House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1997, with 53% of the vote.
Kosovo April 23rd, 1999
Mr. Speaker, I will take that answer and put it in my expanding this government has no plan file.
At today's NATO summit in Washington, Canada will be asked to escalate its military commitment to the campaign. Since the government has no plans for new funding for our troops and our military is already cash strapped, how exactly does the government expect our military to carry out a campaign that could be bigger than the Korean conflict?
Kosovo April 23rd, 1999
Mr. Speaker, today it has been reported that Slobodan Milosevic has made a hollow offer to end the crisis in the Balkans that does not live up to the NATO conditions.
It is clear that Canada's resolve on the NATO campaign must remain absolute and that we must continue to adequately prepare our military. Has the government set aside the necessary funds to properly equip our troops for the escalating NATO campaign? Will the Deputy Prime Minister assure the House today that the already cash strapped defence budget will not be completely tasked with this increase in commitment?
Transport April 16th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, the Penticton airport is an important asset to the economic viability of the south Okanagan.
Transport Canada has mismanaged the negotiations to transfer the airport from the federal government to the city of Penticton. The process has completely broken down due to a land tenure issue with the Penticton Indian band. The parties are at a stalemate which threatens the closure of the Penticton airport. The Minister of Transport will not even answer telephone calls from the mayor of Penticton.
My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the government stop ignoring this problem and appoint a mediator to resolve this situation and get people back to the bargaining table?
Battle Of Vimy Ridge April 15th, 1999
I rise on behalf of the people of Okanagan—Coquihalla to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
After three years of a bloody stalemate on the western front, it took four divisions of Canadians, led for the first time by a Canadian, to advance with a resounding tactical victory.
The key at Vimy was superior planning and troops with a determination to defy the odds. After weeks of practice on a full scale replica of the ridge, the Canadians shelled the well-entrenched Germans for two weeks before risking a frontal assault.
When the time came to remove the remaining Germans from their superior position, the Canadians advanced slowly up the ridge behind a wall of fire provided by the Canadian artillery. After heavy fighting, the Germans were driven off the ridge at a cost of 11,000 Canadian casualties.
To historians, Vimy Ridge is a spectacular tactical victory studied for its own merits. For Canadians, however, it marks the birth of our nation.
Agriculture March 15th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, today is chainsaw day in the Okanagan Valley. Two years of weather related disasters and low market prices are forcing apple producers to cut down their trees. The government has responded with a disaster relief program that makes apple growers a poor cousin to other agricultural commodities. What is it going to take for this government to get disaster relief to apple producers, or is this government in favour of clear cutting orchards in the province of British Columbia?
Points Of Order March 4th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, the document was not officially tabled. It was handed to the members of the committee and the member for Joliette objected to the document.
Points Of Order March 4th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order with respect to an incident that happened today at the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs.
The standing committee adopted a procedure restricting me from tabling a document because of the official language that I chose to use.
Moving motions and tabling documents in either official language is a right granted to members by the authority of the House and by law. Yet I was denied these rights today at the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs.
Subsection 4(1) of the Official Languages Act reads as follows:
English and French are the official languages of Parliament, and everyone has the right to use either of those languages in any debates and any other proceedings of Parliament.
This subsection defines the right of members of parliament to speak and submit documents in the language of their choice in parliamentary proceedings.
The standing orders state:
All motions shall be in writing ... before being debated or put from the Chair ... it shall be read in English and in French by the Speaker, if he or she be familiar with both languages; if not, the Speaker shall read the motion in one language and direct the Clerk of the Table to read it in the other—
Standing Order 116 states that “in a standing committee the Standing Orders shall apply”. Standing Order 116 lists some exceptions, such as the election of the Speaker, seconding of motions and times of speaking.
I would like to remind you, Mr. Speaker, of two important rulings in regards to committees on standing orders of the House. On June 20, 1994 and November 7, 1996 the Speaker ruled that while it is a tradition of this House that committees are masters of their own proceedings, they cannot establish procedures which go beyond the powers conferred upon them by the House.
The committee, by adopting a procedure restricting members from introducing documents in the official language of their choice, has established a procedure which goes beyond the powers conferred upon it by the House. This committee is in breach of our standing orders and the law.
On May 5, 1998 the member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca raised a similar case regarding the Standing Committee on Health. In his presentation he used similar arguments that I am putting forth today. Unfortunately this matter was not dealt with. The Speaker has not yet ruled on that point of order and the matter of our rights as members of parliament to operate in the language of our choice, as provided for in the rules of the House and in common law, still remains unresolved today.
The House should be aware that the Speaker on May 5, 1998 made the following statement:
It goes without saying that members of this House are free to operate in either of the official languages.
In conclusion, I remind the Speaker of the recommendation of the commissioner of official languages in his 1996 report to parliament:
The Commissioner recommended that the Speaker of the House advise committee chairs, referring particularly to Subsection 4(1) of the Official Languages Act, that language should not be an obstacle to Members of Parliament in the performance of their duties.
It is obvious that this warning from the Chair is overdue.
National Defence March 4th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, there is political interference and I will tell the minister why. It is because the minister does not want to embarrass the Prime Minister when the fact comes out that the best helicopter for the job is the one that he cancelled in 1993. This helicopter fiasco has cost Canadian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Will the government stop the political interference today and put those contracts out to tender?
National Defence March 4th, 1999
Mr. Speaker, DND documents received today show that the statement of requirement for the Sea King replacement was actually completed over a year ago. However, the contract has yet to be put out to tender by this government.
The government is sitting on its hands while Sea Kings are falling out of the sky. This is the worst case of political interference Canadians have ever seen. Why is the government delaying?
British Columbia Fruit Growers March 3rd, 1999
Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the people of Okanagan—Coquihalla to express my concern over this government's gross neglect of the British Columbia fruit growers.
About 5,000 jobs in the Okanagan Valley are directly linked to the $700 million orchard industry. After two years of weather related disasters, cash-strapped growers were looking to the government's Agricultural Income Disaster Assistance program for immediate relief.
After being told they would have to wait until the summer, the growers have said enough is enough.
On March 15 the sound of chainsaws will ring through the Okanagan Valley. Growers, who have nothing to lose, will cut down their apple trees.
Financial relief is needed now, not in the summer, and long term solutions like reduced taxation must be a priority. This is just another example of Canadians paying more in taxes and getting less in services. Will the Liberal government stop the March 15 Okanagan chainsaw massacre?