Gord Brown

[Gananoque Remembers, May 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the second world war and around the world people are remembering. It is also the Year of the Veteran here in Canada.

I rise today to recognize two people who worked diligently over many months to publish a book that remembers residents of the small town where I live who gave their lives in service to their country. Earlier this spring, at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 92 in Gananoque, Bill Beswetherick and Geraldine Chase unveiled their new book Gananoque Remembers .

Thanks to their efforts, we shall never forget.

[Petitions, May 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit a petition signed by many members of my riding of Leeds--Grenville who suffer from diabetes, a disease that affects one in every three Canadians.

This disease requires a tremendous amount of non-tax deductible spending and many of the sufferers are low income Canadians.

The petition calls upon Parliament to change legislation so that those living with this disease may deduct all diabetic supplies from their tax returns.

[Criminal Code, May 17th, 2005]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-393, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.

Mr. Speaker, I present today this private member's bill for which members of my constituency and people all across Canada have been asking.

This act proposes to create mandatory minimum sentences for carrying a concealed weapon and for manslaughter on an unarmed person inflicted with a knife that was previously concealed.

The act mandates a reduction in parole eligibility for both offences and creates a second or subsequent offence for carrying a concealed weapon, as well as including carrying a concealed weapon as an offence within the absolute jurisdiction of a provincial court judge.

The act would also provide direction to sentencing courts with respect to consideration and calculation of pre-trial custody.

The act provides direction to the National Parole Board with respect to supplying relevant information to crime victims, asserts the obligation of the board to not adjourn conditional release hearings without justification and creates a future conditional release eligibility consequence for offenders that waive scheduled hearings.

This bill is for Andy.

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

(Bill C-367. On the Order: Private Members' Business:)

Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Justice, Human Rights, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness of Bill C-367, an act to amend the State Immunity Act and the Criminal Code (terrorist activity)--The Member for Okanagan--Coquihalla.

[Justice, April 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's academic banter may sound enlightened in the we know best taxpayer subsidized limousine lecture hall, but it rings hollow to people victimized by knife crimes and the police who fight crime on our streets each and every day.

Could the minister explain yesterday's answer in light of existing mandatory minimum sentences for firearm homicide, drunk driving and other crimes? Is he perhaps looking at a Liberal knife registry?

[Justice, April 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, anyone familiar with justice in Canada, including violent crime victims, must have been shocked yesterday to hear the justice minister say that mandatory minimum sentences did not deter crime. I understand Liberal nervousness about crimes with mandatory jail sentences. I was asking about crimes with knives, not cash envelopes and chequebooks.

Could the minister explain his outrageous view, which is an insult to crime victims, police and law-abiding Canadians who demand protection?

[Justice, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, after another knife killing in Kingston, Ontario, Deputy Police Chief Dan Murphy expressed concern about the growing number of people carrying knives to use as weapons. Statistics Canada says that from 1999 to 2003 guns killed 833 people while knives killed 787.

People who kill with knives face no minimum sentence. Will the justice minister tell us when his government is going to take knife crime seriously and impose mandatory minimum sentences?

[Petitions, March 23rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House with three certified petitions from my riding of Leeds—Grenville. The first is from Kemptville Pentecostal Tabernacle. The second is from the Gananoque Calvary Pentecostal Church. The third is from Highway Pentecostal Church in Brockville. They all request that the House define marriage in federal law as being the lifelong union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

[The Budget, February 24th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I come from a riding that has a lot of farmers who are having great difficulties right now. I would like to direct my question to the hon. member for Haldimand--Norfolk who led this party's charge against the cash deposit requirement on the CAIS program just a couple of weeks ago.

I happen to have sat in on that debate where we saw the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food and his parliamentary secretary fight tooth and nail for a whole day in this House. The member for Haldimand--Norfolk referred to the fact that this deposit requirement was removed in the budget as somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde hide-and-seek, and why this was buried somewhere in the middle of a 300 page document and not actually discussed here in the budget speech.

Why does she think it was buried in that document and not celebrated as something that in fact is good for farmers?

[National Flag of Canada Day, February 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, 40 years ago today the maple leaf flag was raised for the first time here on Parliament Hill and all across Canada. It is a cherished and welcome symbol for all Canadians and is a familiar and welcome sight around the world.

Today I recognize one of my predecessors, a former member of Parliament for Leeds, who was one of the strongest supporters of the flag. He played a key advisory role in its choice and recommendation by the flag committee.

John Ross Matheson wanted all Canadians to become consciously Canadian. The flag he helped create supports that wish, probably far beyond his imagination. In his book, Canada's Flag , he wrote:

May the maple leaf, our emblem dear, continue to fly for so long as the wind shall blow.

I join all Canadians in acknowledging Mr. Matheson's contribution to Canada.

[China, February 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, an estimated 16 million to 20 million prisoners are held in over 4,000 labour reform camps in China and Tibet.

Slave labour from these camps earns China several hundred million dollars. There have been published reports that these camps offer deals to foreign companies who conduct businesses with them.

With their loagai camps China has the largest forced labour camp system in the world. The prisoners in the camps are often detained without any legal procedures. They are forced to do physically strenuous work which is often hazardous to their health and has to be done under the most difficult conditions.

We have been assured that Canadian flag pins will no longer be made in China. I hope that the ones that we have in stock were not made in these forced labour camps.