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Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was mentioned.

Last in Parliament September 2021, as Conservative MP for Flamborough—Glanbrook (Ontario)

Won his last election, in 2019, with 39% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Situation in Syria June 5th, 2012

Madam Chair, to start, I would like to say that it grieves me that just two weeks ago we were standing here talking about another regime that was killing its own people, the Ahmadinejad regime in Iran. Unfortunately, we now find ourselves talking about another regime, this one led by Bashar al-Assad.

The appalling massacre in the Syrian town of Houla on May 25 and the subsequent attacks on the city by government forces are the latest tragic episodes in the Assad regime's campaign of repression against Syria's pro-democracy opposition.

In March of last year, when this region was still in the throes of unrest throughout the Arab world and into North Africa, a group of Syrian children painted anti-regime graffiti on the walls of a school in Daraa. Their subsequent detention and cruel torture sparked protests, which the regime attempted to quell by force. However, this only caused the demonstrations to grow and spread to other cities until people all across the country were peacefully demanding a free and democratic Syria.

The courageous and peaceful nature of these protests stands in stark contrast to the inhuman brutality of the Assad regime with its use of force against unarmed demonstrators, military assaults on civilian areas, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances, summary executions, denial of medical treatment, torture and sexual violence, including against children.

As our Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs have said, the Assad regime has lost all legitimacy by killing its own people to stay in power. I could not agree more. One of the world's worst human rights tragedies is unfolding in Syria day in and day out, even as we speak here tonight.

In February, the United Nations Human Rights Council's commission of inquiry for Syria reported that there is reliable evidence that Syrian military officers and civilian officials at the highest levels are responsible for gross human rights violations.

In March, the United Nations confirmed a death toll of more than 9,000 over the first year of unrest.

In April, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that more than 65,000 Syrians had fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have also been internally displaced.

Canada is deeply concerned about the plight of ordinary Syrians affected by the unrest and has responded with humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs arising from this crisis, which were well outlined by the parliamentary secretary earlier here tonight.

From the outset, the regime attempted to justify this relentless repression by painting an essentially peaceful pro-democracy movement as a violent threat. I do not know how Assad can try to get away with this when, as UNICEF has said, 400 children have been killed, and that is not including the current massacre, and another 400 have been imprisoned.

Assad's propaganda machine created a self-fulfilling prophecy. Faced with relentless repression, military defectors turned their weapons on the regime and formed what is now called the Free Syrian Army. They were joined by erstwhile civilians who took up arms to protect their communities. This has developed into an armed insurrection, although the Free Syrian Army remains decentralized and lacks substantial cohesion or a genuine command structure.

Since late last year, we have also witnessed the worrying spectre of several large-scale bombings in the previously calm urban centres of Damascus and Aleppo. Extremists, possibly linked to al-Qaeda, are taking advantage of the unrest to advance their own agendas. However, the regime remains directly responsible for the overwhelming majority of violence and has itself created the conditions that have driven some of its opponents to take up arms.

A resolution to the crisis has thus far proved elusive. Bashar al-Assad has gradually unveiled a series of purported reforms that have proven limited in both scope and implementation, while the actions of Syria's security forces belie any genuine commitment to such reforms.

The regime's limited constitutional reforms as well as the subsequent legislative elections, which were boycotted by the opposition, were farcical exercises in propaganda that lacked any credibility with Syria's pro-democracy forces or indeed anyone with an ounce of common sense. Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition is becoming more organized, but much remains to be done.

In addition to the grassroots groups organizing on the ground, such as the local coordinating committees, we have seen organizations such as the Syrian national council and a national coordinating committee establish themselves as umbrella organizations for opposition, both within Syria and throughout the diaspora.

Canada has been engaging Syria's peaceful, pro-democracy opposition since the crisis began and is providing support to pro-democracy actors. However, it is now imperative that the Syrian opposition come together and unify on a shared transition plan for a post-Assad Syria. We have also been urging the opposition to reach out to ethnic and religious minorities that are absolutely essential elements of Syrian society. The Syrian opposition must do this if it is to convince the Syrian people that it can be a viable alternative to the Assad regime.

The agreement of all parties to respect the ceasefire brokered by UN and the Arab League joint special envoy Kofi Annan, Syria's acceptance of the Annan peace plan and the recent deployment of the United Nations supervision mission in Syria have opened a small window of opportunity for peaceful political transition in Syria. However, the way ahead is fraught with peril and challenges are considerable. As the events in Houla demonstrated all too well, al-Assad leads a ruthless regime with little respect for its own people, let alone its own international commitments.

Acknowledging the frustration opposition supporters are feeling, given the continued violence and lack of progress in the political track, we continue to urge both parties to adhere to the peace plan before us. The Annan plan is the best option we have for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. It is the only alternative to an almost certain descent into chaos, increased violence and possible civil war. This would be a tragic outcome in which everyone concerned would suffer, most notably the Syrian people.

Canada urges the international community to seize this opportunity to ensure success of the Annan plan. We are providing $250,000 in support of the joint special envoy and have imposed extensive sanctions against the Assad regime in order to push it to live up to its obligations. Along with our partners in the international community, we are working to apply concerted pressure on the Assad regime to step aside, end the violence and allow a genuine political transition to occur. We call upon the UN Security Council to strengthen these efforts by adopting binding international sanctions against the Assad regime. We urge countries with influence in Damascus to persuade Assad to immediately implement the Annan plan before more innocent Syrian lives are lost. The people of Syria can afford no further delay.

