House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 56% of the vote.
First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act November 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I ask the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley, considering he has pine beetle damage to quite an extent in his riding, is he and his party aware of the devastation that the Liberal government has allowed to go on and just how much of a threat it is to the economic prosperity of first nations bands in his area of the province?
First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act November 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, in response to the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, I am sure he would have liked to have heard my comments the way he thought he heard them. However, my comments were to the effect that it is first nations people themselves who are sitting in their communities wondering where the so-called help from the federal government is coming from, wondering where the so-called assistance from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is coming. They are suggesting to me, considering the plight of our communities, that it appears to the first nations people themselves that the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is more concerned with building its bureaucracy than with actually doing something to help first nations communities. That is what they are telling me. The hon. member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell knows that is what I said, notwithstanding the fact he would have liked to have interpreted it the way he spoke.
First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act November 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague from Edmonton—Sherwood Park pointed out, this bill does have some points that we are very supportive of. It is lacking in many areas, but I believe that we are going to be supporting it anyway.
I want to get back to some earlier comments, if I may. I would like to ask this member to see if he can rationalize or justify some of these absolute facts about the quality of life on some of these first nations reserves, on so many of them, so many more than is imaginable in this country. If he could make some notes and then respond, I would appreciate it.
First, the fact is that the violence against women on first nations reserves has not decreased in the last 12 years under this very caring Liberal government, as the Liberals say they are. It is even at the point that the issue of violence against aboriginal women is not on the agenda of the first nations summit next week in Kelowna. A question during question period about why it has not been included was not answered.
Second, there have been all too many incidents of corruption at the band and council level and in regard to the mismanagement of money. Every year the Auditor General brings to the attention of the House the fact that the accountability factor is not there. In the last 12 years this issue has not gone away. It is still present under the Liberal government.
Third is the quality of life, the living conditions and the health conditions in first nations communities, including the Kashechewan issue with the poisonous water and the mould in the houses in the communities. That has not been addressed by the Liberal government over the last 12 years.
I hope the member is making notes and will be responding to all of these points.
Fourth, the fact is that the drug and the alcohol problems on first nations reserves, under this very caring and concerned Liberal government over the last 12 years, has in fact not decreased but increased under the Liberal watch.
Last, the sad fact is that the Liberal government has unfortunately been in power for most of the last 35 years and there have been billions of dollars put into first nations programs in this country, yet today the sad answer to the question on the quality of life is that it indeed is perhaps not as good now on the first nations reserves as it was 30 years ago, prior to all the billions of dollars having been put in.
As well, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has developed into a huge conglomeration of bureaucrats who apparently do not seem to want these problems to ever get solved. There have been a lot of suggestions. Why would they simply want to work themselves out of a job by solving these problems?
This is the legacy of this so-called caring Liberal government, which puts itself out as a friend to first nations. Yet it has the saddest possible legacy over the last 12 years of its reign that one could ever imagine as far as the issues and the concerns of first nations people being addressed by the government is concerned. It has shirked its responsibility to first nations people in this country.
First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act November 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that my colleague from Edmonton--Sherwood Park pointed out the shortcomings of the Liberal government in how it has dealt with first nations.
While the Liberals talk about how the Liberal Party has been and is a friend to first nations people in this country, I think my colleague would agree that it is important to point out some of the Liberals' high points over the last 12 years.
First, violence against women on reserves has not diminished over the last 12 years under the Liberal government because it has not taken any steps to diminish it.
Second, we have had two incidents come up in the House within the last weeks about corruption in a band at the council level because the Liberal government has not dealt with the issue.
Third is the issue of poisonous water conditions at the Kasatchewan reserve and now we hear about another reserve. This is because the Liberal government has not dealt with unhealthy living conditions in the last 12 years.
Drug and alcohol problems on reserves have increased under the Liberal government over the last 12 years because it has not dealt with these issues either.
The quality of life in our first nations communities in the last 12 years has not improved under this so-called friends of first nations people Liberal government because it has not been willing to address the issues.
I have one last thing to mention which is near and dear to me. The Liberals talk about commercial-industrial development. The Liberal government has stood by for 12 years watching the pine beetle in British Columbia devastate the forestry industry, an industry that provides economic value for every first nation in the province, and withheld any aid to the province of British Columbia to fight the devastating pine beetle infestation, taking away a very valuable and important means of economic development for first nations in British Columbia.
That is the record of the Liberal government over the last 12 years. Friends of first nations they certainly are not and first nations will tell us that.
I would like to ask my colleague from Edmonton--Sherwood Park if he would agree with some of my comments.
Premiers of Quebec November 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I watch you get up and down in the House during question period and caution people about making statements that misrepresent facts. I did not know that on some days of the week that members of the cabinet can in fact rise in the House and misrepresent the truth on issues. Am I to understand that this is permitted?
Premiers of Quebec November 18th, 2005
A new point of order.
Premiers of Quebec November 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, on the same point of order if I may--
Forestry November 15th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, the pine beetle plague has now crossed the Rockies. Our Prime Minister and the federal Liberals were warned over and over again that this would happen, and over and over they ignored the warning. Now we have a pine beetle disaster on our hands that threatens to work its way across the entire country, and the federal Liberals must take responsibility for that.
Time after time, I implored the Liberals to provide the funding needed to battle the pine beetle and time after time they demonstrated that they simply did not care. Now the infestation has worked its way across the Rockies. It is in both Jasper and Banff national parks and in the forests of northern Alberta.
Under a Conservative government, $1 billion is targeted toward the pine beetle disaster. This is exactly what a responsible government should do.
Queensway Carleton Hospital October 21st, 2005
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, the hon. member knows very well that we cannot accuse another member of the House of misleading somebody.
Criminal Code October 21st, 2005
Mr. Speaker, the member's presentation conflicts with other areas of the law and I know those members are sticklers for that.
Is he aware that under the Criminal Code possession of a certain amount of marijuana, for example, automatically brings the court charge “for the purposes of trafficking”? It is assumed that the possession of that amount of drugs is for the purposes of trafficking. There is no grey area there.
This member is saying that there is a question as to whether someone who is caught with a stolen vehicle with the VIN removed did it for some legitimate cause or not. I would like the member to stand up and tell me about one lawful, innocent removal of a VIN, as he mentioned in his speech, that is likely to bring a criminal charge against that person. I would like just one example.