Ken Boshcoff

[Points of Order, May 15th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising regarding yesterday's point of order what some hon. members may have interpreted as a gesture they thought to be unparliamentary.

Please know that I did not, nor do I now, have any such intention toward any hon. members. Nonetheless, I apologize to the House for any misinterpretation.

[An Act to establish the Specific Claims Tribunal, May 12th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, over the past many number of months, in fact almost since the day the Kelowna accord was signed, there seems to be some kind of doubt that this project would have gone a long way to reconciliation.

I want to ask the hon. member this question. If getting all the provinces and territories together, getting all the aboriginal first nations groups together, and getting the federal government at the table making that kind of commitment, was this not a positive step and a turning point, indeed, in our relations with native people in this country?

[Forestry Industry, May 9th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, if one calls an invitation to a limited meeting working with people and stating that the session will “build upon the standing committee's study”, here is some news. The committee has not finished its work. So, is the minister, more conservatively, disrespecting? Or is the minister again misleading the forestry industry? Intentionally disrespecting or misleading?

[Forestry Industry, May 9th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the natural resources committee has been studying the forest products industry since February. Witnesses have emphasized the need for the Prime Minister to host a national summit on forestry. The Prime Minister's pitiful response is to have the Minister of Natural Resources convene a three hour meeting with a few choice guests with a secret invitation list. This is just one more example of the insult and injury to our forestry industry.

Why will the Prime Minister not commit to hosting a national summit on forestry?

[Petitions, May 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, about two months ago, there was unanimous consent of the House to pass a motion mandating Canadian content levels for public transit and to ensure that public funds were used to provide the best value to Canadians by supporting domestic supplier and labour markets. I have additional petitions coming in.

As an update, although the House has adopted this, we will be now taking this motion to the transportation committee for a more fulsome discussion and, hopefully, to see government policy enacted very soon.

[Real Estate Industry, May 6th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, new regulations affecting the real estate industry take effect this June 23 with regard to anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing.

Realtors have consistently supported the federal government's efforts to monitor, document and report known suspicious and illegal activity, and have been meeting regularly with officials to develop clear implementation protocols for the new requirements.

However, it would seem that neither the government, the industry, nor the public is prepared for the June implementation deadline. There are still huge loopholes in the legislation, and interpretations and guidelines remain incomplete.

The new rules would force salespeople into a law enforcement role. The industry needs time to prepare in order to partner with government in combating criminal activity. Realtors are further asking the government to initiate a campaign to educate the general public.

Will the government act or will it again demonstrate its incompetence?

[Aboriginal Affairs, May 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Indian Affairs was at the United Nations yesterday attacking the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. In full damage control mode, he shut aboriginal Canadians out of the media conference.

However, he cannot hide from the fact that more than 100 legal experts signed a letter refuting the government's rationale for voting against the declaration. Will the minister admit that his bogus excuses are a complete betrayal of Canada's aboriginal peoples?

[Forestry Industry, April 15th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, at a recent meeting of the natural resources committee, we learned of a further emergency regarding the availability of rail transport services for the forestry industry. Witnesses testified that pulp cars are being artificially restricted by both national rail companies. The resulting shortage is inflating transportation costs and strangling product distribution.

The Minister of Transport has the power to step in to assist during this crisis. He can utilize the tools that were passed in Bill C-8 and force the railways to free up their railcars that are hidden in storage.

On behalf of suffering forestry workers in my riding and across the country, I call on the Minister of Transport to stand up for these workers and use all available means to ensure availability of rail services for the forestry industry.

[Petitions, April 14th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, after numerous meetings with the students of Lakehead University and Confederation College in my riding of Thunder Bay—Rainy River, I am presenting a needs based grants petition for the over 345,000 students in public institutions. They bring to the attention of the government that the average debt of a graduating student is $25,000, and that student loan debt is increasing in Canada by $1.5 million a day.

[Petitions, March 31st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, on March 12 of this year the House unanimously passed Motion No. 183 on Canadian content for public transportation. Nonetheless, petitions continue to come in from all over the country. I have several hundred more today in support of that.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those members of Parliament and all of the House leaders who helped amend the motion so that it would be acceptable to everyone.

Please accept the gratitude of all Canadians for Canadian content in public transit.