Fin Donnelly

[Fisheries and Oceans, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, on this file, the minister seems to have great range.

In one summer he went from using consultations as an excuse to holding imaginary consultations. First, the Conservatives rammed through their devastating changes to the Fisheries Act, which even their former ministers agree will make Swiss cheese out of fish habitat protection. Then they promised to consult Canadians after the fact.

When will anyone be consulted, and when will the minister tell us whom he is consulting and when he will actually hold public hearings?

[Business of Supply, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Parkdale—High Park for her comments and for what she has brought to this discussion.

The Conservatives often talk about the net new jobs that have come to light over the years. They even reference that many of them have been full-time jobs. It leads us to think that there are many more people working in the country. I am wondering if the member could comment about the unemployment rate. Has the unemployment rate correspondingly gone down or has it gone up? Could she comment about the unemployment rate that currently exists?

[Business of Supply, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate you on your new position. It is great to see you in the chair.

I would like to pick up on the member's comments about Canada's deficit and the importance of the deficit in relation to the economy. The Conservative government has created the largest deficit in Canadian history, at $50 billion. My question for my colleague across the way is this. How does she account for her criticism when the government has accrued the largest deficit in Canadian history and actually outspent every other Canadian government before it? What about her comments on keeping the deficit low? I wonder if she could comment on that.

[Increasing Offenders' Accountability for Victims Act, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the member talked earlier about the root causes, the reasons why some people found themselves in the system and needing assistance. This bill addresses victims' surcharges moving from 15% to 30%. It looks at increasing funding to deal with programs that would assist people who find themselves incarcerated.

A comment was made about low income. When we look at the facts across the country and who is in our jails, we will find people of that economic status are overrepresented. About 70% or more of the individuals in jail are either low income or have some kind of addiction, whether it is a mental health problem or substance abuse. That means they need to be addressed.

Could my hon. colleague comment on whether this bill addresses that need?

[Increasing Offenders' Accountability for Victims Act, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, while we do understand that there needs to be victim surcharges or victim redress and that we need to address these issues, we also recognize that there needs to be ample discussion with the relevant parties on what is appropriate, whether they are the provinces, the territories, the judiciary or others involved.

One of the issues that we have is with causing undue hardship on those who are least likely to be able to pay. When we look at who is in the system, who is in jails across the country, we often find it is those who either have a mental issue, an addiction or some problem, or who suffer from low income.

I am wondering if the member could comment on whether this bill addresses what I would say is the fundamental or root cause of why these people are in the system in the first place, and how we could appropriately address how to get those folks reintroduced into society in a meaningful way.

[Fisheries and Oceans, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard station will put lives in danger, and the Conservatives know it.

A leaked email from maritime workers to DFO management says that the closure of the Kitsilano station was done without any consultation with them on safety. They say that the closure will lead to increased casualties.

The minister continues to say that there is no danger even when his own officials say that there is.

Why will the minister not listen to the people of British Columbia and his own staff and reverse this reckless decision?

[Petitions, June 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition regarding the closure of the Kitsilano Coast Guard station. Thousands of petitioners are calling upon the federal government to reverse the decision to close the Coast Guard station, which is one of the busiest ports in Canada.

[Petitions, June 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, the petitioners call on the Parliament of Canada to maintain the funding for old age security and make the requisite investments in the guaranteed income supplement to lift every senior out of poverty in this country.

[Petitions, June 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions.

One is from thousands of petitioners from British Columbia who call on the House to keep subsection 35(1) of the Fisheries Act as it is currently written with its emphasis on habitat protection.

[Search and Rescue, June 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the minister just does not get it. Perhaps if there were somebody in his caucus who could explain to him the seriousness of this, the minister would understand that these cuts are bad for the west coast.

Just like the HST, the Conservatives are imposing changes onto British Columbia without any consultation. The B.C. Conservative MPs end up saying one thing to their constituents while voting a different way here in Ottawa.

Does the minister agree that bureaucrats are responsible for these cuts or will he take responsibility for the decisions of DFO?