Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was court.

Last in Parliament April 1997, as Liberal MP for Prince Albert—Churchill River (Saskatchewan)

Lost his last election, in 2015, with 20% of the vote.

courtcodelong term offenderamendmentscriminal justice systemoffendersbrought forward

Statements in the House

Privilege May 15th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, on Friday the member for North Island-Powell River made the following statement about me:

Mr. Speaker, the member for Prince Albert was adopted by binding aboriginal ceremony into the Bird family of the Montreal Lake Bank in a powwow about two years ago. Roy Bird, the chief of the band, is an important player in this family. The member for Prince Albert has been co-opted by the minister and is defending these negotiations with his adopted family.

Will the minister not agree that he has placed this member, knowingly or unknowingly, in a conflict of interest situation?

I have been accused by the hon. member from the Reform Party of being in a conflict of interest situation. I feel that these accusations have very serious moral and legal implications

impacting and affecting my ability to adequately function as a member of Parliament.

I would like to make very clear that even if this suggestion made by the hon. member were true, this is nothing more than an honour bestowed by a community upon an individual.

So that the Reform Party can understand what this type of ceremony would be about, it would be like receiving a citizen of the year award from the chamber of commerce. It would be like getting an Order of Canada from the Government of Canada.

I would suggest this would simply be an honour bestowed by a community upon an individual and is not grounds for any conflict. Even more important, this honour was never bestowed upon me in the first place. I wish to say I do not know where the hon. member would get such a statement.

Mr. Speaker, whether or not you view that my privileges have been violated, I would like the hon. member for North Island-Powell River to publicly withdraw the comments and apologize to the people of Canada for making statements that in some parts of the country damage positive race relations. This is the new politics promised by the Reform Party.

Information Highway March 31st, 1995

Mr. Speaker, Canada's move toward a knowledge based economy presents tremendous economic and educational opportunities for all Canadians. It is very important that these opportunities are made available to all Canadians, not only those in urban areas but those in rural and remote areas as well.

Could the secretary of state tell the House what steps the government is taking to ensure that Canadians in rural and remote areas will have access to the opportunities afforded by the information highway?

Petitions March 27th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I present a petition signed by approximately 60 people from Saskatchewan.

They request that Parliament not amend the human rights code, the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms in any way that would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships.

Canadian Wheat Board March 14th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, today in Washington the leader of the third party denigrated the Canadian Wheat Board.

Many Canadian farmers know they produce high quality products and that the wheat board has greatly assisted Canada's

success in the grain trade. The farmers are deeply concerned about these remarks made by the leader of the third party.

Do the views expressed by the leader of the third party reflect in any way the views of the federal government?

Borrowing Authority Act, 1995-96 March 2nd, 1995

Madam Speaker, the hon. member opposite indicates that he listened to me and my hon. colleagues say something different than what is happening now in relation to agricultural subsidies. It is quite obvious that he was not paying close attention to what was happening in Prince Albert-Churchill River if that is what he thinks.

It has always been my position that while we do need agricultural support programs, we need them at such a level where they are adequate and predictable, where they are not changing week after week as has been happening in Saskatchewan over the last number of years, where everybody is going to know what the rules are.

Specifically with respect to the Crow benefit, it was indicated during the election that what would happen with the Crow benefit was subject to what happened at the GATT negotiations which occurred after the election. This was clearly stated to the public, to the farmers. The GATT negotiations necessitate change and we are doing the change, which is exactly what we said during the election campaign.

With respect to the hon. member's talk about MPs' pensions, when members of the Reform Party opposite table in this House a letter from the Alberta government saying that one of its members no longer accepts a big pension while he is sitting here as a member of this House earning a salary, when the hon. Reform Party also sets forth a letter from national defence and the RCMP saying that members who are retired from those areas are not getting those federal pensions, then perhaps we can talk

about the views of the federal pension plans. There is a great deal of hypocrisy within the Reform Party on the issue of pensions.

