Harold Albrecht

[Committees of the House, May 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among all parties and I believe if you were to seek it, you would find unanimous consent for the following motions. I move:

That, in relation to its study of violence against Aboriginal women, six members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women be authorized to travel to Resolute Bay and Iqaluit, Nunavut; Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador; La Tuque, Quebec, and Fredericton, New Brunswick, in the spring-summer of 2010, that the committee be authorized to permit the broadcasting of its proceedings and that the necessary staff accompany the committee.

[Privilege, May 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the deputy government whip to indicate that the government will reserve its response to this question of privilege.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 11th, 2010]

With respect to the use of the government-owned fleet of Challenger jets from January 2002 until January 2006 and for each use of the aircraft: (a) what are the names and titles of the passengers present on the flight manifest; (b) what were all the departure and arrival points of the aircraft; (c) who requested access to the fleet; (d) who authorized the flight; (e) what is the number of flying hours accumulated; and (f) what are the associated costs?

[Petitions, May 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by 723 people from all across Canada.

The petitioners are calling on the Canadian government to enable prosecution of those who encourage or counsel someone to commit suicide, by updating the Criminal Code to reflect the new realities of 21st century broadband access.

[Petitions, May 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today of tabling two petitions.

The first petition is signed by 30 people from Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding area.

The petitioners are calling on the government to create effective laws regarding corporate social responsibility.

[Justice, May 6th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, child pornography is a very serious form of sexual exploitation. Our government remains committed to protecting Canadians, especially our children, from crimes being committed in today's technological environment.

Would the Minister of Justice please update the House on the legislation that was tabled earlier today that would address this important issue?

[Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care, May 4th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has an aging population that will present intense challenges to our health care system in years to come.

At the front line of these challenges are those who need palliative or compassionate care, those who are depressed, those who cannot speak for themselves and Canadians living with disabilities, in other words, our most vulnerable Canadians.

Members across party lines have come together to address this challenge with a message of hope.

Margaret Sommerville of McGill University noted that, “Hope is the oxygen of the human spirit; without it our spirit dies, with it we can overcome even seemingly insurmountable obstacles”, including our last great act of living, dying.

These are issues of life and death. These are issues of basic human dignity.

I invite all members of Parliament to join the parliamentary committee on palliative and compassionate care.

[Sébastien's Law (Protecting the Public from Violent Young Offenders), April 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more that a good job is important for the well-being of a young person, especially in terms of feeling good about themselves, of having positive self-esteem, of being able to provide for their own needs. However, one of the best ways to do that is to encourage an investment climate where jobs are created, and not increase taxes in such a way that would actually discourage companies from expanding their businesses or making the tax burden so high that people are unable to pay for the basic necessities of life.

The other thing on the job front is the pathways to education program, which I mentioned earlier, are all initiatives that will help young people get the education they need. They may not be suited to the normal academic program that we think is the be-all and end-all. They may learn in different ways. These pathways to education programs and other alternative education programs are crucial to help those who may not follow the normal academic pattern, but are able to find great jobs in skilled trades, of which our society is in desperate need.

All of these need to go together. I want to make the comment I made earlier that we cannot look at this in isolation. It has to be a total package.

[Sébastien's Law (Protecting the Public from Violent Young Offenders), April 22nd, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I am not in a position to comment on the specifics of what investments may be forthcoming in terms of other facilities.

I want to go back to the point that even if more facilities or more investments are needed, it is important for members of this chamber to take seriously their responsibility for the protection of the public. I am sure if that is necessary, the necessary funds will be allocated.

[Sébastien's Law (Protecting the Public from Violent Young Offenders), April 22nd, 2010]

Madam Speaker, there is no question that all of us in this chamber will always celebrate any reduction in crime. When the numbers go down, we should all be grateful.

I am not questioning whether the numbers have gone down or not. I am suggesting that regardless of where the numbers are, they are still far too high. There is no one in this chamber who would suggest that because the numbers have gone down by 2%, 5% or even 20% that we should somehow reduce our efforts to further improve the public safety of all Canadian citizens.

I remind the House as well that our government has invested heavily in crime prevention programs. I have been involved in announcements in my own riding, where money has been invested in crime prevention programs to allow them to do the good work they do. My colleague earlier mentioned the pathways to education program, a great program that is having good results.

It is not a matter of one or the other. It is a matter of both. We need all these programs to work together, rehabilitation, prevention, absolutely. We cannot ignore the public safety factor. People in this chamber have a responsibility to all Canadians.