Jack Ramsay

[Justice, March 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that the judgment rendered by the Law Society of Upper Canada was under appeal. A date had been set for that appeal hearing before the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Roberts family were prepared to attend that appeal hearing and submit further information for consideration by the law society.

The justice minister's intervention by appointing Mr. Desotti to the bench stopped the process that had been granted under the legislation of Ontario.

What is the justice minister prepared to do to ensure that the Roberts family has a fair and just hearing to the complaint it registered against Mr. Desotti before the Law Society of Upper Canada?

[Justice, March 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the appointment of Mr. John Desotti to the bench by the justice minister stopped the hearing of an unresolved complaint that was registered against him with the Law Society of Upper Canada by the Roberts family of North Bay. This denied the Roberts family rights granted it under Ontario law to a fair and just hearing.

My question is for the justice minister. Why did the justice minister not wait until the law society had reached its final decision before he appointed Mr. Desotti to the bench?

[The Budget, March 18th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I listened very attentively to both the Liberal speakers.

The best security we can offer the children of Canada are parents with a stable income. The greatest threat to the economic stability of a family is the unrestricted power of government to tax away its wealth.

There is an ever rising demand on the revenue dollar to pay the interest on an ever rising debt. When the Tories replaced the Liberals in 1984 they inherited a $200 billion debt from the Liberals. In nine years they added another $300 billion to it. The first budget presented by this government promised to add another $100 billion to that.

When we talk about the security of families and children, that debt is the greatest threat to their security. It is the greatest threat to good long term, well paying jobs for the parents of those children.

I admonish the members who have spoken and also the government. As the demand on the revenue dollar continues to increase to

pay the ever rising interest on our ever increasing debt, the security of the individual family is weakened. The greatest thing we can do is to get spending under control and reduce the amount of money we need to pay the interest on this huge debt.

The greatest transfer of wealth that is going to occur in 1997 is not to the provinces or to individuals in Canada. It is going to be to those we borrowed the money from, to the tune of approximately $50 billion a year.

Would the hon. member care to address his views on the threat that this picture poses to the economic security of families and children in Canada?

[Justice, March 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the solicitor general should talk to the justice minister and suggest that he not make these kinds of comments in the House if he is not prepared to explain them. What is the purpose of making them if he is not prepared to explain them to the House, to the people of Canada and to the families of victims of these first degree murderers?

The member for York South-Weston reintroduced a private member's bill yesterday which would eliminate section 745 from the Criminal Code. His former bill, Bill C-226, was buried for over a year in committee.

Will the parliamentary secretary to the justice minister assure the House there will be no interference with the agenda of the justice committee and allow this bill to become law before August 12 of this year when child serial killer Clifford Olson becomes eligible for parole?

[Justice, March 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, last week we heard an incredible admission from the justice minister. He said there could be instances in which some first degree murderers deserve an opportunity of parole after serving just 15 years of a life term.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice please give us an example of a murderer who deserves an opportunity of parole after serving just 15 years of a life sentence? Should Constable Todd Baylis' murderer get a hearing? Should Laurie Boyd's killer get a hearing? Should the killers of Brenda Fitzgerald, Darren Rosenfeldt, Leslie Mahaffy and Christine French get a hearing? Would any of these murderers qualify in the opinion of those in the justice department?

[Justice, March 12th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, we stood in the House and we remember how the cabinet voted. We remember what happened with the private member's bill to scrap section 745 over a year ago.

The Liberal government has indicated that it is committed to maintaining the 15-year review for some first degree murderers. Can the solicitor general please give us an example of a first degree murderer who in his view deserves an opportunity to get parole after serving only 15 years of a so-called life sentence?

[Justice, March 12th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the solicitor general.

Serial child killer Clifford Olson becomes eligible on August 12 of this year to have a sentence review hearing by virtue of section 745 of the Criminal Code.

Does Clifford Olson still have the support of the solicitor general and that of his government for this review or will the solicitor general and his cabinet move immediately to scrap section 745 from the Criminal Code?

[Justice, March 8th, 1996]

Here is the file.

[Justice, March 8th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely clear that it was a three-year case, that a review into the matter was under way and that the appointment by this justice minister simply threw a cloak of immunity over Mr. Desotti and the Law Society of Upper Canada lost jurisdiction as a result of this appointment.

Because of his actions, which violated the fundamental principle of due process and violated the right of the complainants in this case to a fair hearing, I ask the minister what action he will take to have the appointment of Mr. Desotti rescinded until the complaint or the complainant receives a fair and just hearing and to ensure the ethics of the newly appointed judge are no longer in question?

[Justice, March 8th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice.

On January 24 the minister appointed Mr. John Desotti of Sudbury, judge of the Ontario court in Sarnia. At the time of this appointment, was the minister aware that a three-year-old, unresolved complaint alleging professional misconduct was pending against Mr. Desotti before the Law Society of Upper Canada?