This government said exactly what it would do in the red book with respect to MP pensions and has gone even further than it said in the red book. This government lives up to our commitments. We lived up to them before. We will live up to them in the future. The judgment has been made by the international monetary markets and all Canadians as to the success of our budgetary endeavours.

Borrowing Authority Act, 1995-96 March 2nd, 1995

Madam Speaker, I am deeply honoured to speak to Bill C-73, a bill to provide borrowing authority for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 1995. It will allow for the borrowing of funds by the finance minister, on approval of cabinet, to finance a shrinking annual deficit for the coming fiscal year.

I begin by extending my sincere congratulations to the Minister of Finance for a budget which has won the confidence of not only the international markets but also, and more importantly, of all Canadians. The budget displays a firm commitment to Canadian values by promoting jobs and growth and by protecting the most vulnerable Canadians by looking to government first for action. The deficit is primarily being dealt with through spending cuts in a 7:1 ratio over the next three years. This means spending cuts will amount to $7 for every $1 in revenue increase.

The budget, with its emphasis on fairness, has looked to spending cuts rather than personal income taxes to achieve its goals. We heard the Canadians who told us not to raise income tax and we have not. The budget is fair. The budget closes loopholes and tax breaks for the rich. It focuses on those who are able to contribute more and asks them to do so, like the banks. We all must contribute. It does not increase taxes for the middle class.

The budget is fair to all regions of the country. The Minister of Finance has taken great care to ensure that cutbacks to the different regions are distributed fairly and equitably. Our fiscal problem is a national one. All regions need to contribute to the diminution of our fiscal problem. We must work together.

Aspects of the budget such as the Canada social transfer will enhance the flexibility of the federal system by allowing provinces to determine to a greater degree how best they can meet their specific needs while retaining a role for the national government.

I must commend the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food for working very hard on behalf of Canada's farmers through a very difficult budgetary process. We all recognize that every Canadian must share in the reduction of the deficit. Canadian farmers are not excluded from this effort. They have shown a willingness to participate before, they have shown resilience before, and I am certain they realize the necessity of the changes before us.

Spending has been reduced. However, farmers have always said that given good opportunities they would prefer not to be subsidized. Farmers are ready to adapt and succeed and they will again. These changes outlined in the budget affecting grain transport, income support and stabilization, trade, marketing, research, adaptation and rural development will reduce the cost to government but they will also improve efficiency and competitiveness to encourage economic diversification, value added production and processing. This will give farmers the opportunities they have always wanted.

In Saskatchewan the transportation subsidy known as the Crow rate provided cheap transportation of raw agricultural products but it also created an economy of dependence and inefficiency and in some cases was detrimental to the environment.

We needed to change the way we think about subsidies and transportation, not least because of the realities of the World Trade Organization which limits trade distorting subsidies. Farmers need to take a leading role in adhering to the principles of the World Trade Organization. I know that European and American subsidies will also decline. It is my view that Canada has much more to gain than lose when dealing on a level playing field because Canadian farmers have the highest quality products and are already the most efficient in the world.

Our priorities are cost efficiency and effectiveness in growing, moving and selling grain. Farmers will benefit from this and they will become more and more able to determine their own financially secure futures. Their reduced reliance on subsidies means that governments will be able to focus in an efficient and effective way on the things that government does best, providing assistance for people to adjust to the changing times and providing information on new markets and new production opportunities.

We will not leave the farmers to adjust to this change alone. They will receive a one time payment of $1.6 billion to assist them in the transition.

Our fiscal realities must be addressed. The government has faced these challenges fairly and in every area. Reduced spending is the golden opportunity for economic growth. Reduced spending helps to be more acutely aware of local economic opportunities and less enamoured with regulation and control where it is not necessary.

Let me share two examples from my riding of Prince Albert-Churchill River where relaxation of government regulations will allow and promote economic growth and jobs.

