Rick Borotsik

[Canadian Forces, March 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, for weeks now my party has been asking the Prime Minister to tell the House whether Canada would play a leadership role in ensuring it is the United Nations and not the Pentagon that is mandated to lead reconstruction in Iraq.

Yesterday Canadians finally got a response. It came in New York, not in Canada, not in Ottawa.

Would the acting prime minister confirm what Canada's ambassador told the UN Security Council yesterday and would he explain why the Prime Minister chose not to make a similar statement here in the House?

[Canadian Forces, March 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, despite the defence minister's insistence on the contrary, a senior British officer has confirmed that Canadian troops are involved in combat.

Will the Minister of National Defence tell the House whether the government's denial of their involvement affects their status, their pensions or their benefits if they are injured, captured or worse? What is the government doing to ensure that these soldiers do not become the forgotten soldiers?

[Transportation Amendment Act, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the members of the Progressive Conservative Party will vote yes to the motion.

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2002-03, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, Progressive Conservatives will be voting no to both these motions.

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2002-03, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, members of the Progressive Conservative Party will vote yes to the motion.

[Firearms Program, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, today the Liberal members have an opportunity to right an eight year wrong. Those members of the Liberal caucus, along with members of our party, whose principles led them to oppose gun registration in 1995 are proven correct.

Since its inception, the gun registry program has been ineffectual, unenforceable and wasteful. It is time to stop the bleeding. Gun registration has already cost Canadian taxpayers $1 billion and will cost another $1 billion over the next number of years. Many Canadians feel this money could have been better spent.

The Liberal member for Nipissing stated today, “I think we are just in too far; you get in so far then you can't get out”. He is wrong. They can get out.

Do not throw good money after bad. The next $1 billion should pay for nurses, MRIs and marine patrol helicopters, not a Liberal policy black hole.

Also, Mr. Speaker, please join me in wishing my very dear friend and colleague, the member for St. John's West, all the best today on his 60th birthday.

[Supply, March 24th, 2003]

They do not want any more money going to the gun registry. That is what the polls say.

[Supply, March 20th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

I have consulted with all the parties and I think if you were to seek it you would get unanimous consent to allow the Progressive Conservative Party to split its 20 minute time allocation, with 15 minutes to the member for Calgary Centre and 5 minutes to the member for Cumberland--Colchester.

[Question No. 119, March 19th, 2003]

Can the Minister responsible for Agriculture and Agri-Food provide an estimate of the increase in crop insurance premiums for next year in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba?

[Canada-U.S. Relations, March 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, while we may not yet know the full economic impact of a U.S.-Iraq war, one thing is certain. The U.S. will tighten its borders and everything that flows through crossing points will undergo higher scrutiny.

We know that agricultural products, consumer goods and softwood lumber, before the trade minister bungled that portfolio, are among the key components of a $1.5 billion a day trade relationship. As of noon today, border delays are well over three hours long. The Deputy Prime Minister had better hope that the U.S. does not clamp down even more once hostilities begin tonight.

Yesterday in response to my question, the Deputy Prime Minister said that he had spoken to Tom Ridge. Well, did he speak to his answering machine? Today we see that nothing has been done to ensure Canadians will have continued access to the U.S. and its markets. We have seen that nothing has been done to ensure that the U.S.-Canadian border does not become a casualty of war in Iraq.