House of Commons photo

Crucial Fact

  • Her favourite word was environment.

Last in Parliament May 2004, as Liberal MP for Hamilton East (Ontario)

Won her last election, in 2000, with 53% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Professional Sports April 23rd, 1998

Mr. Speaker, once again, we can see just how bankrupt the Bloc Quebecois has become.

Professional Sports April 23rd, 1998

Mr. Speaker, the government has never taken such a position. I do, however, have some respect for a House subcommittee on which all parties are represented, including the Bloc Quebecois, that has one member.

Access To Information April 21st, 1998

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to transparency, we have nothing to learn from a party that deliberately loses the tapes when it finds itself in hot water.

Aboriginal Affairs March 27th, 1998

Mr. Speaker, this is the sad thing about the Reform Party. When there is a human tragedy it tries to exploit it for political purposes.

I refer the Reform Party to an editorial in the Toronto Star where it says: “It can be a short, frightening step from a police shooting on a native reserve to an eruption of violent anger. That is why it is heartening to see Ottawa and Alberta responding quickly in this week's fatal shooting of a woman and her son”.

The Reform Party would be well advised to look at the broader issues and to try and work with aboriginal people instead of pointing the finger at a chief and individual and cutting a billion dollars of programming from aboriginal peoples' housing and social delivery.

Aboriginal Affairs March 27th, 1998

The member yells out “more money for the chief”. I find it passing strange that in the Reform Party's last document on aboriginal peoples it planned on cutting $1 billion from programming that was going to help with housing, help with fetal alcohol syndrome and help with a number of the social problems they are facing. The Reform Party did not support the recommendations.

Aboriginal Affairs March 27th, 1998

Mr. Speaker, obviously the member should take the time to read the government's response to the royal commission. We are working very hard with all of the players, including the leadership of the national organization and the regional organization.

Aboriginal Affairs March 27th, 1998

Mr. Speaker, the tragic and sad thing is that the Reform Party does not understand what democracy really is.

Grand Chief Phil Fontaine was elected in a democratic election that was as democratic as the election that resulted in the member's unfortunate arrival in the House of Commons.

The member and his party would be well advised to look to the root causes of the healing process instead of imposing on the Indian community a $1 billion cut in program funding, the kind of cut they recommended in their last discussion paper.

Aboriginal Affairs March 27th, 1998

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the minister of Indian affairs has not only engaged the Tsuu T'ina in the process, she has engaged the whole country in the process in terms of the follow-up to the aboriginal report on the royal commission.

If the member is really interested in healing and reconciliation he might follow the advice of the leadership of the aboriginal community that has said this process should be allowed to carry on in an independent fashion instead of pointing fingers in the way that unfortunately the Reform Party has politicized this tragedy.

Option Canada March 27th, 1998

If trouble is what they want, let them go to Minister Landry who, on December 19, 1996, used sections 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 37, 38 and 39 of the Access to Information Act to refuse to give any information whatsoever about the billions siphoned off for the sovereigntists' shady Plan O.

Option Canada March 27th, 1998

Mr. Speaker, once again, all this party wants to do is stir up trouble.