Don Davies

[International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, March 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, my great riding, Vancouver Kingsway, is one of the most diverse in Canada. It is a wonderful blend of cultures from every continent. Men, women and children of every race, religion and ethnicity join together to seek happiness and prosperity and to live in peace and harmony. Vancouver Kingsway is a multicultural success and a model of what makes Canada work. We celebrate our uniqueness, we unite as Canadians and we treasure our freedom to be who we are.

March 21 will mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. On this day, we remember that prejudice and intolerance still exist. We remind ourselves that building a civil and respectful society for all is the responsibility of every one of us.

The Canada of today was built by first nations and immigrants from all over the world. The Canada of tomorrow will deepen that reality as we welcome more people from every nation.

Let us celebrate our Canada as one that is tolerant, respectful and dedicated to the principle of equality, and let us commit ourselves to stamp out intolerance and discrimination in all of its forms.

[Petitions, March 11th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by residents of Vancouver Kingsway urging government support for a universal declaration on animal welfare. This declaration calls for states to take all appropriate steps to prevent cruelty to animals and to reduce their suffering. It calls for the development of standards for animal welfare governing the treatment of farm animals, companion animals, animals in scientific research, and animals in recreational uses and wildlife.

It recognizes the scientific consensus that animals are sentient, have the capacity to have feelings, to experience suffering and pleasure. I spoke in support of the declaration on animal welfare when it was before the House last year and I am pleased to rise again on this important subject to present this petition on behalf of my constituents and prevent cruelty toward all animals.

[Petitions, March 11th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present. First, I rise to present a petition signed by individuals from all across the country calling on the government to initiate a judicial inquiry into the state of aviation safety in Canada. They note that the government is intent on reducing aviation oversight and cutting back on inspections.

The government has failed to protect whistleblowers who report unsafe practices and the government is putting financial considerations ahead of the safety of aviation workers and the travelling public. These individuals call on the government to stop ignoring its responsibilities and to do its job to keep Canadians safe. I am honoured to rise today to present their call for action.

[National Office for Fire and Emergency Response Statistics Act, March 11th, 2010]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-495, An Act to amend the Statistics Act (National Office for Fire and Emergency Response Statistics).

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to introduce a bill that would create a national office for fire and emergency response statistics.

This office would build a database to compile fire and emergency response statistics from across the country. These statistics would be a valuable and much needed source of information that could help our firefighters and policymakers analyze data to keep our communities safer.

Last year I met with Gord Ditchburn, president of the Vancouver Fire Fighters' Union, and Chris Coleman from that union's government and public affairs committee. They told me that Canada does not track fire statistics and they were missing this important tool to help them do their jobs, keeping Canadians and firefighters safe.

Just yesterday my colleague from Ottawa Centre and I met with Ottawa firefighters John Sobey and Rob Collins. They, too, told us about their need for a comprehensive source of information on fire damage, fire deaths and emergency response times in Canada.

I am proud to rise in this House today to propose legislation that would fulfill this sound and needed request.

There are many other things that the government could and should be doing to support firefighters. We should implement a public safety officer compensation benefit for the families of fallen police and firefighters. We should include firefighter safety considerations in the national building code. We should expand our fire database to eventually include comprehensive information on all aspects of firefighting that could be shared from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.

Finally, this bill is one important component of what firefighters have been calling for. I urge all members of this House to join with me in supporting our firefighters. Support this bill and give firefighters access to the information they need to keep us all safe.

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

[Committees of the House, December 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that has made Canada such a great country for so long has been our ability to maintain a strong middle class. A strong middle class is maintained by having jobs for Canadian men and women so they can raise their families with security and dignity. This means a family of four in a place like Ottawa needs to have an income of approximately $60,000. I know it is getting harder and harder for people to maintain that standard of living.

Men and women need to have jobs so they can afford a vacation with their children in the summer, or can be at home with their children after school and on weekends, or can purchase the things they need for their family to provide an enriched environment for their children and raise them in a healthy way. This is particularly important for our young people.

Could the hon. member tell us how this strike may impact on how our young people view the availability of well-paying jobs in the future?

[Committees of the House, December 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, prior to being elected, I worked for 16 years with a trade union. I was involved in many labour disputes of different kinds. I know that at the end of the day, they all come to resolution. However, the question is this. How much pain and suffering has to happen before that comes?

I am really pleased to see that the text of the motion calls for the establishment of a timely and equitable resolution to the labour dispute. I would think all members of the House would support a phrase such as that. I do not think anybody could possibly be against equity or timeliness when we talk about people who are out on the street.

Could the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay tell us a bit about some of the issues that he thinks need to be resolved so we can get at that equitable and timely response and get these people back to work, providing the kind of cultural services that are not only so important to the people of Ottawa but are important to the people of our country as well?

[RCMP, December 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP public complaints commissioner just released his report into the taser death of Robert Dziekanski in B.C. Mr. Kennedy found that the officers acted inappropriately, that their testimony was not credible and that the internal investigation was flawed.

He stated there is inadequate taser training and that the RCMP still lacks a clear policy on taser use. But instead of showing leadership, the RCMP officials have refused to respond to this report and the government told Mr. Kennedy that his services were no longer needed.

Will the minister admit that Mr. Kennedy was fired because he had the courage to point out the ongoing failure of leadership at the RCMP?

[Provincial Choice Tax Framework Act, December 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I think the idea that jobs are created by implementing a tax on working- and middle-class Canadians is not only untested but fallacious. I do not think that is the kind of job creation project that we want in this country, and that is not the kind of strategy that we should have.

[Provincial Choice Tax Framework Act, December 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I have a different proposition for the members opposite. Next election, let them come to the province of British Columbia, let us go onto the hustings, and let us debate in every gymnasium, every auditorium and every household about whether the people in British Columbia want the HST and whether they think it is good policy.

I do not remember anyone on that side of the House bringing up the HST during the last federal election. I do not remember that. I do not think it was in their platform. It was the same thing with respect to their Conservative cousins in the Liberal Party of British Columbia.

This tax has been introduced by stealth. The reason is that they know they have just put a tax increase on working- and middle-class Canadians and they do not have the courage to stand up before those people and acknowledge it--

[Provincial Choice Tax Framework Act, December 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the main supposition of that question is totally false, and in fact it is ridiculous. The hon. member says he listened to my speech but, with respect, I question that, because I have gone through a number of points that make the facts clear, and this is not just a provincial issue. The HST is the product of an agreement between two parties, the federal government and the Government of British Columbia.

I have another quote from the Minister of Finance: “We are also calling on the remaining provinces that have not harmonized their PST with the GST to work with us to accomplish that goal of harmonization”. That is the finance minister, Jim Flaherty, in a speech to the C.D. Howe Institute on April 10, 2008.