David Tilson

[Taste of Autumn, October 18th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, October 27, the Rotary Clubs of Orangeville are holding their 12th annual fundraiser, A Taste of Autumn. This event takes place at the Hockley Valley Resort and features a terrific six course dinner prepared by chefs from some of the finest restaurants in Dufferin—Caledon.

These restaurants include the Hockley Valley Resort, White Truffle Inn, Mono Cliffs Inn, Greystones Inn, Millcroft Inn and the Train Station. A silent auction will be held throughout the evening and a live auction will take place around 9 p.m.

These auctions have helped raise over $1.25 million in support of local community projects and international charitable programs. Many organizations in Orangeville, Shelburne and Caledon have benefited from A Taste of Autumn.

For a sensational evening in Dufferin—Caledon, this October 27 the place to be is A Taste of Autumn.

[Committees of the House, June 16th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Legislative Committee on Bill C-2. In accordance with its order of reference of Thursday, April 27, your committee has considered Bill C-2, an act for providing for conflict of interest rules, restrictions on election financing and measures respecting administrative transparency, oversight and accountability, and agreed on Wednesday, June 14 to report it with amendments.

[Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, June 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, recently I introduced a private member's bill that would designate the month of June as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis month. This is also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. This bill would ensure that throughout Canada in each and every year the month June shall be officially known as ALS month.

Approximately 3,000 Canadians currently live with ALS. Two or three Canadians lose their battle to this devastating disease every day. I lost my father to this disease a few years ago, so I know how devastating this disease can be. With improved knowledge about ALS, health care providers and families can help those living with this disease live life more fully.

Volunteers and staff of the ALS Society participate in annual fundraising events, including Walk for ALS and Hike4ALS, to create public awareness about the disease and raise funds to find a cure. I urge all Canadians to wear a cornflower during the month of June in support of finding a cure for ALS.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2006, June 6th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member some questions on child care. The Liberals in particular have raised a lot of concerns about the government's plan for child care. Obviously the Liberals do not like it, but we do not like their plan. I have a series of questions for the member with respect to child care.

Why should big government, as opposed to parents, decide what to do with our children? Why can parents not decide what to do with their children? The former Liberal government's plan proposed that there be a bureaucracy to take money from the federal government and give it to the provinces, who then would have another bureaucracy to give money to the municipalities, who then would have another bureaucracy to send money to, generally, public child care. Rarely would it be private child care. Is that not a lot of waste of money that could be used for caring for our children at that early age?

Finally, I do not recall the Liberal plan providing any new spaces. The Conservative plan is going to provide new spaces, but I do not recall the Liberals' plan setting forth any new spaces, certainly since they were elected over 13 years ago, and more particularly with their more recent plan.

The member talks about a number of things, and certainly this is an issue that the former Liberal government has been concerned with, but having listened to all of those concerns, does the member still feel the same way?

[Criminal Code, June 6th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Esquimalt--Juan de Fuca, like many Liberals, stood in his place and talked about the many things the Liberals did when they were in office with respect to mandatory minimums.

I find that rather strange. I remember that when we were over on that side of the House, we stood in our places and asked the Liberal justice minister to implement mandatory penalties. He said they would not work, that they would not work anywhere, and that he was not going to do it.

Since that time, of course, we know that members of Parliament on all sides have stood up and talked about tragedies that have happened all across the country. The one that sticks out in my mind is the young lady who was shopping with her parents on Boxing Day in downtown Toronto and was killed by a stray bullet fired by a street gang. She got killed. So my response for the member for Esquimalt--Juan de Fuca is that whatever he and his party over there have done has not worked. Street gangs are proliferating in all of the cities across this country, whether it be Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. It is a tragedy.

They talk about crime prevention and the poor darlings who have had an unfortunate background, and that is true. We do need to spend some time with respect to these young people, generally young men, who have had bad backgrounds, but what about the victims? What about members of the public?

Does my colleague think that in the past we have spent too much time and placed too much emphasis on crime prevention when we should be thinking about members of the public, the people who are suffering from these street gangs and violent crimes?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, there is no question that there is a wide range of cultures across this great country, English, French, European and Asian. Every culture we can think of is in our major cities, particularly in cities like Montreal. The CBC provides service to remote areas, which a lot of private systems do not provide. It also encourages the wealth of many cultures that we have in this country.

My colleague said he does not want French Canadian content to be reduced and I am concerned by those comments. I want him to make it clear to the House whether he and his party support encouraging cultures other than French in the province of Quebec.

[Youth Criminal Justice Act, May 15th, 2006]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-282, An Act to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act (publication of information).

Mr. Speaker, the Youth Criminal Justice Act now precludes the publication of information of young offenders to be released when they are sentenced or indicted, even after they have reached the age of 18. This bill, if passed, would allow for the publication of information about young offenders who are sentenced as adults over the age of 18.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[ALS Month Act, May 3rd, 2006]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-244, An Act to designate the month of June as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) Month.

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this bill is to recognize the month of June as ALS month across Canada. Hopefully this bill and the debates that will take place on it will help bring Canadians' attention to this devastating disease.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Sexual Abuse Prevention Month, May 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, May is sexual abuse prevention month in Canada. Each year, governments and NGOs, such as Dufferin—Caledon's own Family Transition Place, join together to educate Canadians on sexual abuse.

On Friday, May 12, Family Transition Place and the Caledon Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the “Stop Right There!” and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace proclamation at the office of the Caledon Chamber of Commerce in Bolton at 11 a.m.

I am very pleased to be participating in the event and to be doing my part in recognizing the importance of this month and taking positive action. I will be joined by other government representatives and business and community leaders, including Family Transition Place and the Caledon Chamber of Commerce, in signing the proclamation, which supports the creation of respectful workplaces that are free from sexual harassment.

I encourage everyone to follow this lead and to raise awareness of this very serious and important issue.

[Federal Accountability Act, April 27th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday a question was asked in the House of one of the New Democratic members, who was giving a similar speech with respect to floor crossing. That may be the most relevant issue with respect to accountability, but I would like the member to go a little further than that.

Last year we had a very important vote in this place. It was on same sex marriages. A member of the New Democratic caucus, who in her conscience felt that her constituents were opposed to the legislation, voted against that legislation. We know what happened. She was kicked out of the caucus. Even the Liberals would not do that because a number of Liberals stood and opposed it. Then the NDP went one step further. It would not even let her run in her riding in the next election and put someone up against her.

Should this type of thing be discussed with respect to accountability?