Lost his last election, in 2000, with 41% of the vote.
Privilege December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, there has been an attempt to put some motions before the House and members do not have a copy of the motions or any understanding of what they are all about. We can hardly give unanimous consent if we do not know what we are giving unanimous consent to.
Committees Of The House December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the member raises some very interesting concerns with respect to the non-profit and charitable sector and how those organizations are treated in this country.
It seems to me that those concerns are of such a serious nature and I know the member has been an outspoken advocate on this issue. I wonder whether the member can indicate what progress the government has made in the four years it has held office with respect to these matters.
Could I also ask the hon. member to comment on the fact that hundreds of thousands, in fact millions, of dollars are going untaxed because of the tax system.
Would the member not be better served if, rather than going after charities and the concerns with respect to that sector, the government went after the major loopholes in the Income Tax Act that allow families to move billions of dollars offshore without paying their fair share of taxes?
Can the member comment on whether he believes the loopholes in the Income Tax Act that allow tens of thousands of profitable corporations to not pay any taxes at all is fair to the poor, working people in the riding of York South—Weston who every week have to write a cheque to Revenue Canada? These are people who can barely meet the mortgage or the rent payment. They can barely put food on the table.
Can he comment on the fairness and indicate why his government has not made it a priority to close those massive loopholes in the Income Tax Act?
British Pensioners December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order.
There is an established procedure in the House to deal with Private Members' Business. All private members have to adhere to a procedure which is established by the House. Now, this particular motion appears to have considerable merit and is deserving of discussion and debate in the House. I would like to know why this motion should take precedence over all other Private Members' Business?
Famous Five December 11th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order.
While the motion presented by the hon. member would appear to have considerable merit, it seems to me that the motion is deserving of some debate and discussion in the House.
National Unity December 10th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada recently confirmed what Canadians have known for years: the face of Canada is rapidly changing.
According to StatsCan, 4.7 million people reported a mother tongue other than French or English. That is a 15% increase in just five years.
Canada is much more than francophone and anglophone. It is time for the government to scrap outdated policies such as official multiculturalism and bilingualism that fail to reflect the reality of Canada. Multiculturalism is a misplaced policy which does more to divide Canadians than to unite us. Bilingualism is costly, unfair and discriminatory.
It is time for a national debate on the true nature of our country. It is time to redefine what it means to be Canadian and to embrace the new reality. It is time to capture and foster a new national spirit.
Canada Marine Act December 9th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of Christmas, I will be supporting the government on this measure.
Telecommunications Act November 25th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I will be voting yea on this motion.
Division No. 30 November 25th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the residents of York South—Weston I will be voting in favour of the motion, voting yea.
(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)
Division No. 30 November 25th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, on this motion I will be voting nay.
Division No. 29 November 25th, 1997
Yes, Mr. Speaker, on this motion I will be voting nay.