House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 28% of the vote.
Employment Insurance May 13th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, adding five weeks to the end of an EI claim is not enough.
An increasing number of my constituents come to see me pleading for help with their EI benefits. Many of these people have no food and risk having their heat, hydro and water turned off because they do not have enough hours to qualify for EI benefits.
When will the government create a national 360 hour standard of eligibility?
Petitions May 12th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present this petition on behalf of my constituents. We all know that tobacco use kills thousands of Canadians each year and that young people are the target of tobacco marketing, with 85% of all new smokers being under the age of 18.
The petitioners call upon this Parliament to amend the Tobacco Act in an effort to protect young people from tobacco marketing by banning all tobacco advertising that can be viewed by youth while also banning and enforcing all cross-border advertising into Canada.
Petitions May 7th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of my constituents. As citizens of a country that respects human rights and, under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the petitioners draw attention to the right to life, even for the unborn.
The petitioners call upon this Parliament to pass legislation that will guarantee protection of human life from the time of conception until natural death.
Automotive Industry April 23rd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I receive calls every day from concerned residents about how the government's negotiations will affect the Chrysler plant in my riding. If the Government of Canada is prepared to contribute billions of dollars to save the struggling auto industry, why have we not heard any details?
More than 8,000 CAW jobs will be affected and workers want to know what the plan is to save their jobs. The CAW is under pressure to make steep wage cuts at Chrysler and have been warned that operations in Canada will close if the union does not agree to cut hourly labour costs.
In order to qualify for government financing, Chrysler has a deadline of one week from today to provide a revised restructuring plan that would allow it to keep operating.
My constituents want to know what the government is doing to facilitate the negotiations and save their jobs.
Madam Speaker, the government claims that the money withdrawn from the Airport Police Assistance Program has all been put into the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. Clearly, it just does not understand. This money was for a different purpose altogether. The government cut $33 million from APAP and then announced $14 million for CATSA, saying it was for general security and policing. The fact is that CATSA does not have the mandate to perform the functions of APAP.
How does cutting $33 million from one security program and putting only $14 million into another help Canada's airports stay on top of security concerns? The government will be raising the costs to passengers and airlines, and weakening the funding for general airport security, ultimately putting either businesses or air travellers at risk.
Madam Speaker, I think we can all remember where we were on September 11, 2001, when the United States was under attack. As a result of that tragic event, our government acted to ensure that Canadians did not fall victim to similar attacks.
As a result of people's fears, the air travel industry saw a dramatic drop in travel. The Liberal government of the day put in place immediate security measures to protect Canadians and all air travellers. The measures were extensive and were designed to create safer airports, thereby encouraging Canadians to fly again.
Not only did these measures create safer air travel, they also helped to get people flying again and prevented a total collapse of the airlines and businesses that rely on the major air carriers and airports.
The only downside to imposing new security measures was the associated costs that would be incurred by Canada's airports and air carriers. Recognizing this additional financial hardship, the Liberal government decided to offer a subsidy through the airport police assistance program. The subsidy amounted to approximately $33 million and was disbursed to Canada's major airports to assist in administering these security measures. This funding subsidy was for airports to provide overall security, including for drugs, smuggling and other crimes within the airport property.
Pearson International Airport is in my riding and receives approximately $3.2 million to offset the costs of the measures that keep Canadian and international travellers safer while passing through Canada's busiest airport.
The Conservatives will say that they are putting a whole lot more money into the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority but CATSA's only mandate is to screen passengers and check for terrorism.
APAP was for airports to provide overall security for drugs, smuggling and other crimes within the airport property. These are not within CATSA's mandate.
The Conservatives also announced $14 million in 2009-10 to support the implementation of a new security program for cargo that departs from Canadian airports. While this will help, it will not necessarily help with all of the other security needs.
Simply put, by cutting this money, the government is reducing funds for security and policing within airports. Airports will have to absorb the security costs and charge all airport users more. This will have a direct impact on the many businesses, tenants and other services that rely on the airport for their business.
Several weeks ago, I asked the Minister of Transport a question, to which I received a non-response. I will ask it again now.
The Minister of Transport made the decision to cut the $33 million security subsidy to airports. Why is the Minister of Transport purposely increasing the financial burden on Canadians in the middle of a recession?
Petitions April 1st, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this petition on EI reforms.
The petitioners call upon the government to amend the Employment Insurance Act to qualify for EI benefits at 360 hours, increase benefit duration to 50 weeks, provide additional benefits if unemployment exceeds 6.5%, eliminate the two-week waiting period, provide benefits at 60% of normal earnings and more innovative use of EI such as work-sharing.
Airport Security February 27th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport made the decision to cut $33 million in security subsidy to Canada's airports and an additional $15 million in yesterday's main estimates.
Pearson International Airport, which is in my riding, receives $3.2 million to offset security costs that will now likely be thrust onto air travellers in the form of new charges, only adding to the cost of flying and doing business.
Why is the Minister of Transport purposely trying to limit commerce and increase the financial difficulty for businesses?
Pensions February 27th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I have received numerous calls to my office asking what the government plans are for saving the shrinking pensions of Canadians.
Nortel Networks has been based in Brampton for years and employees are concerned that its financial troubles will affect their pensions. Last week the employee's union held a meeting to discuss the fate of their pensions. There are roughly 16,000 Nortel pensioners in Canada, many of whom rely upon the pension and benefits that they have earned over the course of their working lives, in some cases 25 years or more.
Employees are concerned about losing their hard-earned pensions along with their jobs, since the company announced that employees being laid off will not receive any severance payments.
I call upon the Prime Minister and his government to take immediate action and give Canadians the reassurance that their pensions are safe.
Employment Insurance Act February 26th, 2009
Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague, but how much does the program cost?