Colin Carrie

[Automobile Industry, November 22nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, while almost 4,000 Oshawa workers, up to 25,000 including spinoff jobs, are worrying about how they are going to pay bills, the Minister of Industry said yesterday, “there will not be any pink slips given out by General Motors in Canada”. It gets better. The minister then said to Sun Media that “It's all being somewhat exaggerated” and treated it as a big blip.

The only people who deserve pink slips this Christmas are that minister and that sorry government. When will the minister admit that the Liberal policy failures will contribute to 25,000 pink slips in Oshawa and in Ontario?

[Automobile Industry, November 21st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, last fall, the Minister of Industry said:

The government is developing a strategy for the Canadian automotive sector that will be the most dynamic strategy we have had in Canada for 50 years. The 80,000 workers in the automotive industry will still be there in 10 years. The number will actually grow.

It is now a year later and still no strategy.

Today 3,900 job losses at GM were announced which means 25,000 spinoff jobs lost, 25,000 mortgages and 25,000 families affected.

When will the minister admit that the government has failed auto workers and Liberal inaction is costing Canadians their livelihood?

[Petitions, November 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, children suffering from autism spectrum disorder, ASD, are among the most vulnerable sector of Canadian society. Diagnosis of ASD is increasing at an alarming rate. Currently, it is one child in 195. Therefore, I would like to thank my young friend, Josh Bortolotti, for taking the lead on this issue.

In this petition, the petitioners are requesting funding for intensive behavioural intervention and applied behavioural analysis for children with ASD and to provide teaching of these therapies at the Canadian university and college levels.

[Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, November 2nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and to recognize its ongoing commitment to helping children nationwide achieve their potential.

By encouraging the development of positive relationships with peers and mentors, boys and girls clubs help children build self-esteem and social skills that last a lifetime. They provide invaluable access to enriching recreational and social programs outside of school and help foster the development of positive peer relationships, emotional health and high academic performance.

As an alumni of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, I am proud to stand in the House today to welcome our visitors and commend this great organization for the important work it does. The many hours that the volunteers, program supervisors and staff put into ensuring a fun and safe environment where children can thrive does not go unnoticed.

On behalf of the members of the House, I applaud the dedicated work of all boys and girls clubs nationwide, particularly the Eastview Boys and Girls Club in my riding of Oshawa.

[Housing, October 31st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen Kashechewan's shanties on television. According to the CMHC, 35,000 first nations families are in need of assistance.

How can one justify the CMHC accumulating a surplus of more than $4 billion and its board treating itself to five star hotels when so many families continue to live in third world like housing? This is shameful.

[Firearms Registry, October 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the only people who do not get it are those in the Liberal government.

Over the weekend a TTC bus driver was shot in the head after getting caught in the middle of a dispute during his shift. Just hours before the shooting, I attended a crime and justice forum in Scarborough where constituents were in unanimous agreement that mandatory prison sentences were needed to control the recent wave of violent crime. The Liberal government has opted for throwing money at an ineffective gun registry instead of investing in front line policing to keep our communities safe.

When will the Liberals start listening to Canadians and institute mandatory prison sentences for violent offenders?

[Chief of Police for Durham Region, October 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, after serving as the head of Durham region's police force for seven years, I stand in the House today to thank Chief Kevin McAlpine for his years of exceptional service to Oshawa and Durham region. He will be remembered for his many contributions to the force, most notably increasing the number of officers on the front lines.

Earlier this month, Oshawa welcomed Durham region's new chief, Mr. Vernon White, to our community. I had the immense honour of introducing Chief White to the citizens of Oshawa last week at my town hall meeting on crime and justice. Chief White and I listened to constituents concerned about the failure of the Liberal government to protect society's most vulnerable by refusing to enact mandatory prison sentences for violent and repeat offenders and opposing Conservative efforts to raise the age of consent from 14 to 16.

I look forward to working with Chief White in the future. It is great to see another Cape Bretoner making a difference in Oshawa.

[Firearms Registry, October 6th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, tragically, yesterday a 15-year-old girl became the latest victim of gun violence when she was severely wounded near her home in Oshawa.

This is the latest in an ongoing string of shootings that proves that the government has failed Canadians by failing to get tough on crime.

Instead of throwing away $2 billion on a useless gun registry that does nothing to stop gun violence, why has the government not put those resources into front line policing to help avoid tragedies like this?

[Justice, September 29th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, after two years of this Liberal government, our per capita rate of auto theft has now surpassed the U.S. level. Last night, this government voted against a Conservative bill that would have given the courts the power to set mandatory jail sentences for car thieves.

When, then, will the Minister of Justice acknowledge that mandatory prison sentences are justified?

[Automobile Industry, September 26th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, this is the largest manufacturing industry in the country and all it is getting is empty promises.

Canadian workers are now paying the price for Liberal inaction. When will the government wake up and realize that the price of inaction is the loss of thousands of auto jobs in this sector?