Charlie Angus

[Cracking Down on Crooked Consultants Act, September 23rd, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I listened with great interest to my hon. colleague's speech and thought of my family who came as immigrants from Hawkhill in Dundee, Scotland to work in the mines. They came with immigrants from around the world, Ukrainians, Finlanders, Bulgarians, Italians, and lived in the working-class communities of northern Ontario.

In those days, coming to Canada was a fairly straightforward process. Canada needed hard workers. It needed workers to do the dirty jobs that sometimes Canadians would not do. Out of that we built our communities and across Canada generations of wonderful youth grew up, were educated and became doctors and leaders in their communities.

I see today in my region of northern Ontario the difficulty that immigrants have coming into Canada, immigrants with the same drive that our parents and grandparents had. They are sometimes faced with very Kafkaesque rules and are not sure if they will fall through the cracks of the bureaucracy. If they fill out the form the wrong way, they worry that they will be deported. That is why they are susceptible to these so-called consultants, because they need help and they put their trust and money with consultants who may not have their best interests at heart.

I would like to ask my hon. colleague a question regarding his experience working with immigrant constituents who come into his office. What does he see as the key elements that are required to assist immigrant families coming to Canada who do not get much help from the federal bureaucracy and have to go to consultants or, if they can, to the office of a member of Parliament?

What are the steps we need to take to weed out the crooks, scam artists and people who are negligent from the ones who know what they are doing and can help immigrant families settle in this country and make a great contribution to Canada?

[Petitions, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to present two petitions, both of which have to do with the issues of anti-circumvention measures and technological protection measures that are applied to copyrighted works, and the concern of how the implementation of those by corporate entities would interfere with format shifting, particularly for librarians, in the use of works that citizens have paid for, to ensure that when anti-circumvention measures are applied to works, they do not unfairly impede the rights of consumers and creators.

I would like to present these two petitions from people across Ontario who are concerned with the update of the Copyright Act and the need to find a balance among the rights of creators, the rights of educators, the rights of students, and the rights of consumers.

[Seniors, September 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, winter is coming fast and the senior citizens of northern Ontario are now having to pay HST on their outrageous fuel costs, thanks to this government. Day after day, I meet seniors who are falling below the poverty line, seniors who cannot afford to live in their homes, seniors who are travelling hundreds of kilometres to get medical treatment because there are no local doctors. This government has turned its back on rural Canadians.

I would like to ask the minister why he is blowing billions of dollars on prisons and fighter jets while telling the seniors of northern Canada that the cupboard is bare.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 20th, 2010]

With respect to the impact that the government's legislative crime initiatives will have on Canada's correctional facilities: (a) what studies has the government done to assess the future need for increased inmate capacity; (b) according to studies and assessments done by or on behalf of the government, will there be a need for increased inmate capacity in Canada's correctional system; (c) what plans are in place to have new prisons built in Canada; (d) where are new facilities to be located; (e) are there plans for future correctional facilities that do not have a location finalized at this point; (f) how does the government determine where correctional facilities will be located; (g) to what extent is the private sector involved in the operations of Canada's correctional facilities; (h) are there Canadian correctional facilities that are fully operated by the private sector and, if so, where are these facilities and by whom are they operated; (i) has the government considered, done studies on, commissioned studies on or consulted with other jurisdictions on expanding the role of the private sector in the operation of Canada's correctional facilities; (j) how many correctional facilities have sought and received permission to have inmates “double bunk” in one cell; (k) what annual costs are expected to be achieved by “double bunk” plans; and (l) what research has been undertaken, and by whom, to study the possible negative effects of “double bunking”, such as increased violence and behavioural problems?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 14th, 2010]

What is the total amount of government funding, for each fiscal year since 2004-2005, up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of Timmins—James Bay, specifying each department or agency, initiative, and amount?

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 9th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, he is not going to get his free set of Muskoka steak knives with excuses like that.

Let us be clear. The cost of this shindig would lift every senior citizen in this country out of poverty. Instead, it is being blown on ridiculous ego projects backed by even more ridiculous excuses.

Do the Conservatives really think that changing the name of the fake lake to a reflecting pond, a water feature or an international tourist pavilion will fool Canadians? They have abused our trust. They have abused taxpayers' dollars.

Why are they abusing the intelligence of average Canadians with pitiful endorsements of this discredited minister?

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 9th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, when the Minister of Industry used his office to hawk floor cleaning products, the Prime Minister gave him the thumbs up. When he raided federal coffers to build gazebos, raise sunken boats, and build fake lakes with fake canoes, the Prime Minister said it would put us on the international map. Well, we are on the map now. Thanks to the Mad Hatter of Muskoka, we have become an international laughing stock.

Either the Prime Minister shares the outrage that average Canadians are feeling or he supports his $1 billion booty run by ShamWow Tony.

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 8th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have reserves in my riding that are so poor they do not have schools or playground equipment and I see a minister who is blowing through taxpayer money like he has won the pork-barrel lottery. This is a question of professional integrity.

The Prime Minister promised accountability and trust, so either he did not know what was happening under his watch or he totally supports this misuse of money.

Is the Prime Minister willing to take action or is he going to continue to act like Captain Bligh on steamship Tony's ship of fools?

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 8th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the price tag for the Mad Hatter of Muskoka's private shindig keeps rising. We are now moving on to $2 billion for a four day event. There is the gazebo, the Olympic hockey rink and the boat that will not float. Now the government is telling us that the fake lake will promote Canada on the international stage. We go from ShamWow to scamwow. The Conservative government is abusing the public purse for its personal ego projects.

Will the Prime Minister take the flippers off the Muskoka maniac, pull him out of the fake lake and send him packing to the backbenches?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 8th, 2010]

With respect to the budget of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada for each of the past ten fiscal years, up to and including this one: (a) what was the overall budget for Indian and Northern Affairs; (b) what amount was spent on or budgeted for salaries; (c) what amount was spent on or budgeted for non-salary expenditures; and (d) what was the difference between money budgeted and money spent?