Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are willing to apply and will vote no.
House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 82% of the vote.
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2012-13 December 10th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are willing to apply and will vote no.
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2012-13 December 10th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals agree to apply and will vote no.
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2012-13 December 10th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals vote no.
Petitions December 10th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I stand to present a petition on behalf of people who attended the Fish & Work Boat Show 2012 in St. John's, Newfoundland, as well as members of the Canadian Marine Advisory Council.
The petitioners call on the government not to close the marine communications and traffic services centres throughout the country. In fact, we are looking at the closure of 10 of those centres, in addition to the closure of the centre in Inuvik in the Northwest Territories.
We have a search and rescue issue and safety is of paramount importance when travelling on the sea.
Employment Insurance December 10th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being punished to pay for Conservative financial incompetence that has seen Canada's national debt rise to more than $600 billion since 2006. This is especially evident with EI. Processing times are at an all-time high with many Canadians waiting more than five weeks to receive their first payment; 14 million applicants were hung up on last year; and 100 of 120 centres that process EI claims throughout the country are being closed.
Why are vulnerable Canadians being forced to pay the price of Conservative incompetence?
Recognition of Service December 10th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Smid from the small rural community of Rushoon, population 319, in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's.
Lisa's most recent promotion took place on November 23. Lieutenant Colonel Smid's military career to date spans 22 years, and has seen her posted in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and Alberta. Impressively, in addition to her military training, Lisa has a civil engineering degree and a master's in business education, both from the Royal Military College.
November was a busy month for Lisa and her family. In addition to her promotion to lieutenant colonel, Lisa and her husband, Ryan, and daughters, Tatyana and Natalya, joined her parents, Patrick and Marie Cheeseman, and other family members to celebrate the 107th birthday of her grandmother, Mrs. Margret Moores who lives in Rushoon with Lisa's parents.
As Lieutenant Colonel Smid's career continues to flourish in the Canadian armed forces, I ask all members to join me in recognizing her exemplary service and dedication to our country, and that of all the men and women serving in the Canadian military.
Committees of the House December 5th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals agree and will vote yes.
Search and Rescue December 4th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, last May, just days after the Conservatives closed the maritime rescue sub-centre in St. John's, a medical emergency call off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador was rerouted to Italy. The Prime Minister misled the House claiming that there was “no change to procedure” and that calls were only rerouted to Rome as a back up.
We now know that is not true. Internal emails revealed that the procedure was in fact permanently changed and that medical calls were to be answered first in Rome, not Canada.
Why did the Prime Minister put seafarers' lives at risk and try to cover it up?
Junior Runner December 4th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jillian Forsey from Kippens, in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's. Jillian, a student at Stephenville High School, is an accomplished athlete on both the provincial and national stage. She has participated in competitive sports for the majority of her adolescence, attaining national success in cross-country skiing and cross-country running. Most recently, 17-year-old Jillian won the junior women's national cross-country running championship. She ran the race in a blistering time of just 17 minutes and 21 seconds.
As the national champion in the junior women's division, Jillian qualified to race at the World Cross Country Championships in Poland. Continuing to surpass several milestones, Jillian has consistently proven she is a star athlete.
I ask all members to join me in recognizing Jillian and in wishing her and her Canadian junior qualifiers great success when they compete in Poland.
Jobs and Growth Act, 2012 December 4th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague from Avalon, who is more than well versed in what has transpired in Newfoundland and Labrador with respect to cuts to search and rescue. In fact, the closure of the maritime rescue sub-centre in St. John's struck a blow not just to everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador, because that search and rescue centre provided service for anyone who travelled on the North Atlantic.
The people of Newfoundland and Labrador are continuing to fight the good fight, but the Conservative government turns a blind eye and pretends not to hear the outcries from those who know precisely what will happen. Unfortunately, as a result that closure, there is going to be a tragedy that may well convince the government of the need to reinstate that maritime rescue sub-centre.
Quebec City has been given a reprieve and the centre is not closing, but it is not because of the good wishes of the Conservative government. The reality is that it could not find competent French-speaking personnel to be part of the Trenton rescue centre. It is not because the government does not want to close Quebec but because it really does not have a choice at this point.