Rick Borotsik

[Brandon Wheat Kings, April 28th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the headlines in the local newspaper said it all: “National Champions”. Indeed it was true of Brandon's own AAA Midget hockey team when it won the 2004 National Midget championship Sunday afternoon in the Kenora recreation centre.

I would like to send my congratulations to the coach, Craig Anderson, and the entire team for their outstanding effort. The Brandon Wheat Kings were clear underdogs, but true to prairie form, they overcame all adversity to clinch an unbelievable 2 to 1 overtime victory upsetting the heavily favoured Riverains du Quebec.

While it was a strong team effort that got the Wheat Kings to the final, it was team captain Taylor Langford's goal with 13 seconds left in overtime, and outstanding goaltending from Tyler Plante that lifted the team to the national championship.

Sunday's win is the first ever AAA Midget championship team from Brandon or indeed Manitoba. Congratulations. Brandon is proud of them.

[Rural Communities, April 21st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about a spirited member of my constituency, Deloraine's Lionel Laval, a volunteer whose work and community service have contributed to the growth and prosperity of southwestern Manitoba.

Lionel has always had a keen sense of community. Lending a hand to his church, school board, the Lions Club, numerous sports teams and the Chamber of Commerce, Lionel pitches in no matter what the project.

While Lionel Laval stands out in his community, he is not entirely a one of a kind person. In reality, he is the epitome of rural Canada, devoted to his community, its prosperity and its future. Rural Manitoba has many such devoted people.

Lionel would agree that rural life infuses people with a sense of belonging. It is a common thread that runs through rural Canada, a thread that weaves a strong fabric.

Lionel will be embarrassed when I tell him about this statement but that is just the kind of guy he is. Lionel does not do it for the glory or the recognition. What drives Lionel comes from somewhere deep inside him, a kind of pride found in the hearts of rural and small town Canadians.

[Contraventions Act, March 8th, 2004]

Madam Speaker, I was going to get up and ask the same question that was asked by the member for St. John's West and was not answered by this member. I learned a long time ago that good laws are only as good as the enforcement of those laws, the case in point being the gun registry. The police have indicated that they will not support any kind of decriminalization of marijuana, but I am confused about this. There is a bit of a contradiction. We have just heard that in fact those same police officers are not enforcing the law for simple possession.

Here is where my difficulty comes in. I will ask the member from Winnipeg this: Why it is that the police themselves are not prepared to look at changing the current laws if they are not enforcing them? Why is it that they are not supporting that change but at the same time not enforcing the laws on the books at present?

It just does not make any sense to me that they would not look forward to changing the law so that it could become better for our society, as was mentioned by the member from Winnipeg. Why is it that the police departments and the officers are not prepared to enforce the law or not prepared to change the law, but want the status quo?

[Agriculture, February 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the government has had plenty of time to deal with the BSE crisis. Looking back, a solution within a few weeks would have been great and within months would have been tolerable, but by letting nearly a year pass without a solution, the government has guaranteed a disaster.

We still have no plan to deal with the cull cows. We have no new slaughter facilities and the border still remains closed.

Statistics Canada has released the cold, hard facts detailing just how bad things are getting. It becomes clear that this is not a million dollar crisis as the government would lead us to believe, but a billion dollar crisis.

The hope was that the border would be open by now, but the reality is that cattle stocks have reached an all-time high. The prices ranchers are receiving for their product are at an all-time low. Meanwhile, the federal support programs are falling significantly short of addressing the disaster.

The calls I am now receiving are of abject distress. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Prime Minister have once again failed Canadian agriculture.

[Agriculture, February 6th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, all of that rhetoric does not help the producers and the farmers right now.

It is obvious that the infusion of a new minister does not equate to an infusion of cash into the producers' pockets. The fact is that there has been no money flowing to the agriculture producers. We cannot wait for two years to get a flawed program kicked in so producers can get cash. When we need it is now, immediately now, tomorrow. Will the minister admit to an immediate cash infusion into the agricultural industry?

[Agriculture, February 6th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we heard this week in a debate in this very House that the cattle industry is suffering its worst crisis ever.

We all agree farmers and ranchers need cash and they need it now. Rather than waste money on gun registries and sponsorship programs, can the Minister of Agriculture not find a way to get cash into producers' pockets now?

[Curling, February 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, time and time again I have boasted in the House about Brandon—Souris and its curling prowess. In the past we have hosted major national and international curling events and have been represented by some exceptional curlers but this year we have truly succeeded in our claim of becoming the curling capital of Canada.

This year Brandon--Souris has no less than five teams representing Manitoba in national curling events: the Manitoba seniors men, Neil Andrews and his team of Darryl Andrews, Jim Horn and Doug Carvey; the Manitoba seniors women, Joyce McDougall and her team of Helen Fenwick, Pam Horn and Karen Dunbar; Manitoba mixed champions, Terry McNamee, Jill Officer, Brendan Taylor and Tanya Robins; Manitoba junior women, Tasha Hunter and her team of Jocelyn Foreman, Karen Hodgson and Roxie Trembath; and representing Manitoba at the Scott Tournament of Hearts is Lois Fowler's team of Gerri Cooke, Maureen Bonar and Lana Hunter.

This is truly an amazing feat, by truly amazing curlers, from a truly amazing constituency. I send congratulations and thanks from all of southwestern Manitoba.

[Agriculture, November 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we know that cabinet has approved the money. We know from the minister's past programs that it can take months to get money into the producers' hands, or in some cases, the money never gets there.

Why can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food not fulfill just one of his promises, even if it is his last one, and send out the cheques now and tell us about the program?

Tell us how much money and tell us how you are going to get the money into the producers' hands, Mr. Minister.

[Agriculture, November 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, why does the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food always react and never lead?

The culled cattle problem was apparent soon after the border closure on May 20. Almost six months later, there is still no program. The minister says he has a plan, but he cannot tell us about it because the process is not complete.

Is that his code word for “Let's play the provinces again”? What is his excuse?

Why is he taking so long? Why does he not take a page out of the Minister of Veterans Affairs and announce the program in the House of Commons right now?

[Remembrance Day, November 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, when I look around the House today, I see my colleagues proudly wearing and displaying their poppies.

What I see is much more than just a bit of red and black. What I see are the freedoms that we as Canadians hold so close and dear to our hearts.

What I see are the freedoms that were fought for and won during the two world wars and in Korea.

I see the contributions and sacrifices made by those brave men and women, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

What I see are the dedicated men and women of today's Canadian military, serving with pride and professionalism here and abroad.

This poppy is a symbol of that and so much more. I would like to thank the thousands of veterans and Legion volunteers who keep the poppy campaign alive.

My message to all Canadians is to wear a poppy, to thank a veteran, but above all, on Tuesday, November 11, Remembrance Day, to take time to appreciate our country and reflect on our freedoms that we so often take for granted.

And when Canadians take off their poppies, I ask them not to put them in a box, but to put them out where they can be seen so that we can always remember.

Lest we forget.