David Tilson

[Petitions, October 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by quite a few residents from my riding of Dufferin—Caledon, who are concerned that no fundamental change as to how members of Parliament are elected should be made unilaterally by the very individuals potentially seeking election or re-election. They are asking the House of Commons to pass a motion affirming the need for a national referendum on any proposed change to Canada's current method of electing members of Parliament before that proposal is implemented into law.

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, September 27th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I read in the newspapers that the member for Ottawa South has been named chairman of this committee, which is rather strange because the bill has not even received the approval of Parliament. Second, he is going to receive a stipend of, I believe, $42,000 over and above his member of Parliament stipend. All of this is very strange. Members of standing committees get stipends, but I do not think chairmen of legislative committees do.

The words “open and transparent” are often used by the current government. By naming a chairman before the bill has received approval from Parliament and, not only that, by the Prime Minister naming a Liberal member as chairman of the committee, is the government being open and transparent?

[Petitions, September 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from a number of residents in my riding who are supporters of the Falun Gong movement. They are asking for a number of things, one of which is that the Canadian Parliament pass a resolution to establish measures to stop the Chinese Communist regime's crime of systematically murdering Falun Gong practitioners for their organs.

[Income Tax Act, June 1st, 2016]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-280, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (golfing expenses).

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to introduce my bill which would make green fees deductible as a business expense. We all know the old adage that says “more business gets done on the golf course than in the boardroom”. There is more to that than meets the eye.

As most members of the House already know, the golf industry in Canada is driven by small business owners. The people who own and run the local courses and employ thousands of Canadians contribute a tremendous amount to our economy.

It is acceptable for a business to deduct a portion of the costs of a Leafs game or a steak dinner as a expense when entertaining clients. It is only fair that a round of golf should be in the same category. The U.S. and the United Kingdom tax codes allow for this deduction. It is high time we allowed it in Canada as well.

I hope other hon. members will look favourably upon the bill.

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

[ALS Awareness Month, June 1st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, June is ALS awareness month. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rapidly progressive, fatal, motor neuron disease that leaves those affected in a state of progressive paralysis.

In 2005, my father succumbed to ALS after a four-year fight, so it has affected me personally. All members have witnessed the courage of the member for Ottawa-Vanier as he battles this terrible disease.

Each year at this time, friends, family, and supporters of those suffering from ALS dedicate their time and energy to raise awareness for treatment and a cure. In dozens of communities across the country, the Walk for ALS is taking place to help raise funds for critical research and support.

I encourage each member to wear a cornflower today to demonstrate our support in the fight against ALS so that together we can support victims and families and promote research to find a cure.

[Criminal Code, May 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the member gave an excellent presentation. In fact, I have listened to all the speeches that have been given so far and they are all excellent. Some are for the legislation and some are against. Almost all members speaking for or against the legislation have said that they have some serious concerns about the legislation. The problem is that the Supreme Court of Canada has already extended the time once and the next date is June 6.

The fact is that we are all admitting that there are serious concerns with this bill. It has been studied by a committee of members of Parliament, a committee of the Senate, and the justice committee is reviewing it now as we speak. Should we be rushing through with this? This is a very serious issue. We all agree that this bill is not perfect and we can do better. Therefore, the question is whether we should be asking for yet another extension so members of Parliament and the Senate can spend more time on this subject.

[Business of Supply, April 19th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, one of the principles in the justice system is that justice must be done and must appear to be done, and yet here we have a bunch of lawyers getting together and paying $500 to talk to the justice minister. Is it possible that some of those lawyers are looking for appointments? They are not supposed to lobby a justice minister or a member of government to become judges, but in my opinion—and I would like to hear the member's comments on this—it puts the whole justice system into disrepute, by saying to lawyers that they just need to pay $500 and they will get access to the justice minister and she will be told how wonderful they are and possibly what a great judge they would make.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, March 21st, 2016]

With regard to the government’s commitment to land government-assisted and privately-sponsored Syrian refugees in Canada: (a) what is the total number of government-assisted Syrian refugees landed in Canada between November 4, 2015 and January 31, 2016; (b) what is the total number of privately-sponsored Syrian refugees landed in Canada between November 4, 2015 and January 31, 2016; (c) what was the total cost to process applications and provide security clearance for those applicants, to date; (d) how much did the government spend on (i) transportation, (ii) food, (iii) accommodation, (iv) healthcare, (v) clothing, (vi) furnishings, (vii) language instruction, (viii) miscellaneous or incidental allowances, (ix) supervision and support services, (x) all other associated costs related to Syrian refugees landed between November 4, 2015 and January 31, 2016; (e) with regard to both government-assisted and privately-sponsored Syrian refugees who have landed in Canada between November 4, 2015 and January 31, 2016, how many of these refugees are 14 years of age and younger and how many are over the age of 14; and (f) what is the complete and detailed breakdown of all resources, methods and procedures used during screening and security checks of Syrian refugees?

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 21st, 2016]

With regard to the government’s refugee-intake priorities for 2016, what are the government’s planned 2016 refugee allocation numbers for both privately-sponsored and government-assisted categories, broken down by country of origin, including Syria?

[Caledon Chamber of Commerce, March 10th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Caledon Chamber of Commerce on its 30th anniversary.

This chamber has been the voice of good business in Caledon by consistently providing excellent programs and services to its members since 1986, as well as always being a strong advocate on behalf of the business community to all levels of government.

The chamber has also been an engaged and active member of the larger Caledon community. It has done this through events such as the annual Caledon Home and Lifestyle Show, which showcases many outstanding local businesses while providing residents with the opportunity to discover and support these local businesses, which benefits our community immensely.

On behalf of the residents of Dufferin—Caledon, I would like to sincerely thank the Caledon Chamber of Commerce for its countless contributions to our community and wish it another 30 years of business.