Erin O'Toole

[Business of Supply, December 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, my friend and I joined the House in the same by-elections and it is a privilege to hear him opine on this issue.

I will make careful note that he is in firm agreement with The Globe and Mail editorial board, so I will look to it for further concurrence in the future.

My question is based on my long drive into Ottawa this morning on the tricky roads. I listened to the head of the Ontario teachers' pension plan, Jim Leech, talk about pensions and CPP. In terms of CPP reform, he said that it should come in the next 10 years at some point.

The big thing we have to look at is the current economic climate. Can employers afford to do this on the immediate timeline the member is suggesting when there are still a lot of Canadians unemployed or underemployed? We want to ensure the jobs are there first.

I would ask the member to speak to the timing. Should this not be a consultative process of reform over the next few years?

[Limba the Elephant, December 3rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the member of Parliament for Durham to mark the passing of a giant figure from my community. This giant was not a man or woman, but a 50-year-old Asian elephant named Limba that captivated the hearts of children in southern Ontario for her lifetime.

Limba passed away peacefully at the Bowmanville Zoo after a brief battle with cancer. For almost a century, the Bowmanville Zoo has been an important part of my community and has offered refuge to exotic animals from across Canada. Limba came to the zoo 25 years ago and tens of thousands of children have learned about animals and nature because of her.

Durham loved Limba. Just two weeks ago, she was more popular than Santa Claus at the parade. As a natural draw, she would help with community festivals and local fundraising. She stood alongside us in sorrow on Bowmanville's bridge over the Highway of Heroes, where I'm sure she brought brief smiles and looks of surprise from the grieving families passing beneath her.

I extend my deepest condolences to Michael Hackenberger, Dr. Wendy Korver, and her faithful companion Robert Crawford.

[Economic Action Plan 2013 Act No. 2, December 2nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member might have had the opportunity last week to meet with the folks from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The member spoke at length about the infrastructure challenges Canada faces but neglected to talk about a truly amazing achievement of our government that won wide praise throughout the municipalities in my riding. I would like the member to comment on the response by municipalities in her riding with respect to our dedicated gas-tax-sharing revenue for municipal level infrastructure. In our last budget, we locked that in and have indexed that important sharing with that level of government to address their infrastructure needs in the future.

[International Trade, November 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member spoke about fishermen. Our trade committee was just in Halifax this week, where we talked about the tremendous opportunity the European deal has for the seafood industry in all of Atlantic Canada. In fact, lobster has a tariff rate of 8% for fresh lobster, but in the 20% range for processed seafood.

This will be a win, not only for the fishers on our oceans, but the processing industries in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland will be huge winners when these tariff walls come down.

[International Trade, November 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member would know, the Dairy Farmers of Canada appeared before our trade committee. With a riding with dairy farmers, I have been talking about the opportunity CETA holds to open up the entire cheese market of 500 million Europeans to our cheese manufacturers.

With cheese growing at 6,000 tonnes per year, the phase-in of this agreement means that it will likely have no impact on production levels for our top level dairy farms in Quebec and Ontario. It will be a win for all sectors, a win for Canada.

[International Trade, November 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from the trade committee for his participation in our discussions in Halifax this week, talking about job creation and the billions of dollars that the Canada-Europe deal will bring for Canadians.

It is inappropriate to comment on leaked documents, much like the collective bargaining process that my friends from the other side will understand. A lot of these discussions are taken in secret, but I have to reiterate, we are there to build opportunity for Canadian job creators. We are there to sell our goods and services to a growing market in Canada and we will make a deal that is a winner for Canada.

[International Trade, November 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is at the table to show that we are a trading nation. We did that in opening up a 500 million person market with the Canada-Europe trade deal. We are at the table with the trans-Pacific partnership talks where a potential market of 800 million consumers will be to create jobs and economic opportunity in Canada. All important sectors, including intellectual property principles, are part of our strategic negotiations. As the Prime Minister and minister have said, Canada will only make a deal if it is in our national interest.

[True Patriot Love Foundation, November 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, last night I attended the fifth annual True Patriot Love gala in Toronto. I joined almost 2,000 other Canadians in showing support for Canadian Forces members and their families. Two million dollars was raised for the important programs True Patriot Love runs for veterans, Canadian Forces members, and their families. I would like to thank the Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Leader of the Opposition, and many members of this House for joining me at that gala.

I also had the distinct honour to join Laureen Harper in presenting a Diamond Jubilee medal to Michelle Hickey. Michelle is a 21-year Canadian Forces veteran, a proud mom, and a member of the March to the Top expedition team.

A hearty “Bravo Zulu” to True Patriot Love and its sponsors. Congratulations to Michelle. Our thanks go to Canadians for last night and for the next week of supporting our veterans and our Canadian Forces.

[Royal Canadian Air Force Veteran, November 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with the House a letter that our government received just a few weeks ago from the family of a veteran:

It is my sad task to report the passing of my father at age 91. My dad was a Royal Canadian Air Force sergeant who served from 1939 to 1945.

Over the years Dad received the financial support for hearing aids and eyeglasses he so badly required and for the help to keep him in his home as long as possible.

We ask that you pass on our fond regards.

It is Canada that thanks his father for his service to our country. While he has now slipped the surly bonds of earth, there is solace in the fact that we will remember and honour his service.

As one part of the RCAF caucus with my seatmate from Edmonton Centre, we salute his father and say, “Per ardua ad astra”.

[Business of Supply, November 5th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, what troubles me as a parliamentarian spending my first year in the House is that my friends in the NDP and the Liberal Party like to ask a lot of questions, but they do not tend to listen to the responses, nor do they really care about the responses. It is the same for the independent member for Edmonton—St. Albert.

There has been much talk of contrition. I would remind all colleagues in the House that back in May, in Lima, Peru, the Prime Minister addressed this aspect clearly. He stated:

...I am very sorry that this has occurred. I am not only sorry, I’ve been through the range of emotions. I’m sorry, I’m frustrated, I’m extremely angry...

Leadership is not just looking back at those frustrations and emotions; it is about going forward and ensuring that these types of abuses to the public trust do not happen again, which is why we are committed to reforming the Senate.

I would ask the member for Vancouver Quadra to get behind that and I would ask why the leader of her party is encouraging the status quo in the Senate.