.

[Children, October 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we have had an opportunity to reflect on the throne speech with great excitement. The Liberal government has clearly outlined a vision of which all of Canada can be proud. In short, our vision and focus is our children. Imagine the legacy. We will ensure an increase in the quality of life for our children.

Sadly, not everyone agrees with this vision of investing in our children. For reasons which I suspect are for political gain, the leader of the Reform Party suggests this is nothing more than fluff, no real substance, I think he said. Let me inform the leader of the Reform Party that my children are not mere fluff. They do have substance and they do require a government with a vision and a conscience. Sadly the leader of the Reform Party lacks both. We can only assume his comments will continue to be damaging to himself and to our children.

On behalf of the children all across the country, I say thank you to the Liberal Prime Minister for having a vision. That vision is that children are our number one priority.

[Petitions, June 8th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, I rise, pursuant to Standing Order 36, to present a petition signed by my constituents of Simcoe—Grey.

The petitioners call upon parliament to uphold and reinforce section 163.4 of the Criminal Code making it illegal to possess child pornography.

They also request that parliament use all resources available to counteract the ruling of the Supreme Court of British Columbia and once again to assure children all over Canada that the Canadian government supports their right to be free from abuse and exploitation.

I pay thanks and congratulations to Lisa Mooij, an energetic 14 year old who did all the research, organization and work on this petition.