Business of Supply June 5th, 2012

Madam Speaker, I want to ask the minister a question but maybe I should put it into context for the members.

Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale is one of the five ridings that make up the greater city of Hamilton. Within that, through the KIP funding, we funded two programs at McMaster University. One was around nuclear research building renovations, another was health promotion and innovation, and also projects at Redeemer University College. All of these were to sustain and enhance the capability of researchers to perform research in their particular scientific areas.

Therefore, I would ask the minister, particularly because this would not only impact those institutions but also the local economy, why the NDP would vote against these things when they have the opportunity to vote for them.

Ride to Remember May 31st, 2012

Mr. Speaker, the streets in front of the Hill were buzzing earlier today as motorcycle riders gathered for the 2012 Ride to Remember.

The Ride to Remember was founded in 2005 by Jewish motorcyclists in the U.S. as a way to remember those murdered in the Holocaust and to raise funds for Holocaust education. It has grown into an international event, as today's ceremony on the Hill attests.

Hosted this year by the Toronto motorcycle club, Yidden on Wheels, more than 250 riders from Canada, the U.S., Australia and Israel are participating. Riders from the Christian motorcycle group Mission: M25 have also joined in.

Two hours ago, the bikers departed Parliament HIll en route to Trenton and then on to Toronto in the Heroes Highway Ride to also commemorate our Canadian Forces. In Toronto, they will make the pledge of “Never Again!” at a memorial ceremony on Saturday. This pledge acknowledges and memorializes all of the innocent people, six million of them who were Jews, who were mercilessly exterminated by the vicious Nazi regime during World War II.

The pledge also reminds us to stay vigilant to stamp out the seeds of genocide, anti-Semitism and racial hatred.

POOLED REGISTERED PENSION PLANS ACT May 29th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the hon. member a question regarding how she feels seniors are being treated now after six years of successive increases in the personal exemption, which helps seniors; an increase in the age exemption, which helps seniors; the enrichment of GIS greater than it has been in the past 25 years, which directly helps seniors and low income seniors as well; the tax-free savings account, which will help future seniors and has been heralded by many economists and accountants as being the biggest step since the RRSP; and pension splitting for seniors as well.

These are successive innovations toward helping seniors have a better quality of life after they have retired. Now we are adding the pooled pension plan. This will be one more tool for them to have the best years of their life after they retire. Would the hon. member not agree with that?

Foreign Affairs May 18th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, despite a litany of calls from the international community for al-Assad to halt the violence and abide by special envoy Kofi Annan's six point ceasefire plan, the senseless killings continue. Just last week, Syrian forces fired upon onlookers at a funeral. These abhorrent acts drew strong international condemnation.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs please update this House on the latest actions Canada has taken?

Rose Lax May 18th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, the nations of Canada and Israel, and, indeed, the Jewish community in Hamilton and around the world, lost a remarkable friend at the end of April with the sudden passing of Rose Lax.

Remarkable because she was born in a displaced persons camp to survivors of the Holocaust and yet grew to become an individual lauded for having changed the Jewish political landscape of North America.

Remarkable because of her tireless work to empower university students against the scourge of anti-Semitism on campuses.

Remarkable because Israeli member of the Knesset, Bennie Begin, son of the sixth Israeli prime minister, spoke of the very special connection he felt with Rose and the Lax family since the time of his parents.

We lost a woman of outstanding character and heart in Rose Lax. I, along with my colleagues, the Hon. Stockwell Day and the member for Nepean—Carleton, offer our sincere condolences to Rose's family.

Business of Supply May 16th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, my question is on research and development and the importance of that in the future economy. McMaster University and McMaster Innovation Park are in my riding. They have sent letters to the government heralding the budget. We have had many discussions and workshops around the importance of research, development and venture capital to get rid of the gap between the research lab and the shop floor to create tomorrow's jobs.

Is that really important in Saskatchewan like it is in Ontario?

Petitions May 16th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls on the House of Commons to reaffirm Jewish legal rights in the Land of Israel and the former mandated Palestine previously assented to by Canada in 1922.

Petitions May 16th, 2012

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions.

The first petition calls on Parliament to reaffirm that every human being is recognized by Canadian law and that the law reflect 21st century medical evidence.

Iran May 14th, 2012

Mr. Chair, there are a couple of important initiatives that the government has done to send a clear message that we are not going to tolerate human rights violations. They begin with sanctions against Iran from July 22, 2010, which were strengthened on October 17, 2011, strengthened again on November 17, 2011, and strengthened again on January 31, 2012.

My colleague from Kitchener—Conestoga has already asked the question regarding the office of religious freedom, which is another tool in our arsenal to get out the message that we will not tolerate religious persecution in other countries and will speak out boldly about it and do whatever we can to bring about change.

Also, in the United Nations, we have led the charge. The parliamentary secretary mentioned several hours ago that the Canadian government diplomats are championing a United Nations resolution to isolate Iran and to call for change as far as human rights violations are concerned.