First, at the federal level the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation has a monopoly at present over the marketing and processing of freshwater fish. In the past this served the fishermen well, but it has outlived its usefulness. The government must break inefficient monopolies like this one. In doing so a local fish processing plant within the riding will bring jobs and growth to the area and give greater support to northern fishermen with better prices for raw product.

Second, at the provincial level SaskPower has a monopoly over the generation of electrical energy in Saskatchewan. If this monopoly is allowed to be opened up in a sensible way, local initiatives could react more quickly and efficiently, and provide electrical energy at reduced rates. Weyerhauser Canada would be able to build an electrical co-generation plan which would make it more competitive while maintaining exacting environmental standards and enhancing environmental protection.

This may open the door for the further expansion of Weyerhauser's pulp and paper production capacity. The possibilities for economic spin-offs are great. These initiatives mean jobs, they mean growth and they mean a prosperous Prince Albert-Churchill River.

We must strike a healthy balance for the role of government in economic development. We must facilitate growth and allow for local initiatives to flourish. We must provide the context for a dynamic and innovative economy, unimpeded by the dinosaurs that have monopolized the economy in the past.

Governments cannot afford to be economic and social dictators any more. They can afford to be enablers of growth, enablers of individual community, provincial and national creativity, economically and socially from coast to coast.

Too much government money has created in us the belief that government can fix everything. It cannot. It has created economic and social dependency. The budget and this bill have set Canada on a course where people will be free to succeed. They will be free to build that sense of community, of caring and sharing that has been eroded by the misplaced belief that government can and must do everything. Governments will now be free to be true partners with one another and the people, a partnership that will result in economic growth and an even greater feeling of compassion and community.

Yes, we are all responsible one for the other. Because we borrow less money, because we use less money, we shall be free to prosper together and to help one another.

Once again, my sincere congratulations to the finance minister who has done a great job with a great budget.

Petitions February 15th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I present a petition compiled by Jamie and Janet Bassett from my riding of Prince Albert-Churchill River.

The petition has been signed by approximately 14,400 Canadians and requests that Parliament grant conditionally or unconditionally a pardon to Mr. Robert Latimer of Wilkie for a second degree murder conviction.

While I respectfully disagree with the petition, I hold the Bassetts in high regard. I respect their viewpoint and their right to express it, and the viewpoint of the many thoughtful Canadians who have signed this petition.

I present this petition on their behalf.

Canadian Armed Forces February 15th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, over the past number of weeks Canadians have expressed abhorrence concerning videotaped hazing rituals and other deplorable conduct that has occurred within our military service.

The reputation of the Canadian military has been significantly harmed by these revelations. To suggest that these activities are innocuous or nothing more than male bonding essential to teamwork is an affront to dignity and common sense.

What we have witnessed is human degradation, racism and other completely unacceptable activities. The Minister of National Defence has acted prudently, expeditiously and decisively in order to send a clear message from the bottom to the top of the military establishment that these activities are a disgrace to our proud military tradition and that they will not be tolerated now or ever.

I commend the minister and those within the department who are working hard to restore integrity and professionalism in the military and to restore its now tarnished image.

Western Grain Transportation Act February 13th, 1995

Mr. Speaker, the portion of the bill dealing with demurrage and storage charges will encourage the rail companies to utilize the grain cars to move the grain as opposed to letting it sit there, storing them, or leaving the cars sitting around.

There have been many problems identified on this issue. Each one of these little pieces goes together to make for a more efficient grain system. That is what the minister has set out to achieve. That is what he will achieve by utilizing this type of system to encourage the people to move the grain. It is better for us to pay for grain to be moved than pay to have it sit.

Western Grain Transportation Act February 13th, 1995

In 1984 there was a different government in place, one that you no doubt supported. With respect, our minister of agriculture has moved forcefully and quickly in bringing people together to get a solution that is going to work for all Canadian taxpayers, including the Canadian farmers.