House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
Members Of Parliament February 17th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I said that we could not run a country through referenda. That is what I said.
If some members of Parliament do not think they can pass judgment when a law is in the House, they do not belong in the House. That is what I said. We cannot go to the electorate and have a referendum every time a member cannot make up his or her mind. "If it is too hot in the kitchen", as Truman said, "get out of the kitchen".
Organized Crime February 17th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the RCMP has been in touch with the American authorities.
Organized Crime February 17th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition really wants to solve the problem, he will ask his members not to play the game of dragging the problem of the Mohawks into their questions all the time.
We are fighting those who are criminals. Some are outside the reserve; there might be some on the reserve. But the impression of the Mohawks at this time is that it is a campaign by the Bloc Quebecois to tarnish their reputation, and this is not useful.
Organized Crime February 17th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we have given the RCMP a clear mandate to do its job and wipe out all smuggling in Canada, including on Indian reserves.
As I explained to the House, the whole issue of policing on Indian reserves is very complicated. We have the local Mohawk police which is authorised by law and has a mandate delegated either by the Government of Ontario or the Government of Quebec. We have the provincial police which is involved in general law enforcement, in other words, the Quebec Provincial Police and the Ontario Provincial Police.
As for the federal police, its role on Indian reserves is to deal with smuggling. That is what it is doing now, and I have nothing more to say. The RCMP has a clear mandate to do its job as prescribed by law.
Official Residences February 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I do not have any idea why. I do not think the Leader of the Opposition made his decision out of generosity. Actually, the platform of the Bloc Quebecois stated that its leader could not live on the Ottawa side.
Physician Assisted Suicide February 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we were elected to use our best judgment. On a couple of occasions, when I voted on abortion and on capital punishment, I knew I was voting according to my own judgment and it was not very popular in my riding.
We are elected and as members of Parliament we have the privilege to attend committees to discuss matters freely. We then make up our own minds and the people can replace us at election time.
This notion that we should be replaced by polling is revolting to me. We are elected to use our best judgment. If the member thinks she cannot do that, be recalled.
Physician Assisted Suicide February 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, in the House of Commons there is only one vote, that of the member. The member will vote according to his or her conscience. That is all.
The Budget February 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should read the red book again. His leader referred accurately to the fact that we said we had a goal to reduce the deficit to 3 per cent of GNP at the end of the third year of our mandate. We never said a balanced budget.
If the member wanted a balanced budget, it would have been better for him to have voted for the provincial Liberal Party in Alberta in the last election.
The Budget February 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we have to understand that New Brunswick has had the privilege of having six years of good Liberal government.
The Budget February 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we started before the budget when we put in place the infrastructure program that was to create jobs. There are other programs of the same nature in the red book.
If the hon. member wants to know what our objectives are, he should read the red book again.