Lost his last election, in 2000, with 28% of the vote.
Goods And Services Tax October 11th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.
This being family week, little Cindy-Lou Martin who is a nine year old in grade 3 at Oakridge elementary school wrote to me and asked: "Will you ask the Minister of Finance why I have to pay GST on the Bible I need for my Sunday school classes?"
Child Poverty October 9th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance who, in a half hour from now, will likely dislocate his shoulder trying to pat his government on the back for its financial performance over the next little while.
On January 12 of this year in the Citizen the Minister of Finance was quoted as saying: ``As soon as I can, as soon as our financial situation allows, I will address the serious issue of child poverty in Canada''.
With 1,747,000 children living in poverty today, how soon will the Minister of Finance be able to act?
Taxation October 3rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance yesterday closed the infamous Bronfman family tax loophole to much applause and hoopla. But let us not forget that the Bronfmans actually got that $500 million Christmas present from the federal government in 1991 and have kept it.
It took five years before either a Tory or a Liberal Minister of Finance was embarrassed by the auditor general to act. The Minister of Finance has obviously known of this loophole for the past three years but only acted when the auditor general and public and political pressure made him do it.
In yesterday's Toronto Star , the Minister of Industry was quoted as saying that we need more foreign investment and to attract it the federal government will promote the fact that we have very low corporate real tax rates. He pointed out that Canada has the lowest labour costs among the seven leading industrialized nations.
Low corporate taxes and low wage rates; this promotion sounds like it should refer to a poor developing country, not Canada. If low corporate taxes and low wage rates are things the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Industry are bragging about, I say shame.
Petitions October 2nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, 219 constituents call on Parliament to consider the advisability of extending benefits or compensation to veterans of the wartime merchant navy equal to those enjoyed by veterans of Canada's second world war armed services.
Petitions October 2nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, on another matter, the taxpayers of Kamloops make a long case for fairer tax reform. I will not go into detail as they are well known to all parliamentarians. They call for an overhaul of the tax system.
Petitions October 2nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to present a petition pursuant to Standing Order 36 on behalf of the constituents of Kamloops.
About 1,800 constituents have signed a petition asking for the complete removal of section 745 of the Criminal Code. They are going to get half of that so I suppose they will be half pleased, but they are calling for full abolition of section 745.
Olympic Athletes October 2nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister, who along with everybody else was very proud yesterday when we applauded the Olympians on the floor of the House of Commons, including many of my Liberal colleagues. But as we were applauding, the Liberal government was gutting the support program for Canadian Olympians.
In light of the support shown yesterday by the representatives of Canadians on the floor of the House of Commons, would the Prime Minister consider shutting down the information office with its $27 million allocation and provide that money to support Canadian Olympians?
Petitions September 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise, pursuant to Standing Order 36, to present a lengthy petition on behalf of the Borrowers' Action Society from Edmonton, Alberta.
Its members point out that since 1880 Parliament has passed at least six laws banning the charging of loan interest in advance, yet the practice continues. They point out that by compounding or collecting interest before it is due, lenders charge far greater rates of interest than they disclose to borrowers. They also have a whole set of other concerns.
The petitioners call on Parliament to conduct a full inquiry into the relationship between lending institutions and the judiciary and to enact legislation restricting the appointment of judges with ties to credit granting institutions.
Broadcasting Act September 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I first want to recognize and appreciate the gesture from my friend, the hon. member for Malpeque. It is with considerable enthusiasm that I speak in support of Bill C-216 in the name of the member for Sarnia-Lambton.
It is one of those rare moments that we have in the House of Commons from time to time where members of all parties are asked to decide whose side they are on. Are we on the side of the cable companies and the vested interests associated therewith, or are we on the side of our constituents?
As the member for Kamloops I suspect I am no different from anyone else in having received literally hundreds of letters, as well as petitions and delegations saying we have to rein in these cable companies and make them more sensitive to the consuming public. Thanks to the hon. member for Sarnia-Lambton we have been given the opportunity this morning to say whose side we are on as members of Parliament.
I suspect that the lobbyists and the mouthpieces for the cable companies have made their views known. Their case is weak. We here are elected to represent our constituents' best interests when it comes to this matter so that we enable them to make a decision on the kind of programming that is made available in their homes.
I speak with enthusiasm in support of Bill C-216. I look forward to support from private members.
We acknowledge there has been some pressure on members of Parliament. Let us also remember that this is private members' hour. We are voting today as individuals, not as members of political parties, not as members of some vested interest group. We are being asked to stand up in our place as independent members of Parliament, private members. Let us not be swayed by phone calls we have received from certain pressure groups and let us vote in the best interests of our constituents.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation September 20th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the acting Prime Minister.
Late last night after the late night news, I received a phone call from a constituent of Kamloops, a longstanding Liberal who said that he felt that he had been bitten by his own dog.
He reminded me that on page 89 of the red book it says that a Liberal government will be committed to stable multi-year financing for national cultural institutions such as the CBC.
Was he metaphorically bitten by his own dog?