Lost her last election, in 1997, with 27% of the vote.
Committees Of The House April 24th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the ninth report of the Standing Committee on Health.
According to the order of reference dated March 21, 1997 your committee has approved the proposed tobacco regulations with amendments.
Parkinson's Disease April 21st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, April is Parkinson's awareness month. Over 100,000 Canadians, 1,500 Newfoundlanders, are suffering from symptoms of Parkinson's which affects one in every 100 adults.
The symptoms, which typically strike people who are over the age of 55, include: muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, tremor in limbs at rest, difficulty with co-ordinating movements, loss of volume of speech.
The cause of Parkinson's is still unknown and currently there is no cure. The St. John's regional chapter of the Parkinson Foundation of Canada is making a special effort this month to increase awareness of Parkinson's disease. Knowledge about its symptoms, medication, exercise and therapy is the key to give sufferers the power to maintain control over this disease.
I would ask my colleagues in the House to join me in the effort to raise awareness of this disorder today.
Committees Of The House April 16th, 1997
Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Health.
Pursuant to the order of reference dated November 5, 1996, the committee has adopted Bill C-47, an act respecting human reproductive technologies and commercial transactions relating to human reproduction, and amendments.
Volunteers April 14th, 1997
Madam Speaker, April 13 marks the first day of national volunteer week when communities across the country will pay tribute to their volunteers and reflect on the many ways they help individuals, organizations and causes.
On behalf of all my colleagues in the House I would like to make a special point of thanking all the volunteers who help us as MPs, whom we rely on to assist us in our offices on a daily basis and whom we will be depending on heavily in the days to come and the months to follow.
Volunteers give us more than just their time and efforts. They are responsible for getting us where we are today and we are counting on them to play a vital role in shaping our future.
As the heart and soul of our communities I would like to applaud the volunteers of our country, thank them and congratulate them on volunteer week.
St. John's Harbour March 21st, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Brian Tobin, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, brought down his 1997 budget yesterday. In addition to developing the provinces rich base of natural resources, the budget allots$1.5 million for the clean up of the St. John's harbour, one of North America's oldest seaports.
Its proud and rich heritage will be celebrated this year during the Cabot 500 celebration when thousands of tourists from around the world will visit the city as Cabot's replica sailing ship, the Matthew , makes its historic landing on June 24.
The harbour clean up is slated to begin as quickly as possible. It is something I have been working toward since I first took office. I commend Premier Brian Tobin's efforts to take this vital step toward addressing a growing environmental concern surrounding the future of the St. John's harbour.
Land Mines March 13th, 1997
He has also asked every country in the world to show their commitment to this goal by coming to Canada in December of this year to sign a treaty that will ban the use, transfer, production and stockpiling of anti-personnel land mines.
I fully applaud the minister's efforts. I am very proud of the fact that such a remarkable initiative has been spearheaded by one of our colleagues-
Land Mines March 13th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, this week the Minister of Foreign Affairs has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in the effort to achieve the worldwide ban on the use and production of anti-personnel land mines.
The United Nations estimates that there are approximately 100 million active land mines in 65 countries and another 100 million in storage. The tragic fact is that there are an estimated 26,000 casualties each year resulting from the use of land mines.
Minister Axworthy's leadership is truly a remarkable effort toward achieving peace.
Air Guns December 5th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, a 1995 Environics poll estimated that one in seven households in Canada own air guns that shoot BBs or pellets or both. These weapons can penetrate flesh and thin bone at just 348 feet per second.
More than 25 people have been killed by air guns in North America since 1980. Canadian hospitals report a growing number of non-fatal accidents involving such weapons. For example, Amanda Noseworthy of St. John's lost an eye when shot by a young boy who was playing with his rifle in a friend's home. Amanda is now losing the vision in her good eye and may become totally blind.
I have spoken to the federal justice minister on behalf of Amanda and her family and told him I support the inclusion of air guns as a real firearm under the Criminal Code of Canada, and therefore, should be subject to the same controls and safeguards.
Air guns are not toys. They are dangerous weapons that can kill. They must be regulated for the protection and safety of our children.
Remembrance Day November 7th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, each year on November 11 when the veterans march past the memorials across the country, it becomes more apparent that the events they
have experienced by serving Canada are receding more and more into the past.
Our veterans are getting older and each year fewer are able to participate. Our veterans have much to teach the younger generation about the values that went into building this country and preserving democracy. We must encourage our veterans to tell their stories and to give our young people the occasion to listen.
As a step in the right direction, the Prime Minister has declared November 3 to 11 as veterans' week. I invite all Canadians, but especially the younger generation, to take time to listen to the stories of Canada's veterans of the first and second world wars and the Korean war. I hope that all Canadians will make an effort to record these stories on paper, video, audio tape and now the Internet so that they may not be lost to future generations.
Mining October 22nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate two Newfoundlanders who were named Mining Men of the Year for 1995 by the Northern Miner newspaper and Prospectors of the Year by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. There is no doubt in my mind that they are also qualified as Newfoundland and Labrador's Men of the Year. They are Albert Chislet and Christopher Verbiski.
In 10 years, hundreds of millions of dollars will have been invested in Voisey's Bay, creating thousands of local jobs. In addition, millions of dollars will be pumped back into the provincial and national economies.
It is because of people like Albert Chislet and Christopher Verbiski that this is possible. Because of their expertise, we can look forward to a better future.