Roy H. Bailey

[Canadian Forces, February 25th, 2003]

Madam Speaker, I want the 265 sailors aboard the destroyer, HMCS Iroquois , which departed Halifax Harbour for the Arabian Sea yesterday, to know that our thoughts and our prayers go with them.

Twelve years ago Canada sent other brave men and women into the gulf war to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. They knew they had a duty to perform. They went willingly and they went bravely.

When they returned from the gulf war we soon discovered that all was not well. Medical terms we had never heard of before started cropping up, such as gulf war syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder, and appeared to be affecting many of our returning vets.

While our American allies have come a long way in helping their vets deal with gulf war syndrome and other disorders, many of our own gulf war vets say that Canada is lagging sadly behind in looking after them.

Let us give a clear message, demonstrated by our actions, that Canada will do its duty to look after the needs of our veterans after they return.

[The Budget, February 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the hon. member. I know he has probably done the same thing as people who make speeches in provincial governments or sometimes in cities. We often hear about the number of new jobs created. That figure is often very high because they never mention those who have lost their jobs. When we hear that, it is a distortion whether it is here, in the provinces or wherever. For instance, if the government created 500,000 new jobs but 400,000 were lost through factories closing, it would not be fair to say that 500,000 new jobs were created.

Could the member comment on that traditional way of presenting those figures? We always speak about jobs created but we never speak about the jobs that were unfortunately lost.

[The Budget, February 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the hon. member opposite. I would like to share with him what has happened in my constituency in the last 10 years.

If we were to ask people if the roads are better today than they were 10 years ago, the answer would be no. If we were to ask if agriculture was rosy, if the future looked bright and there was as much money as there was 10 years ago, the answer would be no. The number 1 highway that runs through my constituency still remains a two lane highway. With respect to grain transportation, the government removed the crow rate which means that my son-in-law now hauls his grain 90 miles to the terminal.

If the member were to come to my constituency, he would see that there is no joy in Mudville.

[Hockey, February 18th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians from coast to coast joined together last Saturday to celebrate Hockey Day in Canada. Excitement was everywhere except in the city of Saskatoon where the board of governors of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League were meeting to decide the very future of the league.

Revenue Canada had placed fines and penalities on each team who in turn had to pay these fines with borrowed money. There are 135 junior teams and 3,375 players across Canada. It is estimated that there are 2,000 volunteers supporting these teams.

I received a letter from the Canadian Junior “A” Hockey League asking us to lead a campaign to stop Revenue Canada's taxation. It is cheap, chintzy and above all it is a national disgrace to junior hockey in a country that calls hockey its game.

[Petitions, February 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition mainly from people in Estevan and the surrounding area of my constituency. These people are calling upon Parliament to focus its legislative support on adult stem cell research to find the cures and therapies necessary to treat the illnesses and diseases of Canadians.

[Foreign Affairs, February 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to direct a question to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. When can Canadians expect his department, when handling passports, to return to the 45 day guarantee?

We have had people inquiring about their passports being delayed 60 days. When can he expect to have his department back to normal in order to guarantee Canadians a 45 day return?

[Supply, February 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I want to comment on some of my colleague's statements. First, I believe I heard the member correctly in that he referred to the card as being either voluntary or mandatory. I can assure him that if it is a national card it would be like the social insurance card and it would have to be mandatory for it to work properly.

There was one statement that really kind of shook me and I would like the minister to explain. I believe I heard the member say that consumer fraud was not the business of government. I thought the function of government was to protect its citizens and the government has to move to do something. Above all, our citizens should be protected from consumer fraud. Consumer fraud is not just the business of those conducting the fraud.

[Supply, February 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, while I was travelling in Europe recently, I found that a number of countries had these cards and had them for some time. In asking about the card, officials cited many benefits to it. However some officials took the same approach as the member has taken. It appears, however, that this card has become quite a common thing for people to carry, like we carry our drivers licence.

Why do countries in Europe look positively on the identity card, but we hear only negative things about it here?

[Petitions, February 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, once again, from across my constituency and across the province, and pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present to Parliament another petition in which the petitioners severely condemn the government's position on pornography.

[Petitions, February 10th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I have a petition that has been signed by people across my constituency and indeed from other places in Saskatchewan. The petitioners pray that Parliament does not pass private member's Bill C-250 as they feel it will be in violation of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.