House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1993, with 38% of the vote.
Immigration April 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, being very clear and doing something about it are two different things.
The minister has still not done what he said he would, to institute a system of bonds for sponsors to cover these costs. Since the province of Ontario has been able to identify those who are abusing the system will the minister now enforce the sponsorship contracts?
Immigration April 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, an unbelievable lawsuit has been launched against the Government of Ontario by sponsored immigrants. They are suing Ontario for deducting $100 from their welfare cheques despite the fact their sponsors have reneged on their signed guarantee of full support.
Will the immigration minister be supporting the province of Ontario in its defence, especially in light of the $700 million that this abuse costs Canadian taxpayers?
Smuggling April 24th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the people of Ontario are a caring people. Throughout the history of this province they have contributed generously to confederation.
This generosity, however, is being put to the test by the government. Despite electing 98 Liberal MPs in the last election, issues that concern Ontario are not being addressed. Nothing exemplifies this lack of representation more than the growing smuggling problem.
The Liberal solution to smuggling announced last February has failed to stem the tide of guns, alcohol, drugs and tobacco streaming into Ontario. Smuggling accounts for the vast majority of cases involving the criminal use of firearms in Ontario and it facilitates the illegal use of drugs. It has cost thousands of jobs in the distilling industry and the government has lost billions of dollars in revenue.
The old saying about safety in numbers obviously does not apply to Ontario's voice in Ottawa.
Petitions April 6th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the final petition is on the subject of drinking and violence. The petitioners were shocked by the recent Supreme Court decision, and
they believe all individuals must be held fully responsible for their actions, even while under the influence of alcohol.
I concur with these petitions.
Petitions April 6th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the third petition is on the subject of child care. The petitioners believe current federal government child care policies are intrusive and discriminate against many families. They believe parents should have the freedom to make the choices about what type of child care is best for their families.
The petitioners request Parliament to oppose any legislation that will increase child care expenditures.
Petitions April 6th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is on the subject of Bill C-68, the gun control bill. The petitioners believe the target for all gun control laws in the Criminal Code of Canada must be the criminals who are a danger to the public safety, not law-abiding, responsible firearm owners.
Petitions April 6th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present in the House today four petitions from my riding.
The first petition deals with a request for the Government of Canada not to amend the Human Rights Act to include the undefined phrase "sexual orientation". Refusing to define this statement leaves interpretation open to the courts, a very dangerous precedent to set. Parliament has a responsibility to Canadians to ensure that legislation cannot be misinterpreted.
Petitions March 29th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the third and final petition from my riding contains 474 signatures. It was collected by small businessmen from my riding including Mr. Garry Valley, Mr. John Ough, Mr. Barry Bertram, Dr. Devon Smith, Mr. Bryan Greig, Mrs. Jean Baker Pearce, and Mr. Paul Jamieson.
The petitioners request that with Canadians already overburdened with taxation due to high government spending, Parliament reduce government spending instead of increasing taxes.
Petitions March 29th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the second petition involves section 718.2 of Bill C-41. The petitioners are concerned that naming some groups in legislation will exclude other groups from protection and that sentencing based on the concept of hatred is very subjective and will undermine our justice system.
Petitions March 29th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I have three sets of petitions to present today on behalf of the constituents of Simcoe Centre.
The first group of petitioners request that the Government of Canada not amend the human rights act to include the phrase sexual orientation. The petitioners fear that such an inclusion could lead to homosexuals receiving the same benefits and societal privileges as married couples.