Blair Wilson

[British Columbia Economy, May 5th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade is gaining quite a shoddy reputation. First, the minister sells out British Columbia by leaving over $1 billion on the table in the softwood lumber settlement. Second, he reduces the funding for the Pacific gateway initiative from $190 million to $90 million. That is not all. Now the minister is taking British Columbia to the mat. He is holding us ransom for $55 million that the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games desperately needs.

Three strikes and he is out. When will the minister stop selling out British Columbia?

[Petitions, May 4th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House this morning to present a petition that has been signed by many concerned Canadians who are calling upon the government to honour the early learning and child care agreement.

In November of 2005 the Government of Canada signed a full funding agreement on child care. Today, 84% of parents with children are both in the workforce and 70% of women with children under the age of six are employed. This petition calls upon Parliament to recognize that child care is an everyday necessity in this country and that there is an urgent and immediate need for additional child care spaces.

[Powell River Regals, May 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Tod English, general manager and coach of the Powell River Regals. I would like to congratulate Tod and his team on their recent victory at the 2006 Allan Cup championship, hosted in my home riding of Powell River, British Columbia. The dedication, determination and hard work exhibited by the athletes, coaches and volunteers should serve as an inspiration to all Canadians.

Hockey is truly Canada's national sport. Unfortunately, yesterday's Conservative budget has let British Columbians down. The Conservatives have failed to recognize one of the most important events in Canadian sporting history, the upcoming Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Funding sport in Canada is essential. It will ensure that athletes at all levels succeed and it will contribute to building a healthier, more active Canada. Yesterday the Conservative budget did nothing to provide the critical resources British Columbia and VANOC, the Vancouver Organizing Committee, require to provide the infrastructure the Olympics need before 2010. This is yet another example of the Conservatives turning their backs and selling out British Columbia.

[Softwood Lumber, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, this deal is a disaster. The Conservatives have left $1.5 billion on the table, $600 million of which belongs to British Columbia. It gets worse than that. The $600 million will now be used against us.

When will the minister admit that he is bankrolling the U.S. industry to fight against Canadians, to fight against Canadian jobs and to fight against the Canadian economy?

[Softwood Lumber, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, during the previous election, the Minister of International Trade said that he would be, “the Prime Minister's worst nightmare”.

Now, with the government's softwood sellout of the century, will the minister admit to this House that he has now become British Columbia's worst nightmare by forcing it to accept a deal that he previously rejected?

[Softwood Lumber, April 27th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, that is not good enough.

When the Prime Minister launched his B.C. election platform, he promised that he would “return the more than $5 billion in illegal softwood lumber tariffs to Canadian producers”. Today, the minister wants to hand over a billion of those dollars back to the Americans.

When will the government stand up for British Columbia and stand up for Canadians?

[Softwood Lumber, April 27th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade is leaving a disastrous legacy. First, he sells out his constituents. Now, he is selling out British Columbia and the rest of Canada with a softwood deal which he originally rejected.

Why does the ethically challenged minister think this deal, the same one he took a chainsaw to a few months ago, is now worth signing when it would lead to mill closures, and job losses in British Columbia and the rest of Canada?

[Taxation, April 7th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by saying that I am humbled by and thankful to the voters of my riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country for electing me.

I must say that in recent days a shocking and bizarre alliance has been forming between Parliament's newest chums, the Conservatives and the NDP. We all know that NDP members have never seen a tax they did not want to hike, and we know they are not going to join us in our partnership for a tax campaign, but we would not expect that the Conservatives would not join us.

When will the government end this marriage of convenience with the NDP and join our campaign against tax hikes?

[Agriculture, April 6th, 2006]

Mr. Chair, I have been listening intently to the debate. I have to say it is sadly obvious that the new Conservative government absolutely could not care less about Canadian farmers. I have heard a lot of talk from the other side tonight, but that is about it; it has just been a lot of talk and there has been absolutely no action. Worse than that, there has been absolutely no plan of action. The government is stuck in the mud, as I was saying. It does not know where we are going and it does not know how to get us there.

I was recently in the Republic of China, in Taiwan, with a group of parliamentarians. We spoke with the president of Taiwan and representatives from the department of health. My question for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is, when will the government take some action? When will the government open up the market for Canadian beef in Taiwan?