John Weston

[Business of Supply, June 20th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his speech. I appreciate his feeling of gratitude, which he expressed so well. It is good for all Parliamentarians to hear.

I have a question arising from the member's speech and the preceding one. Many times we have heard from the opposition benches about the tax breaks we are giving corporations, those job-creators that have propelled us to the number one place in the western world in terms of economic recovery.

I would like the members to make the distinction between giving money to job-creators and not taking away money by increasing taxes. It is the low tax regime that has attracted many of these investors and allowed us to create some 570,000 or more jobs since July 2009. There is a difference.

I would like the member opposite to acknowledge that difference, if he will.

[Business of Supply, June 20th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I liked the comments made by my colleague, who really emphasized the importance of seniors within our communities and our country, Canada. I would like to ask him the following question.

One of the extraordinary improvements in this budget that deals directly with seniors is the caregiver tax credit. It is something that allows people to stay at home and take care of a loved one and receive a direct monetary incentive for doing so, something we have never seen before in Canada.

I would just like to hear what the member opposite has to say about that great advance.

[The Budget, June 13th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to welcome the hon. member, who is also from beautiful British Columbia, and I thank him for his comments. I have two questions for him. The first one is a general question, and the second is more specific.

In British Columbia, we had the opportunity to see this budget before and during the election. I think that most people in the province knew what the Conservatives would do if we had the honour to be re-elected. They were very familiar with the budget and platform, and they once again voted with confidence.

Second, the $3,000 tax credit for firefighters was important to the people of British Columbia. People in that province wanted it. That is something in the budget that is very well known and well received by the people of British Columbia. What does the member have to say about that?

[Powell River, June 8th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the people of Powell River and all others in the magnificent riding that I represent.

Maclean's magazine recently honoured Catalyst Paper Corporation of Powell River as one of Canada's 50 most socially responsible companies and Corporate Knights magazine named Catalyst one of Canada's 20 best corporate citizens.

I am honoured to have been re-elected to represent the great riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. There we will find some of Canada's most innovative and hard-working people whose efforts benefit not only our community, but also those of Canadians across the nation.

I would also like to salute the city of Powell River, which yesterday received the prestigious 2011 Willis Award for Innovation for its pioneering partnership with Catalyst.

In this global economic crisis, Powell River has worked closely with Catalyst, easing the company's taxes and keeping Canadians at work.

The people of Powell River and Catalyst exemplify the winning spirit of Canadian entrepreneurs. It is Canadians like them who have made our economic action plan a world-leading success.

[Petitions, March 25th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, thirdly, I am pleased to present a petition initiated by the dynamic Diane Kindree, in the riding I represent, who has laboured tirelessly to bring about justice in the observance of principles relating to the appointment and termination of the Queen's Counsel.

[Petitions, March 25th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, the second petition supports Bill C-39 dealing with dangerous offenders who concurrently apply for parole after spending 25 years in prison.

The bill would bring about more fairness for the victims of crime in terms of their participation in the parole process.

[Petitions, March 25th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, I have three petitions.

The first petition arises from the shameful acts committed against the huskies at Whistler. It is a petition to bring about a modernization of animal cruelty provisions to protect all animals from deliberate acts of cruelty.

[Nowruz, March 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, norouz mubarak. I am very pleased to commemorate the Persian New Year, a wonderful tradition that dates back more than 3,000 years.

It is my honour to be the first ever government liaison to the Persian and Iranian communities and I have deep appreciation for the Nowruz festivals that I attend in my riding. These celebrations are vivid proof that the Canadian Iranian community continues to make great contributions to Canada's economic health and cultural richness.

Canadians love Nowruz's symbols of positive change, from cold, rain and darkness toward brightness, blossoming, sunshine and love. Celebrating these things in Canada will have echoes in Iran.

Today we join with Iranians the world over in seeking the return of spring and, with it, democracy and justice.

[Member spoke in Farsi]

[English]

[2010 Winter Olympics, February 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the finale of the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics and the benefits arising from those games, including the bringing to our shores of business, investment, tourism and overseas students.

Who will forget the men's gold medal hockey game, as Sidney Crosby took that memorable pass from Jarome Iginla to score in overtime? Who will forget the collaboration of our partners in hosting the most successful winter Olympics in history: VANOC; the Province of B.C.; and the municipalities of Vancouver and Richmond and, in my own riding, West Vancouver and Whistler?

Who will forget the army of blue jacketed volunteers, including my wife Donna, who welcomed the world? Who will forget the police officers and bus drivers who came from across Canada to make the games such a heartwarming success? Who will ever forget our athletes who delivered the performances that made us all so proud?

A year later, with our government's continuing support, our athletes excel on the world stage and we Canadians are behind them all the way.

[Human Rights Situation in Iran, February 16th, 2011]

Mr. Chair, there are many different immigrant groups in Canada and, certainly, many in the riding I represent.

What I have found is that more than any other group I know, the people of Iranian origin have a visceral attachment to their homeland. That is partly because they have brothers and sisters, and relatives and friends who are imperilled by the Iranian regime. It is partly because many of them have suffered through tremendous strife in recent years.

Anyone who has seen the film Persepolis will know that it depicts the plight of a young woman who was doted on by her parents and has all the opportunities that anyone could ever ask for, but who witnesses oppression, who sees an uncle dragged off to jail for political reasons and ultimately executed. She then goes and lives for some time in Europe, has several unrequited love affairs, and struggles through her life and returns to Iran. She is a metaphor for the people of Iran.

She describes so brilliantly the plight of people who strive to be free, people who are well educated, famous for their entrepreneurial spirit, people who do not see it as right or just that a fundamentalist regime holds them in the kind of shackles in which they live in Iran.

With all Canadians, I long for the day when Iran will be a bulwark of democracy in the Middle East, a country with which we can carry on full democratic and diplomatic relations, a country with which we can exchange goods and services and have our people flow back and forth, as we can with other democratic countries.