House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
Somalia Inquiry April 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, it is the first time that a Minister of National Defence has asked for, authorized and recommended an inquiry into the operation and he has done it.
The time has now come to let the commission do its work. If the Reform Party has any respect for the armed forces, it will let the commission do its work rather than cause the problem with the morale of the troops in asking impertinent questions in the House of Commons.
Liberal Party April 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, we have seen the Reform day care program.
We had many votes in this House where sometimes members did not vote with the government. There were many votes. I did not ask them to move to the other side.
I had some discipline. It happened to the former Reform whip who is sitting there, or he was yesterday, who has been changed because he disagreed. We have discipline in the party.
When there is a vote in the House of Commons and the question is: "Do you have confidence in this government?" and if you have no confidence in the government, that means that you are no longer a member of that party.
It has been a British tradition for 400 years. I have to tell the member of the third party that a vote of non-confidence in the government leads to what happened.
I have no lessons in democracy to learn from the Reform Party. Yesterday the leader of a party was recognized by the Speaker to ask one question and the Reform Party wanted him to shut up. That is the type of democracy they are preaching.
Liberal Party April 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, we have many bills in this House-
Liberal Party April 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about the member keeping his word. The leader of the third party said in 1990 that he called for the election of Reform Party candidates who would rip out the GST. That was in 1990.
In 1991, the leader said that the GST could not be repealed immediately because it would increase the deficit. I am only in 1991. Now I have to move to 1992.
The Reform changed its position yet again, saying that it would reduce the GST in stages after, only after, the budget was balanced.
I compliment him for his great statement: "We commend the government on its attempt to harmonize the tax with the provinces".
Liberal Party April 23rd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know how many free votes the members of the Reform Party have had lately.
When some members of the Reform Party expressed disagreement about some of that party's policies which were completely unacceptable, they were humiliated in their caucus by the rest of the caucus because they were more moderate and made more sense.
We have had more free votes in this House than ever before. However, when it is a question of confidence in the government, when one has no confidence in the government, then just like the Reform Party, one is in the opposition.
Somalia Inquiry April 22nd, 1996
I will say to the hon. member for Sherbrooke that for the first time in a very long time, maybe since I have been around, never has a government had an inquiry into the operation of the armed forces. It was done on the recommendation of the Minister of National Defence.
The commission is looking at all aspects of the operation. If something wrong has been done, the commission will report it. The reason we have this commission is that this good Minister of National Defence had the wisdom to recommend the inquiry to the Government of Canada.
Somalia Inquiry April 22nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, before replying to the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, I would like to remind the member for Fraser Valley West who did not want the member to get up, about political democracy and freedom of speech when they want to deny a member of Parliament the right to speak.
House Of Commons April 22nd, 1996
The problem with members of the Reform Party is that they do not want to know what is a government because they will never be a government. Having the responsibility of a government, people can ask my members. They have had more free votes than ever before in this Parliament.
When somebody wants to exclude himself from the party, he votes against the government in a motion of confidence. This is a well known practice, which existed since Parliament was founded many centuries ago in Britain.
House Of Commons April 22nd, 1996
We have had more free votes here. We do not need a lesson on that score from the Reform Party.
House Of Commons April 22nd, 1996
Mr. Speaker, every member has a chance to express his or her views on everything. However, when it comes to non-confidence in the government, it is a very clear statement that they do not support the government.
Coming from rural Quebec, I have to explain to the hon. member who was born in Nova Scotia that I am here defending the British parliamentary system which has existed for a long time. A vote of confidence in the government is not the same thing as other votes.