House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 8% of the vote.
Veterans Affairs November 21st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, this week Thunder Bay's city council voted unanimously to condemn the closure of the Veterans Affairs offices in Thunder Bay and across Canada.
Mayor Keith Hobbs called this abandonment of our veterans sinful. I have received hundreds of messages from those who are revolted by the shoddy treatment of our veterans.
Will the Conservatives please listen to the residents of Thunder Bay—Superior North and reverse these closures?
Petitions November 20th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition today on behalf of many Canadians who are calling on our federal government to maintain stable and predictable long-term core funding for public broadcasting, including CBC radio and Radio-Canada.
The petitioners feel the CBC plays an important role in reflecting Canadian culture nationally while at the same time serving many regional areas, including rural areas like northwestern Ontario.
The Environment November 19th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Citizens Climate Lobby is on the Hill this week calling on MPs to put a price on carbon pollution, specifically a carbon fee and dividend system.
Fee and dividend is far more effective than cap and trade. It is a revenue neutral fee that punishes pollution, puts money into taxpayers' pockets, and creates jobs.
Will the Conservatives protect the environment and taxpayers by supporting carbon fee and dividend?
Petitions November 18th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table a petition regarding CBC/Radio-Canada, which provide Canadians with a voice with which we are all able to take part in our national consciousness and cultural identities.
The petitioners are calling on the government to provide stable and predictable funding so that CBC remains a strong voice for all Canadians for all time.
Natural Resources November 8th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, two years ago, Mark Carney and I called for Alberta oil to flow to eastern Canada, but this is a good idea only if we require that the pipeline fuel Canadian jobs and energy security.
We export discounted crude while eastern Canada depends on expensive oil from Arabia and Venezuela.
Buy high, sell low, export jobs: a brilliant business plan. When will our Prime Minister stop shilling for U.S. oil interests?
Business of Supply November 7th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay is right on. Good for him. Good for the NDP for standing up for Canadian autonomy, Canadian jobs, and the processing of Canadian resources in Canada. I am really disappointed in the Liberals' stance. I just do not see their logic at all.
Building on what the member said, is he aware that Mark Carney, when he was the governor of the Bank of Canada, said that buying high from Brent crude oil and selling low, at a 20% to 30% discount, Western Canada Select to the U.S., was a really dumb thing to do?
Business of Supply November 7th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, Canada exports twice as much oil as eastern Canada imports, and 80% of the imported oil is from Arabia and Venezuela, hardly very secure places to count on for the future. Even dumber, Canada exports at a 20% to 30% discount off world prices and imports the most expensive oil in the world, Brent Crude. My dad was an investment banker and he impressed upon me early to buy low and sell high. Do we get it?
Does the member care about energy security for Canada? Does she care about eastern Canada, and does she care about our oil policy where we buy high and sell low?
Petitions November 6th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition from people in British Columbia who are concerned about Kinder Morgan and Enbridge's pipelines, which would result in a greatly increased number of tankers on the west coast, including supertankers that have not been there before.
The petitioners are concerned about the movement of oil. They are concerned that spills are inevitable, that tar sand materials are toxic and virtually impossible to clean up, and that spills would be devastating to local industries, including tourism and marine ecosystems.
They would like to see a permanent ban on crude oil tankers on the west coast to protect fisheries, tourism, coastal communities, and natural ecosystems.
Business of Supply November 5th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, what really resonated with me after what the member for Vancouver Quadra said is the issue of personal accountability.
Like her, I am a small business person. If I do well, I love to take the credit and reap the benefits and profits, but if I screw up and make mistakes, or even if my staff make mistakes because I provided inadequate management, it is not appropriate and really not professional to try to shift the blame to my employees or others. That resonates with me.
I would like to reread a line that I quoted earlier today, something the Prime Minister said in 1996. He stated, “Many of Canada’s problems stem from a winner-take-all style of politics...” I would like to personally end that quote by adding “where we are always right, they are always wrong, in the mindless tribalism that happens on all sides of the House”.
When we get past this horrible mess that is interfering with the function of Parliament, I hope that we deal appropriately with the procedures of the House to make it more democratic, more balanced, more fair, and more effective.
Business of Supply November 5th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, for months I have been receiving hundreds and hundreds of emails from constituents of Thunder Bay—Superior North calling for Wallin, Duffy and Brazeau to be removed from the Senate. Many were asking that the Senate be removed from Parliament. However, recently that has shifted to “What did the Prime Minister know and when did he know it? Is he telling the truth or not and when will he come clean with whether he is in the right or wrong? When will he be more open in revealing the whole truth in this matter?”
I would just like to support the comments of the member calling for the passage of the motion, which is simple and straightforward. I absolutely agree with it.