House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 46% of the vote.
Safer Witnesses Act May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for Barrie who was on a team tonight that went out and played hockey against the media and beat the media, six to four. Now he has come back to this place at 11 o'clock to give an outstanding speech on this bill.
Safer Witnesses Act May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the member for St. John's East has made some statements, as have many of his colleagues, that this program is underfunded. He gave some quotes just now from the hearings, but of course, there are other quotes.
The Assistant Commissioner of federal and international operations of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Todd Shean, in the same hearings my colleague referred to, said, “with the changes this bill brings about, the RCMP is comfortable that we have the resources within our existing resources to run an effective witness protection program”.
That was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who said that. I suppose the member can come along and say that he has another source who would say that the program is not funded appropriately. I would like to know if the member is relying on statements that someone else made. We have quotes from others who have said that the funding is appropriate. Does he have facts that show that the program is not funded appropriately?
Petitions May 27th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from citizens who are concerned about the problem of Lyme disease.
Among other things, the petitioners are concerned that numerous field review scientific studies have warned that a warming climate will expand the geographic range of Lyme disease carrying tics further into Canada, including a 2012 paper by Leighton et al, which states that over 80% of the population in eastern and central Canada could be living in areas at risk of Lyme disease by 2020.
The petitioners ask that the government convene a national conference with provincial and territorial health ministers, representatives of the medical community and patients groups for the purpose of developing a national strategy that works toward ensuring the recognition, timely diagnosis and effective treatment of Lyme disease in Canada.
Arctic Council May 7th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as president of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate the Minister of Health and member for Nunavut on assuming the role of chair of the Arctic Council at next week's ministerial meeting in Kiruna, Sweden.
During her two-year term as chair, the minister will be promoting the overall theme of development of the people of the north, with responsible arctic resource development, safe arctic shipping, and sustainable circumpolar communities as areas of focus.
The minister is an ideal choice for this prestigious role. As the first Inuk to hold the post of chair, the minister will be a strong champion and will advance the government's arctic foreign policy and our domestic northern strategy.
We are a proud and strong arctic nation. As the north faces new challenges, I know that as a northerner herself, the minister will represent Canada's Arctic as the true north strong and free.
Petitions May 1st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from a number of constituents in my riding who are supporting Bill C-460, sodium reduction strategy for Canada act.
The petitioners are concerned with a number of things, which include: improving the method of communicating information about sodium to consumers, especially on food labels; ensuring public funds are not spent on high-sodium foods; ensuring that the strategy oversight is free from conflict of interest; preventing children from being targeted by commercial marketing for high-sodium foods; mandating annual progress reports from the Government of Canada to Parliament; and establishing the Government of Canada as a leader in sodium reduction goals and monitoring.
Committees of the House April 29th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 9th report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration entitled “Main Estimates 2013-14”.
Interparliamentary Delegations April 24th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association respecting its participation to the first part of the 2013 ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe held in Strasbourg, France from January 21-25, 2013.
Committees of the House April 23rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
Petitions April 22nd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by a number of Canadian citizens who are asking for a moratorium on genetically modified alfalfa. They are concerned about a number of things, one of which is that organic farming prohibits the use of genetic modification. The organic sector in Canada depends on alfalfa as a high-protein feed for dairy cattle and other livestock and as an important soil builder.
They are asking that Parliament impose a moratorium on the release of genetically modified alfalfa to allow proper review of the impact on farmers in Canada.
Headwaters Health Care Centre April 15th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to be recognizing an important milestone today. Headwaters Health Care Centre, located in my riding of Dufferin—Caledon, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
During its long history in our community, the hospital has continued to provide high-quality, safe, and exceptional patient-centred care close to home. In 1999, it became the first fully digital diagnostics department in North America. The hospital has many other considerable achievements to celebrate in its centennial year, including having the lowest emergency department wait times, having high patient satisfaction scores, being a leader in numerous best practices, and being accredited with an exemplary standing in 2012.
I encourage my colleagues, and the residents of Dufferin—Caledon, to join me in sincerely congratulating the Headwaters Health Care Centre on this very special occasion and in wishing the hospital another 100 years of community service excellence.