Jim Silye

[Mps Pensions, November 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, next Monday 52 MPs of the class of '88, 46 Liberals, will be eligible for their gold plated pensions for life, worth $53 million. This is on top of the estimated 480 current recipients who will cost taxpayers almost half a billion dollars. That is a lot of money for the services of former backbenchers, former frontbenchers and former prime ministers.

Reformers have had it. Canadians have had it and yes, even the steelworkers in Hamilton have had it. It is time for the Liberals to get off their high horses and reform this ridiculous MP pension plan now before they decide to cut RRSPs.

The Prime Minister promised action one year ago but we have seen no action. Reformers cannot even opt out. Could it be that he is waiting for his colleagues to hit pay dirt on November 21?

Stop stalling, stop talking the talk, start walking the walk like Reformers. Start living in the real world like the taxpayers who pay our salaries.

[Petitions, November 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of 40 Calgarians who pray and call on Parliament to ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and make no changes in the law which would sanction the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

As debate on this issue continues to increase, I call on all members of Parliament to send information to their constituents that is representative of both sides of the argument.

[Points Of Order, November 4th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I was not involved in the interchange between the two members. Second, the member for Delta in reference to the word "racist" was using it in the context of a question. He was not referring to the minister as being racist because we know the minister is not racist.

[Points Of Order, November 4th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I refer to Standing Order 18 with respect to disrespectful or offensive language.

Earlier in question period the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans referred to the member for Delta or the Reformers as bigots. There was no intervention on your part, Mr. Speaker, with respect to that language and yet while the member for Delta was quoting the minister's very own words you rose and held him back.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what your ruling would be on that?

[Immigration, November 4th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary is making much ado about the tiny steps that have been taken to push criminal immigrants out the back door while she and the immigration department and refugee board appointees, at least one of whom was an illegal immigrant, are allowing with no screening whatsoever thousands of refugees with criminal records in through the front door.

Will the minister or parliamentary secretary admit that the RCMP refugee identification section has found in the first part of this year that fully one-quarter of all successful refugee claimants to Canada were identified after the fact as having criminal records or having made multiple illegal refugee claims?

[Immigration, November 4th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, six filing cabinets full of deportation warrants were recently discovered in Ontario. Tragically, they were discovered in the same office as the misplaced deportation file of Clinton Gayle who stands accused of killing a Toronto police officer.

These warrants are for violations of immigration law. Therefore they are not subject to any of the terms of Bill C-44, are not addressed by the 1995 immigration plan and would not be given priority by the minister's so-called task force.

Why has the government, the minister and the department done nothing this year to address the enormous and dangerous backlog of removal orders relating to immigration violations?

[Immigration, November 4th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the government recently released its much ado about nothing immigration plan for 1995.

Included among the things that were expected to be reformed but were not was the strengthening of the enforcement branch of immigration. No firm action was taken to beef up Canada's woefully inadequate deportation system. The government said that Bill C-44 would ensure that those who are ordered deported actually get deported.

My question is very specific. What effect would Bill C-44 have on those who have been ordered deported for violations of immigration law as opposed to criminal law to the minister of immigration?

[Ethics, October 28th, 1994]

Would the Prime Minister admit that a serious breach of conduct has occurred and therefore he has no choice but to restore integrity to the office of the minister of heritage and ask for his resignation?

[Ethics, October 28th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I will put my question. In light of this revelation, Mr. Prime Minister, would you admit that a serious-

[Ethics, October 28th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I hope I can clear this matter up.

The object of this code is to enhance public confidence in the integrity of public office holders which includes ministers of the crown, I might add. It further states under preferential treatment that "public office holders shall not step out of their official roles to assist private entities or persons in their dealings with the government where this would result in preferential treatment to any person". If that is not clear, I do not know what is.

In light of this revelation, would the Prime Minister admit that a serious breach of conduct occurred, just as bad as Mr. Charest and just as bad as Mr. Munro went through and therefore he has no choice but to restore integrity-