Brent Rathgeber

[Public Safety, February 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Defence says that Bill C-51 would protect civil liberties by ensuring that the powers of oversight are vested in the courts. However, in 2013 CSIS was censured by Federal Court judge Richard Mosley for not disclosing relevant information and for deliberately misleading his court.

This weekend, retired Supreme Court Justice John Major said that he was puzzled at the government's reluctance to provide better oversight over Canada's spy agencies. The judges themselves understand that warrant obtainment alone is simply inadequate.

The government is fond of dismissing criticism from the bench, which it labels as unelected, meddling, and interventionist, so why the sudden conversion by placing such confidence in the courts to provide effective oversight?

[Public Safety, February 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the government claims to be cracking down on terrorists, and through Bill C-51, our security agencies are about to assume broad new powers. However, our security agencies lack the resources to carry out even their current mandates. Both the RCMP commissioner and the deputy CSIS director clearly told parliamentary committees last October as much, that a lack of resources makes tracking all extremists at all times simply impossible. Now we have learned that collectively, CSIS, the RCMP, and the Department of Defence have allowed $11 billion to go unspent and lapse.

In its zeal to balance its budget in an election year, does the government not understand that increased security powers without adequate resources is an exercise in futility?

[Citizenship and Immigration, February 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Maria Venancio was a Filipino temporary foreign worker who worked at a McDonald's Restaurant in Edmonton. In 2011, Ms. Venancio was biking to work and was struck by a motor vehicle, rendering her a paraplegic and therefore unable to work.

Under the rules of the temporary foreign worker program, as she is unable to work, she has no status and is currently facing deportation. Ms. Venancio has applied to become a permanent resident, but deporting her to the Phillippines while she is convalescent would seem to be inhumane and even un-Canadian.

Why will the Minister of Immigration or the minister in charge of border services not intervene to protect an extremely vulnerable temporary foreign worker?

[Committees of the House, February 4th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I agree to apply the vote, and vote yea.

[David Wynn, January 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, St. Albert said goodbye to one of its finest heroes. RCMP Constable David Wynn was laid to rest following a full regimental funeral attended by 6,000 grateful mourners.

Constable Wynn and Auxillary Constable Derek Bond had been shot nine days earlier in the line of duty and are both to be saluted for their bravery.

Some 2,100 first responders from across North America honoured their fallen colleague and thousands of St. Albertans lined the procession route wearing white ribbons and waving Canadian flags in a show of community respect and solidarity.

The entire city of St. Albert has come together to show support for both the Wynn and the RCMP families; 15,000 white ribbons adorned porch lights, lampposts and trees throughout our city.

I would like the family of Constable Wynn, wife Shelly, sons Matthew, Nathan and Alex, and also Auxillary Constable Bond, who is recovering from serious injuries, to know that they are in our collective thoughts and in our prayers.

A grateful nation salutes Constable Wynn for his sacrifice and thanks him for his service to his community and to his country.

Rest in peace, Constable Wynn.

[Consumer Protection, December 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, like most actual conservatives who believe in markets, I was amused by the Minister of Industry's staged photo op in a toy store on Tuesday. I find the notion that, somehow, merchants can be shamed by the Competition Bureau into lowering their prices is, to use the Prime Minister's economic qualifier, “crazy economic policy”.

If the Minister of Industry is really interested in preventing price gouging, why does he not look at some of his government's own market distorting policies that increase consumer prices, like tariffs, fuel taxes, an oligopolistic telecom market, and even supply management?

[Canadian Human Rights Commission, December 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, taxpayers want to know why the acting commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission has been allowed to rack up nearly $760,000 in travel expenses over the last eight years.

David Langtry has been acting chief commissioner since September 2010, and as acting chief has not been required to relocate to Ottawa.

The Minister of Justice has said he will appoint a permanent chief commissioner soon. As this untenable arrangement has been ongoing for over four years, how does the government justify not appointing a permanent commissioner to start protecting taxpayers from exorbitant expense claims?

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2014-15, December 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I vote yea.

[Petitions, November 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of tabling a petition signed by over 3,500 residents of Edmonton—St. Albert calling on this House to pass a resolution condemning the Chinese communist party's crime of systematically murdering Falun Gong practitioners for their organs and to amend Canadian laws to legislate against forced organ harvesting.

It is my pleasure to table this petition and I look forward to the government's response.

[St. Albert Small Business Week, November 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, last month the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce held its annual Small Business Week highlighting and celebrating the nearly 1,000 small and medium-sized businesses that generate economic growth and create jobs in and around St. Albert.

The highlight of the annual week was the small business awards of distinction. At this formal awards ceremony, nominees were recognized and awards presented in numerous categories, including marketing, outstanding customer service, young entrepreneur, and community leadership.

The highlight of the evening was the Chairman's Award, chosen by the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce based on overall excellence in business operations plus exemplary community engagement. The winner of the 2014 Chairman's Award was Team Chiasson, from McDonald's Restaurants of St. Albert. Rob and Karen Chiasson were recognized for their tireless advocacy on behalf of employers who are experiencing acute labour shortages as a result of Alberta' s hot economy and tight labour market.

I would like to personally congratulate all St. Albert and area businesses for the economic activity and jobs they create and the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce for recognizing them through a very successful Small Business Week.