House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 24% of the vote.
Canadian Heritage May 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Canadarm made us all proud and is central to Canada's role in space history. This should be above politics. Why has an event to honour our space history turned into another event marred by politics? The first Canadian astronaut in space played an important role in Canadarm history and space science. Can the government not recognize this? Does the minister not agree with the NDP that the first Canadian in space should have been invited to the Canadarm event?
Scarborough Walk of Fame Inductees May 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, my family has proudly called Scarborough home for over 90 years.
It is with great joy that I rise today to celebrate this year's inductees to the Scarborough Walk of Fame that celebrates the achievements of Scarborough residents, past and present.
Former inductees include Lieutenant Governor David Onley, soccer player Dwayne De Rosario and artist Doris McCarthy.
I invite members to join us at the Scarborough Town Centre on May 15 at 11 a.m. to celebrate this year's inductees, Christine Bentley, Dwayne Morgan, Gerry Phillips, Judie Oliver, Monika Schnarre, the Scarborough Historical Society and the Barenaked Ladies.
This year's ceremony is hosted by Deb McGrath and Colin Mochrie and will include a musical tribute by the Wexford Gleeks, who will be performing the song recorded live with the Barenaked Ladies and astronaut Chris Hadfield from space.
This event provides merely a glimpse into Scarborough's immense talent, past and present. Congratulations on behalf of all Scarberians.
Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 1 May 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his passionate speech.
I have to ask my colleague about some of the comments made by the former member, when he talked about the Ontario steel industry and what has happened there because of mismanagement by the government on the Investment Canada file. That is again being changed in this budget, and it is not something that was previously announced. The changes break another Conservative promise to actually consult with business, constituents and stakeholders before making changes, a promise the government has made several times.
With the budget introducing these changes, again with no consultation whatsoever, perhaps the member could offer his opinion on what those changes might do for Canadian businesses that would get gobbled up by foreign entities without protection for workers.
The Environment April 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, in 1992, Canada pledged to reduce greenhouse gases in order to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change. After weeks of Conservatives denying the problem, we presented a motion calling for urgent action to prevent the global temperature rising 2°C.
Sadly, last night we saw the old-line parties ganging up to deny two decades of broken promises on fighting climate change. Canadians remember Eddie Goldenberg's stunning admission that the Liberal decision to sign Kyoto was nothing more than a publicity stunt. The denial of responsibility yesterday by the Liberal Party was sadly predictable.
It is also sad that the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands chose to defend the failed policies of her political allies instead of telling her friends that they did not get the job done.
New Democrats stand ready to work with anyone in this House and across the country to fulfill the 20-year-old broken promise on fighting climate change.
Strengthening Military Justice in the Defence of Canada Act April 29th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I rise in reference to the member saying that the Liberal caucus was on the ball. I have to say it is a little late to come to be on the ball. When the bill was at second reading and report stage, only one Liberal member spoke at each of those stages. Furthermore, the Liberal Party never made any recommendations for amendments at committee. Now the member is saying these changes should be incorporated into the legislation before it is adopted. The place to actually make proposals is in committee, which the NDP did. We made recommendations for amendments at committee to make the bill better.
I would like to ask the member why more Liberal members did not speak on previous stages of this bill; why they did not recommend these changes or any changes to the bill at committee; and why they did not support the NDP amendments.
Employment April 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, we would never leave young people out of the recovery as the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development have.
Even though the minister is taking the matter lightly, young Canadians are facing a serious crisis. In September 2006, 1,900 young people were unemployed for over a year. Today, that number has gone up exponentially: 13,000 young people are now in the same situation.
Why does the minister continue to deny that there is a problem when all the evidence shows that young Canadians are going through a difficult economic crisis?
Employment April 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, today's youth unemployment rate sits at 14.2%, which is double the national average. The average number of weeks that youth were unemployed has also doubled since 2006, from 7 to 14 weeks.
While the Conservatives have been congratulating themselves, Canada's young people have fallen further and further behind. Young Canadians are paying the price for Conservative mismanagement.
Will theMinister of Finance explain why he is ignoring the unemployment crisis facing young Canadians?
Employment April 18th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I do not know how the Conservatives expect the program to work considering they never consulted with the provinces before implementing it.
We are trying to defend Canadian jobs against this attack of bringing in foreign temporary workers when Canadians are out of work. Conservative mismanagement is encouraging more of this. When the Conservatives first weakened those rules in 2006, the then minister said, “When it starts to affect our ability to go to Tim Hortons and get a double-double, it's a serious issue”.
When will the minister finally step up and take responsibility for the mess the Conservatives created?
Alex Napier March 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, our communities are filled with unsung heroes who make our communities great. One such group of heroes in my riding were 18 World War II veterans who for over 20 years devoted their time to reading and telling stories to kids at Courcelette Public School.
It is with great sadness that I rise today to acknowledge the passing of the last member of this group, Mr. Alex Napier. Beyond reading to the kids every Monday, the 98-year-old Mr. Napier became part of the lives of many generations of students at the school.
This group of veterans valiantly rose to defend Canada in our time of need. Their service did not end with the war. It continued right up to the passing of Mr. Napier and continues today in the lives and memories of the kids of Courcelette. I am truly humbled and thankful for the lifetime of public service and dedication of this extraordinary group of veterans.
Mr. Napier was a legend to the staff and students at Courcelette Public School, and we in Scarborough Southwest will truly miss him. On behalf of a grateful community and Canada, I thank him.
The Budget March 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I remember workfare well in Mike Harris's Ontario in the 1990s. A number of Conservative ministers were also members of his government. Therefore, it comes as no big surprise. It will certainly involve first nations in particular.
Could my colleague explain how exactly this will harm relations between first nations and the Government of Canada? The way I see it, this relationship was not founded on respect, when decisions were made before any discussion took place.