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Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was certainly.

Last in Parliament November 2005, as Conservative MP for Westlock—St. Paul (Alberta)

Won his last election, in 2004, with 67% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Petitions December 6th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 36 I would like to present two petitions signed by residents of the town of Westlock and the city of Fort McMurray in my riding of Athabasca.

The petitioners request that Parliament ensure the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be vigorously enforced and that Parliament make no change in the law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

Saint John Shipyard December 1st, 1994

Mr. Speaker, my supplemental is for the same minister.

Could this minister please explain why the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board is reviewing the contract awarded to Saint John Shipyard when other contracts have been awarded without going to tender, such as the contract awarded to the Norwegian Contractors Newfoundland this past summer and no review took place?

Saint John Shipyard December 1st, 1994

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources or whoever should choose to answer on behalf of the government.

Could the minister explain why the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board made a decision to review the process of awarding the contract to Saint John Shipyard last week as opposed to when the decision was initially made some months ago?

Petitions November 30th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 36 I would like to present a petition signed by residents of the district of High Prairie in my riding of Athabasca.

The petition requests a referendum of the people binding upon Parliament to accept or reject two official languages, English and French, for the government and the people of Canada, the acceptance or rejection of the proposed amendments to be determined by a majority vote of the total votes cast in the whole of Canada, together with a majority vote in the majority of the provinces and with the territories being given the status of one province.

I present the petition and support the petitioners.

Hibernia November 30th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, clause 45 of the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic accord states that in instances where the budget or the time restraints are in question the accord allows for contracts to be given without tender.

I would like to ask the minister why she would jeopardize the budget and the completion date of the entire project by demanding a review and/or tendering of the contract when it is clear that all the rules have been followed.

Hibernia November 30th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the House the Prime Minister stated and today the

Minister of Natural Resources reaffirmed that they would ask Canada's representative on the Hibernia holding company to ask for a review of the contract to Saint John Shipyards. I have been assured by the officials of the Hibernia holding company that the awarding of this contract to Saint John Shipyards was done as a fully justifiable decision in full accord with the provisions of the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act.

My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources. How can she justify interfering politically in this matter when the Hibernia consortium clearly followed the rules contained in the offshore accord?

Members Of Parliament Office Inventories November 29th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, in the process of trying to solve the mystery of the missing office equipment, I had a discussion with the newly appointed head of member services, Mrs. Edna MacKenzie, who asked if I would help and get involved to try and develop changes to the system that might prevent this very thing from happening again. I was pleased to hear that.

This may not be perfect but it is certainly an attempt to address some of those concerns. I see a willingness on this side of the House and I heard a willingness on the part of the staff that runs this organization. I think the only thing missing is a serious willingness on the part of the government to take the initiative and do something to stop that. I think it is an extremely serious matter. I do not care if it was something as little as the lack of a transfer of a flag and pole which every MPs office in Canada has standing in it, which I did not receive.

All the consumable items that I did not get when added together are a considerable amount of money. I think it is very serious and I would hope the government will also take it seriously and that we might do something to remedy this situation so it will not happen again.

Members Of Parliament Office Inventories November 29th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on this issue because I have had the same experience as has been related by the other two members of my caucus. I take real exception to the cavalier attitude that has been expressed across the floor on the whole issue because even if only one member had this experience it is sufficient to warrant close examination and some real change.

Before I was elected I visited the offices of the former member. They were very well appointed offices with good furniture. There were computers in both offices and were very well equipped. After I was elected and the inventory was transferred to my office I was surprised to find that some very meagre furnishings were transferred. My filing cabinets, two of which I received, were locked and appeared to have been rolled down the stairs. When I had a locksmith open them because the keys were not there, the hanging filing rails were not there. It took some time and expense. The computer that was inventoried and I was to receive was not there. Some old obsolete equipment, some home-built computers with no serial numbers and such, replaced the ones I was to receive.

The member across the way says that an inventory is regularly sent out to every member. We are to examine our office equipment and verify with our signatures that the material is there. An inventory dated September 13, 1993 was received, reviewed and I presume signed by the former member. However immediately after the election the same former member came into materiel management and stroked off any number of pieces that he had a number of excuses for not being there. That is only one month and a little after he originally verified the contents.

Even if the rules are there they are certainly not being enforced. In my case it was very obvious. I really could not understand why. Immediately after my election when the material was transferred and all this equipment was missing, I approached materiel management people and talked to them. I sensed a real hesitancy to do anything about it.

I could not get anybody to get excited. They told me: "It is going to take months to straighten this out. You better go out and refurnish your office because you are not going to get this back in time". I had all kinds of excuses.

The member says that if there is fraud, the rules are there. It will be punished. It will be followed up. How can fraud be established if nobody will do an investigation of the whole issue in the first place?

I pursued with great vigour the material that was missing and did eventually receive some of it back from the former member's home in undamaged crates. However when I uncrated them a laser printer, for example, was badly damaged. It cost the taxpayers of Canada some $800 to repair and to put back into working order.

I could go on and on. It made me very angry and overall it ended up costing me personally some $500 in legal costs to defend myself against the former member's legal action for slander. I approached again the House of Commons to provide some assistance and some support in that area and was turned down.

Clearly if the rules are there they are not being enforced. I could not understand it. The longer I am here, the more and more I begin to understand it. It is an attitude around this place.

When I recently entered my building on Wellington Street and inquired of the security person standing there if I might do something-it was something to do with some guests who were arriving-he said: "You can do anything, sir. You are God around here". That is the problem around here. There is not any accountability. That is the attitude that caused the materiel management people to hesitate to investigate the charges I was making.

It is an attitude that has members of the House pass rules and regulations around here that are never enforced. Members can walk through any building on the Hill and, in spite of the fact a rule was passed by this organization that smoking is not allowed in the buildings on the Hill, there is blue smoke wafting out of the offices because we are God around here. I find that unacceptable.

What I did find encouraging, however, from this whole mess and when I was finished was that the person in charge of members' services, Mrs. Edna MacKenzie, when we discussed the whole situation approached me and asked if I might help her to develop some kind of a system-

Petitions November 29th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 36 I would like to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Athabasca.

The petition requests an act serious enough to deter young people from committing crimes and tough enough to provide real justice.

I submit the petition and I support the petitioners.

``Keep Mining In Canada'' Contest November 24th, 1994

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Sara McMillan of Fort McMurray for winning first prize in the eight year old and under category in the Keep Mining in Canada poster contest which was sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Sara's poster was entered by Syncrude Canada in my riding and was competing against posters from across Canada. Sara is in the gallery today along with her sister, mom, dad and grandmother.

I would like to ask my colleagues to join with me in congratulating Sara for winning such a prestigious award.