Mr. Speaker, I will vote against the motion.
Lost his last election, in 1997, with 3% of the vote.
Bank Act April 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I will vote against the motion.
Supply April 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I will be voting against the amendment.
(The House divided on the amendment, which was agreed to on the following division:)
Gasoline Prices April 16th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, one of the sure signs that spring has finally arrived occurred in the past week. The sign was not an increase in the temperature but a huge increase in the price of gasoline. Canadians are once again being gouged by the major oil companies as prices in metro Toronto rose from 54.5 cents to 59 cents per litre on average.
Many oil companies and dealers are blaming the steep increase on high crude oil prices while others blame a shortage of gasoline supplies for putting more upward pressure on prices.
Oil companies always seem to have an excuse for holding Canadians at ransom. If we do not pay their inflated prices we can walk. They have to be held accountable for the blatant and shameful practices they use on honest hardworking Canadians. The federal government must enact legislation to control price fixing within the gasoline industry.
These are the voices of 30 million Canadians I am raising in the House.
Racism March 20th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, March 21 is officially the first day of spring. For many it signals the end of a long winter and the beginning of a beautiful spring and summer. As well it is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Although this date was declared 30 years ago by the United Nations as a symbol of the worldwide need to end racism, not enough progress has been made as racial discrimination remains prevalent within Canadian society. This fact was confirmed by
yesterday's report of the Canadian Human Rights Commission presented by its chief commissioner, Mr. Max Yalden.
Racial discrimination can rear its ugly head in all aspects of ordinary life: education, employment opportunities, justice, the workplace and housing to name a few. Nobody is ever born a racist. It is something that is learned through social interaction.
Hopefully this special day will signal the beginning of a renewed sense of tolerance within Canada.
Speech From The Throne February 29th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, Tuesday's throne speech was an attempt by the government to appease Canadians about the deplorable state of our economy, to comfort them about our social programs and to reinforce their vision of a united Canada. Now the government must deliver all the promises in the red book. Canadians will not tolerate any more rhetoric and false promises.
Job creation should have been the number one priority of the government and the impending budget has to address this issue if Canadians are to continue to have faith in the Prime Minister. Throughout the first half of his mandate economic growth has been dismally lacking and job creation has been almost non-existent. Nothing short of full employment can bring national unity and prosperity to Canada.
Reducing interest rates to even lower levels is the only way to stimulate economic growth and job creation. Mr. Prime Minister, the choice is yours.
Iraq December 11th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the Food and Agriculture Organization, an agency of the United Nations, released a shocking report on the implications of the economic sanctions against Iraq.
In the four years since the Persian Gulf war more than 560,000 Iraqi children have died as a direct result of the sanctions. Present day suffering is intolerable; food prices are extremely high; and the water and sanitation systems have rapidly deteriorated.
Most important, hospitals are functioning at 40 per cent capacity and many serious operations are being performed without the proper medical supplies. The bottom line is that literally thousands of innocent children are dying every day.
In the true spirit of the upcoming holiday season I call upon the government to support the elimination of the UN embargo and support the giving of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to the people of Iraq.
Supply December 5th, 1995
Madam Speaker, I vote against the motion.
(The House divided on the motion, which was negatived on the following division:)
Balkans December 4th, 1995
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to participate in the debate respecting the participation of Canadian forces in the peacekeeping mission in co-operation with other countries in the former Yugoslavia.
The peace agreement signed a few weeks ago brought a sigh of relief for all after the many years of bitter battle which had raged in that area of the world.
Canada has a long tradition of peacekeeping. Whenever the word peacekeeping is mentioned, Canada's name comes to the forefront. We have had experience in this area for almost 40 years.
Monitoring peace is a noble cause. It shows a willingness for fellow humans and governments to do something constructive to alleviate human suffering. It will bring stability to a region that has been torn up after many years of internal conflict and civil war. It is the first time in a spirit of co-operation, NATO forces along with the non-NATO forces, are participating in this peacekeeping effort.
It is not a military mission alone. It is a mission of hope for the people of the Balkans. It is a mission of ending misery for the people of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia. It is a mission of ending ethnic cleansing which has cost the affected communities tens of thousands of innocent lives.
Actions speak louder than words. It is this principle that is guiding the government to share this collective responsibility of keeping peace in the former Yugoslavia.
My colleagues on this side of the House have mentioned lack of resources. That should not deter the government from taking firm action on this matter. It is our contribution in maintaining world peace.
I support the government's position to do its share of bringing peace to this central European region. A time period of 12 months for this peacekeeping initiative does not seem to be far fetched. There is speculation it could extend to more. We cannot work on speculation and other unreasonable suppositions.
As regard the competence and the ability of the Canadian defence forces, they are among the best in the world. As the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. It will be a test of professionalism for our fine men and women of the Canadian forces once again under trying conditions. We cannot leave the question of keeping world peace to the regional countries and communities because the world has become a global community.
Events happening in one part of the world cannot be ignored as regional skirmishes not worthy of serious consideration by those who are not immediately affected by them either directly or indirectly like our country here.
World security is a collective responsibility of each and every member of the international community. It is more so for Canada because we are a respected and influential member of this community. I see no reason why we should take a back seat to any other country in bringing peace to the Balkan region by participating in this noble cause.
Finally, this is an important initiative that I am sure will have the support of all Canadians. We have to support this initiative without any hesitation.
Witness Protection Program Act November 28th, 1995
Agreed, Mr. Speaker.
British Columbia Treaty Commission Act November 28th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, yes.
(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)