House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 36% of the vote.
Infrastructure October 10th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, transit infrastructure is urgently needed in the Lower Mainland to protect and develop the region's economy. TransLink is pushed to its limits and has resorted to telling commuters frustrated with service delays to lower their expectations and simply go for a coffee.
When will the government come to the table with long-term solutions to address chronic underfunding and when will it finally agree with New Democrats that Canada needs a national transit strategy?
Business of Supply October 9th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I want to refer to comments made by my colleague, the member for Halifax, who spoke about value-added jobs, ecological integrity and at risk species like belugas. She also spoke about the importance of habitat impacts.
The Conservatives have done away with the Navigable Waters Protection Act, gutted the Fisheries Act, especially when it comes to habitat protection, and completely repealed the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
My colleague across the way knows the importance of resource projects and she also knows they impact wildlife and wildlife habitat. I know she is concerned about that. I sat with her on fisheries committee and I heard her raise those issues.
If the government knows that a species at risk, a beluga nursery for example, is right where a terminal and pipeline project is proposed, why would it not put that terminal somewhere else?
Business of Supply October 9th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke about the capacity of the Canadian Coast Guard. On the west coast the Conservative government has shut down the Kitsilano station, which was the busiest station in the country. British Columbians were extremely angered about this decision. There was a huge outpouring of support for the station, yet it fell on deaf ears. As if that was not enough, the Conservative government has now also shut down five MCTS centres on the coast.
I agree with the member's comments about the Canadian Coast Guard's search and rescue capabilities. However, if it is stripped of the resources that are needed to do the job, how is it going to get the job done?
New Westminster—Coquitlam Community Events October 8th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, “Wait for me, Daddy”. These famous words of Warren “Whitey” Bernard were immortalized in a sculpture unveiled this past weekend in the royal city of New Westminster.
The bronze statue depicts the iconic photograph of Whitey reaching out for his father's hand, who was a soldier marching with the B.C. Regiment down Eighth Street headed off to fight in the Second World War.
The photograph captures a tender moment that reminds us of the pain of separation and the sacrifices made by those who serve.
As the community gathered for the unveiling of this special sculpture and commemorative stamp and coin, we also were reminded of the hundreds of Canadian soldiers who will be deployed for combat this month, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
I would also like to acknowledge Terri Evans of the Coquitlam Farmers Market. This weekend we celebrated her 18 years of service to the society, our community, and the local food movement.
Volunteers like Terri contribute to building healthy, sustainable communities, and I thank her for her service.
Rouge National Urban Park Act October 2nd, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I listened quite closely to my hon. colleague and his eloquent remarks.
He spoke of research that shows humanity is living unsustainably. He spoke of the importance of intact ecosystems and he spoke of the lack of government resources, cuts to departmental budgets, and changes to environmental protections that have been made over the recent past.
He talked about the importance of an amendment to the bill, to the Rouge national urban park act, to focus on ecological integrity.
I am wondering if he could speak a little bit about why it is so important that we have that amendment to focus specifically on protecting ecological integrity.
Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act September 30th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I listened with intent to my hon. colleague's comments, and he definitely made some good points.
However, since 2012, Canadian exporters have lost about 30% of their market share. When it comes to the EU and the U.S. implementing trade agreements with South Korea, they got preferential access.
I wonder if the member could comment on why the government has taken this long and why it was not able to negotiate as good a deal or a better deal than the U.S. and the EU on that?
Coastal Fisheries Protection Act September 18th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, earlier one of my colleagues mentioned in his speech that there have been suggestions and amendments to the bill and they have fallen on deaf ears. I am wondering if my colleague could elaborate. Essentially this is a housekeeping bill, but we have made some suggestions. We want some comments on how we could improve this legislation
Could my colleague comment about how this legislation has come in through the Senate and how the government is responding in using the fisheries committee for hearing suggestions and comments and amendments to improve the legislation?
Coastal Fisheries Protection Act September 18th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the bill focuses on illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, but what we are really talking about is a commitment to the fishery to manage our fishery properly and sustainably. We want to see, and the member spoke about this, a well-managed and properly funded fishery.
Does my colleague from Dartmouth—Cole Harbour feel the government is actually committed to providing the funds necessary for legislation like this?
Coastal Fisheries Protection Act September 18th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned in my speech the importance of healthy oceans and sharks and that the illegal practice of shark finning does occur, unfortunately. It takes so many sharks out of the water. Sharks are top predators and play a key role in balancing and maintaining the health of our oceans.
The private member's bill I put forward went to a vote last year and failed, unfortunately. We had a commitment from the government that it would change the regulations. Unfortunately, there has been no action on that. I am very concerned about that. I have talked with members on the other side. I have been very keen to hear what has happened since that vote and that promise to address the regulations, but I have not heard anything. I really hope the government will act on it. I believe it has heard strongly from Canadians from coast to coast to coast about the importance of this.
This is connected to the issue of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. If we were to see a commitment, it would really be on issues like this, like shark regulations or banning the import of shark fins. These are serious commitments the government could play a part in.
Coastal Fisheries Protection Act September 18th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, that is really a two-part question.
One is that certification is very important. How we label, approve and certify fishery products is critical. How those products enter the country is really important. As I mentioned in my speech, the amount of fish that is being caught in the illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing industry is huge. Therefore, certification is critical to allow consumers to know what they are actually consuming.
The member also mentioned the leader of the NDP being committed to a well-managed fishery and ocean. We are talking about the importance of fundamental protections to the environment and the ecosystems, which then provide jobs and spinoff benefits for tourism. Millions of dollars are invested in tourism each year, providing thousands of jobs. This is all connected to a well-managed fishery and ocean. It provides food for many first nation communities along the Fraser River.
As my colleague mentioned earlier, we need to take a long-term view of managing the fishery, not this short-term view that has put us into this problem.