House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2000, with 51% of the vote.
Canada Post November 25th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the postal strike has gone on for a full week now. Even if the government were to legislate the workers back today, it would still take five more days until this legislation could be enacted.
The Canadian public will not put up with this much longer. The minister of public works has gone on record publicly as saying that he would legislate these post office workers back to their jobs. My question for him now is when will he do it. How much longer will this nonsense go on?
Canada Post November 24th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, this official opposition is a party which is pushing for final offer arbitration so we do not need to get into these strike situations all the time, as this government talks about.
The labour minister has been saying day after day in the House of Commons that the government is not going to legislate an end to the strike, it is simply going to monitor the situation. Yet the public works minister mused over the weekend and said to the Canadian Direct Marketing Association in August that he would legislate this back to work.
I want to ask simply who is telling the truth here, flip or flop?
Canada Post November 24th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I will tell you who is monitoring the situation. It is families with businesses like the Lorenzes in northern Alberta and thousands of family businesses like them.
This family decided to go into the mail order book business and to pay for it they mortgaged their own home. All they had to do was work hard and it would pay off for them, or so they thought. But then along came the postal strike. The Lorenzes could now lose their business, their dream and even their family home. So this kind of answer is not good enough.
Let me ask the government, which is monitoring this whole thing so clearly, when and what does it have to say to these thousands of people whose very lives are affected by this postal strike?
Canada Post November 24th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, we are now in the sixth day of a postal strike that is crippling the country from coast to coast. The cost to businesses and families is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Thousands of workers are being laid off already.
Over the weekend this government mused about legislating the postal workers back to work, but that is all it was. It seemed to be musings and idle chatter.
I would like to ask the government how many more days and weeks is this postal strike going to go on? When is this government going to get these postal workers back to work?
The Late Robert Thompson November 20th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the official opposition to pay tribute to an amazing Canadian today.
Robert Norman Thompson gave his life to public service in teaching, missionary work, elected political life and as a roaming emissary, specifically in Ethiopia.
Bob was active as a very young man in the Social Credit movement in Alberta. He honed his political skills at the feet of William Aberhart. This would stand him in good stead for his entire lifetime.
Bob, his wife Hazel and their children served in Ethiopia for years as missionaries. Bob was a teacher who organized and helped set up the modern education system there. He organized an air force training school and was the head of a leprosy mission, among other things. Bob got things done.
When he arrived back in Canada, Bob took over the leadership of the federal Socred Party in 1961 and, as has been mentioned, he was elected to Parliament for Red Deer in 1962 and re-elected in 1963 and 1965. He then ran as a Conservative and was re-elected in 1968.
In 1972 Bob left politics and moved out to the west coast. He helped found Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. He taught political science there and sponsored many Ethiopian students over the years.
It was at Trinity that I met Bob Thompson in the mid-1970s. One strong memory I have of him was when I was involved in a terrible accident with the Trinity van. He was planning on taking a singing team out that same evening and called me after I had been released from the hospital. He said to me “Well, sis, what am I suppose to use for a vehicle tonight now that you have wrecked the van?”
When I was elected to this Parliament in 1989, Bob became an instant adviser. How I appreciated him as a mentor. I mentioned the other day that Bob was fast, feisty and a fierce competitor when it came to political debate. We had some wild and exciting political discussions which taught me a lot. He was a wonderful role model to me and I appreciated that.
After Bob's wife Hazel passed away, he married a long time friend and fellow missionary, Evelyn Brant, in 1993. Lew and I also married in 1993, so we considered ourselves the twin couples. Lew and I quickly fell in love with Evelyn and all enjoyed every chance we could get to have a visit when we were out in the Vancouver area.
Just this past summer we enjoyed a wonderful visit, complete with Bob's giving me advice about my new position as a member of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. It is a special memory that I will always treasure.
The world is a better place because Bob Thompson was in it. Thank you, Bob, for all you gave us. Thank you, Evelyn, and all Bob's children for sharing him with us. Bless you all.
Canada Post November 20th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, both parties have been at the table for seven months and the strike started yesterday.
This morning the office of the Liberal MP for Leeds—Grenville told a constituent that the government did not want to legislate the workers back because it would hurt the morale of the union members.
Let us look at who is hurting here. The Canadian public is hurting.
I want to ask the labour minister right now does he have legislation in place to put these workers back to work and if he does have legislation in place, what is the hold-up?
Canada Post November 20th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, this labour minister just said that the government follows the law. Well, guess what? This government writes the law. It is time that this government wrote some law that is going to help the Canadian public right across the land.
My question is for the labour minister. Why will this government not put its foot down and get legislation in place to get these postal workers back to work now?
Airbus November 18th, 1997
They are nervous about it. What we see here is that the Liberals are going around and can give all the standing ovations they like. They are in damage control mode and trying to blame everybody but themselves where the blame belongs.
The lawsuits are piling up with $2 million to Brian Mulroney. Now Karlheinz Schreiber has come forward. He has a $35 million lawsuit, and we have not even heard from Frank Moores' lawyers yet.
Taxpayers want to know exactly how much they will be fleeced for this latest Liberal scandal.
Airbus November 18th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, sadly the police are not allowed to do their job and I think Sergeant Fiegenwald is proof of that.
Airbus November 18th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I would like to get this straight. The prime minister says that no one is guilty until they are proven guilty. That is wonderful news. Canadians will be thrilled to hear that.
The prime minister I am sure is nervous to go on the CBC town hall meeting after an answer like that. I cannot blame him for that.
Millions of dollars have been spent and the Prime Minister sloughs it off. The former minister of justice is smirking about it. I want to ask anyone on that front bench who will stand in their place now and accept responsibility for Airbus.