Frank Valeriote

[Bracelet of Hope, May 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in congratulating Bracelet of Hope, a humanitarian initiative which began in Guelph. Bracelet of Hope is the idea of local physician, Dr. Anne-Marie Zajdlik, and is raising money to support an HIV-AIDS clinic in Lesotho in Southern Africa.

This group raises money by selling bracelets of hope, one of which I have been wearing for several years, successfully raising $1 million to date. The idea has spread around southwestern Ontario as the organizers work toward seeing a bracelet on the wrist of every Canadian.

I invite hon. members to visit braceleteofhope.ca to learn more about this worthwhile initiative.

I ask the House to join me in thanking everyone who has worked on the Bracelet of Hope campaign to help put an end to AIDS in this African country.

This is the kind of news that makes me proud to be a Canadian and very proud to be from Guelph.

[Automotive Industry, May 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, May 1 has come and gone and if the minister has not noticed, the auto crisis is deepening.

All the support in the world will not help the auto industry if Canadians are not buying cars. The minister promised the secured credit facility would be ready by May 1 to help buy and lease cars, but it has yet to be deployed. The BDC admitted that it does not have the expertise to create or implement the facility and had to recently appoint a team to do so.

Did the Minister of Finance mean May 1, 2009, or May 1 some other year for this credit facility?

[Automotive Industry, April 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday the finance minister refused to assure Canadians that the promised credit facility for the auto sector was on schedule.

The facility was announced five months ago. By the minister's admission, the whole thing remains at discussion stage, nowhere near operational. Industry analysts say the BDC is not equipped to deploy the facility. The industry is desperate for credit so people can buy and lease cars.

Yes or no, will the auto credit facility be open for business on May 1? Why all these delays when the minister has known for months that only credit will stimulate sales and leasing?

[Automotive Industry, April 28th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, 20,000 assembly and dealership jobs will be lost at GM alone. Another 18,000 parts jobs will be lost across Canada.

The secured credit facility announced in December is yet to be deployed and industry analysts are now saying the Business Development Bank is not equipped to deploy the facility designed to stimulate car sales and leasing despite the minister's promise to get the facility going by May. That means this week.

What assurances will the Conservatives give Canadians desperate for credit that this facility will finally open for business on Friday, May 1?

[Automotive Industry, April 27th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian economy received another blow with a 60% reduction of GM's workforce, a number far greater than originally projected. The loss of four GM brand names will close over 300 dealerships with 15,000 more jobs lost. Losses are cascading.

Every dealer, auto worker and analyst tells me that the government's reaction is too little, too late, with the minister simply taking instructions from the U.S. Announcements with nothing deployed do not help.

When will the government finally show leadership and respond to this crisis with immediate solutions?

[Criminal Code, April 21st, 2009]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-362, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (personal identity theft).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House today to present a private member's bill, seconded by the member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine.

The bill would make it an offence for a person to be in possession of another person's identification without a lawful excuse. Identity theft has become one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada. Hundreds of Canadians are the victims of identity theft each month, with losses that go into the millions of dollars. Identity thieves steal key pieces of personal information, often without the victim's knowledge, and use it to impersonate the individual and commit crimes. Identity thieves manipulate information and invade personal and financial lives, leaving victims feeling very vulnerable, often devastating their lives.

It is imperative that Canada's laws reflect the changing face of criminal activity. I believe the bill is a step forward to address identity theft. I ask the support of the House for this private member's bill.

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

[Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, April 20th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I have been participating on the auto committee for some time. One of the issues that continually arises is the effect of free trade on our auto industry.

Common reference is the free trade agreement with South Korea and the concern that a number of cars from South Korea are being allowed into Canada but a far fewer number of cars from Canada go to South Korea. I take to mind here the issue of free trade but also fair trade and fair trade in relation to the issue of protectionism.

While I understood the previous question was about the speed with which this trade agreement could go through, I am also concerned about substance being more important than speed.

I wonder if my friend, the member for Kings—Hants, would comment on the need for fair trade and not just free trade balanced with the issue of protectionism.

[Automotive Industry, April 20th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, with the auto industry on the path to collapse, the government has chosen to drive wedges between the industry and workers. Instead of showing leadership, clarity and transparency, the minister is a mere armchair quarterback. Last week's innovation announcement was nothing more than a rerun of last year's announcement: not new money, not more money.

When will the minister get in the game, bring the parties together and contribute to a viable solution to the auto crisis?

[Automotive Industry, April 20th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the government's mixed messages on the auto industry have spawned uncertainty that has thrown the industry into a free fall. General Motors is asking for clarity of expectations, while the minister continues to dance between bankruptcy and simply avoiding the issue entirely.

This crisis in the auto sector will shortly translate into 4,000 more job losses across Canada, 4,000, not including cuts at auto parts manufacturers in Guelph and across Ontario. When will the minister help broker a solution for the auto industry instead of driving wedges between all involved?

[Automotive Industry, April 1st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, nobody on this side is laughing.

Auto retail represents 20% of all retail sales in Canada. The industry says that there will be a dealership a day closing across Canada. Imagine, an average of 85 core jobs will be lost each and every day, touching every community in our country.

This could have been avoided if the minister had heeded the requests of the industry and provided a credit facility to spark sales and leasing sooner. Yet the Conservatives continue to drag their feet.

Why does the minister continue to stonewall consumers when they need credit the most?