Deborah Grey

[Immigration, October 20th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is fine if they are not detained beforehand, but if they are deemed bogus refugees perhaps it would be wise to detain them after. The minister does not have a sweet clue where these people are.

It is impossible for anyone to try to understand the logic behind a system that releases migrants after the hearing regardless of whatever it was that hearing determined. Due process should not mean disappearance instead of deportation.

Why will the minister not stop this little game of catch and release?

[Immigration, October 20th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, of the 600 Chinese migrants who arrived by boat this summer only six of them have been processed so far. It is hardly breakneck speed.

The minister just basically admitted that these people were rejected as refugees. We know that. They were then set totally scot-free. The minister seems to think that unless they just come forward and admit that they will run away she will not detain them at all.

Why is the minister releasing bogus refugees here on Canadian soil?

[Petitions, October 19th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of some of the events that happened this summer, I am also pleased to present a petition in conformity with Standing Order 36.

It is signed by a whole number of people who have concerns. These undersigned citizens of Canada draw the attention of the House to the following, that the laws of our country have always been based on Judeo-Christian morals and values which have been passed down through the centuries via western civilization.

They are concerned about the preamble to the charter of rights and freedoms as a foundation upon which the subsequent sections are based. They are concerned about the majority of Canadians.

They believe in God who created heaven and earth and are not offended by the mention of His name in the preamble of the charter of rights and freedom. They are proud to name Him and they present this petition to parliament.

[Young Offenders, October 18th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the government is going to hold the record for trying to bring in legislation. It can keep bringing in bill after bill but the point is this has not been fixed.

The justice minister has had a choice. She has been in office for 861 days talking about this marvellous new solution. It is not happening. She can blame the official opposition or any scapegoat she chooses but the problem has not been fixed. Will she go down in history as the minister who actually brought young offenders to justice or in the name of prevention, allowed for thousands of new victims that should never have been there?

[Young Offenders, October 18th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, 861 days is how long we have been waiting for the justice minister to introduce new young offenders legislation, 861 days. There is another bill coming and another chance to get it right, but who knows how many we have to see. In the meantime over 30,000 violent crimes have left more than 30,000 victims in their wake. That is about 34 violent crimes a day.

Why will the justice minister not simply admit that the YOA is DOA and do something to fix it?

[Government Contracts, October 14th, 1999]

What a steal of a deal, Mr. Speaker. That is great comfort.

Let me paint a clearer picture for the Prime Minister himself. Perhaps I could join the dots for him: a $10,000 donation, plus a $6.3 million contract, plus a $500,000 land deal. That equals really bad optics.

The minister talks about the awarding process and the process for bidding. It was certainly suspicious at the very least. It is a process for a pal.

I would like to ask the Prime Minister this. How in the world are his friends going to make a living when he retires?

[Government Contracts, October 14th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Claude Gauthier, owner of Transelec, donated $10,000 to the Prime Minister's campaign after winning a CIDA contract. He then bought a $500,000 piece of land from a company in which the Prime Minister has a financial interest and the bidding for that was, shall we say, suspicious.

It turns out that Transelec is not quite doing the job and the government has been worried about being on the hook ever since.

Why is the Prime Minister putting his political interest ahead of the public interest?

[Fisheries, October 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, he said it in 1969.

[Fisheries, October 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, what part of equal might the minister not understand?

Let us take a quote from the great guru of Liberal wisdom, and that would be Pierre Trudeau where in 1969 he said:

We can go on treating the Indians as having a special status— Or we can say you're at a crossroads, the time is now to decide whether the Indians will be a race apart in Canada or whether they will be Canadians of full status.

That was a Liberal. I would like to ask the Prime Minister what has changed his mind since then?

[Fisheries, October 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the throne speech yesterday did not even address the serious racial conflict which has erupted in the New Brunswick lobster fishery. Ethnic tensions have escalated and that is inexcusable for the government.

Here is a revealing quote from a former Indian affairs minister: “Special treatment has made the Indians a community disadvantaged and apart. Obviously the course of history must be changed”. Who was that? It was the current Prime Minister speaking in 1969. Why, 30 years later, is he still ranking Canadians according to their bloodlines? Why would that be?