House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 38% of the vote.
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns September 14th, 2009
With regard to the Home Income Tax Credit (HRTC): (a) what action has the government taken the implement the HRTC by (i) informing the public of the existence of the credit, (ii) instructing the CRA on how to apply the HRTC, (iii) passing legislation to implement the credit; (b) what is (i) the total cost of the public awareness campaign association with the HRTC, (ii) the revenue lost due to the credit; and (c) what will the HRTC apply to?
Questions on the Order Paper September 14th, 2009
With respect to government action in the case of Mr. Muhammad Kohail, what was every official communication with the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while respecting Mr. Kohail's right to privacy by not revealing the substance of the communication and, specifically, (i) who initiated the communication, (ii) who was involved on behalf of the Canadian government, (iii) who was involved on behalf of the Saudi government, (iv) what was the date of the communication, (v) what was the method of communication?
Questions on the Order Paper September 14th, 2009
With respect to the government's decision to increase the lowest personal income tax bracket from 15% to 15.5% in Budget 2006: (a) what was the justification for the increase; (b) what was the total revenue generated by the tax increase; and (c) why the government felt it was necessary to lower the rate back to 15%?
Supplementary Estimates (A), 2009-10 June 19th, 2009
Mr. Chair, I would like to ask the President of the Treasury Board whether the bill is presented in its usual form.
(On clause 2)
Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask the President of the Treasury Board if he can assure the House that the bill is indeed in its usual form.
Questions on the Order Paper June 19th, 2009
With regard to the financial literacy initiatives announced in Budget 2009: (a) what programs have been created; (b) how much funding has the government allocated for each of these programs; (c) how much funding has been spent, to date, on these programs; (d) what section of the Canadian population is each program targeting; (e) what area of the country is each program going to operate in; and (f) how will each program help make Canadians more financially literate?
Foreign Affairs June 19th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, Ronald Allen Smith is yet another Canadian who has been subject to the Conservatives' incoherent practice of picking and choosing which Canadians receive help abroad.
Now that the government has finally admitted it made a mistake in its handling of the Abdelrazik case despite a federal court ruling, will the Prime Minister now end his selective devaluation of Canadian citizenship abroad?
When will the Conservatives finally respect the law of the land, as ordered by the Federal Court of Canada, and resume its clemency-seeking policy for Ronald Allen Smith?
Business of Supply June 15th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary can probably add my name to the list of those who support a national securities regulator; I have said so for many years now. While I have not had an opportunity to get back into the area of finance, I do understand the importance from a consumer perspective of ensuring that we have one umpire in the country who is able to establish regulations, laws and a process that we can all readily understand. I understand the purpose for which the motion has been brought before us.
The parliamentary secretary seemed to indicate there may be something coming in the not too distant future. In the interim, what would be the problem if we were to have a national securities regulator for which there would be an opt in? In other words, provinces that are already leaning toward this would join the national system and as time went on, others would see the wisdom of doing so and might join. Has the parliamentary secretary given any thought to this? Is this something that he is interested in?
Petitions June 15th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition pursuant to Standing Order 36, signed by over 200 residents in Canada, many in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area. They are residents of the country and they wish to bring to the government's attention the case of Pavel Kulisek. Mr. Kulisek was in Mexico with his family when he was arrested and imprisoned.
The petitioners also wish to remind the government that Mr. Kulisek's case is particularly disturbing because no concrete evidence of his guilt has been brought forward in the past 13 months, and the lead prosecutor in the case has been indicted for taking bribes from a cartel.
The petitioners call upon the government, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to raise this case with the Mexican government and insist that this Canadian receive fair, prompt and effective treatment from the Mexican judicial system.
Canada Consumer Product Safety Act June 10th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I know the member will want to continue and perhaps ask questions of those of us who will be speaking in a few moments, but I have one small question for him.
Why would the legislation now proposed not contain within it, at the very minimum, product certification by those who produce, distribute and sell within Canada, a certification which would ensure the authenticity as well as certify the safety of the products, rather than waiting for an accident to happen and then compelling the company, under penalty of law and possibly criminal sanctions, to come forward with that information? It ought to be the obligation of businesses to ensure this is in fact the case, which makes it a lot easier for our enforcement agents to do their jobs.