Borys Wrzesnewskyj

[Business of the House, April 19th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Discussions have taken place among all parties with respect to Bill C-254, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda), first introduced during the 38th Parliament and reintroduced on May 24, 2006. This bill at long last includes the legal word for “gender” in the definition of what constitutes a hate crime.

I hope to find consent for the following motion: That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-254, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda), an act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda), be deemed read a second time, referred to committee of the whole, deemed considered in committee of the whole, deemed reported without amendment, deemed concurred in at report stage and deemed read a third time and passed

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, April 17th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the hypocrisy of this. Yesterday we learned, despite the minister's denials, Mr. Zaccardelli gave him a full briefing on what happened months ago. In Maclean's, on March 29, the former Conservative public accounts chair said, “I would rather see a judicial inquiry”.

Yesterday's highly conflicted testimony reinforces that a non-arm's length, powerless investigator, who reports to the minister, will be unable to get to the truth.

When will minister stonewall call a public inquiry, or does he plan to ignore the will of the committee?

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, April 17th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, since March 28, Liberals have been calling for a full judicial inquiry into the RCMP pension scandal. Yesterday the public accounts committee endorsed this call even though Conservative members on the committee abstained from voting on the matter. Yet the minister continues to stonewall, blocking full accountability for an organization that just happens to be deciding whether to investigate him for the Jim Hart scandal.

When will the minister do the right thing and call for a full judicial inquiry into the RCMP?

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, April 16th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives say that they want to deal with the issues quickly.

Last year whistleblowers raised shocking concerns with parliamentarians of all parties about fraud, nepotism and cover ups of criminality at the top echelons of the RCMP. Unfortunately, Conservative MPs on the committee blocked our calls to get to the bottom of the scandal for months.

Whistleblowers and investigators faced constructive dismissals, and now the minister is putting up a constructive roadblock.

Will the minister appoint a full judicial inquiry, or is Conservative law and order at the discretion of the minister?

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, April 16th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, this issue is not about blind partisanship.

Why is the government blocking efforts to expose the alleged fraud in the RCMP pension and insurance funds and to expose subsequent cover-ups?

This money belongs to front line officers. It belongs to the courageous RCMP personnel who protect our communities. They deserve our support and the Canadian public needs the cloud hanging over the RCMP to be addressed in a transparent and fulsome manner.

Why will the minister not scrap the idea of a powerless investigator and appoint a full judicial inquiry?

[June Callwood, April 16th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, early Saturday morning past, an angel who walked Toronto's streets departed.

The late June Callwood was a prolific and awarded writer, however, it will not be in the reading salons that the greatest amount of tears shall be shed. June applied most of her boundless energies to repairing the aches of her communities.

An aching void will be felt in places like Nellie's House, where abused women and children found shelter; Jessie's Centre for Teenagers; and Casey House Hospice for people infected with HIV-AIDS.

In the 1980s, in Toronto's rough Queen and Bathurst neighbourhood, I first encountered June's inexhaustible energies and good works, and in recent years I have been honoured to have been able to call June a friend.

June has departed leaving behind thousands of friends and admirers, however, we know that as she passes through heaven's gate there will be thousands there to greet her, the thousands whose dying days were made bearable by her goodness at Casey House Hospice.

[The Budget, March 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, three of Canada's largest police organizations publicly rebuked the supposed law and order Conservatives. They are angry at another broken Conservative campaign promise.

The Minister of Public Safety has ignored months of calls from these organizations.

“It seems like the public safety minister forgot to mention it to the finance minister”, said Mr. Cannavino, President of the Canadian Police Association. There also is no money in the government's budget for new police officers on our streets.

Why has the Prime Minister broken his promise to hire 2,500 more police officers?

[March 29th, 2007]

You tore it up. You threw it away.

[March 29th, 2007]

There was a signing agreement.

[March 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we just saw a blatant case of revisionism on the part of the parliamentary secretary.

He said it was in the small print. First of all, the Conservatives did not even put anything in their 2006 or 2007 budgets for internment, but he said it was in the small print. If he listened, it was referenced in the opening paragraphs of the 2005 budget and he actually acknowledged there was $25 million. In fact, the sources and uses table on page 4 indicates that an additional $30 million was put into this particular program.

The Ukrainian Canadian community has said that CHRP and NHRP, the new programs mentioned by the hon. parliamentary secretary, are absolutely unacceptable. In fact, if the government proceeds down this path, they will be looking at legal avenues.

Bill C-331--