Judy Foote

[Figure Skating, October 31st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a talented and engaging young woman originally from Marystown in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's.

This past weekend, 16-year-old Kaetlyn Osmond won the gold medal at Skate Canada International. Last month, Kaetlyn won another gold medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy competition in Germany. She won her first gold medal at a national figure skating competition when she was 10 years old.

Kaetlyn's next goal is to win the National Figure Skating Championships in Mississauga in January. That win could entitle her to represent Canada at the World Figure Skating Championships in March. Her ultimate goal is to be a member of the Canadian team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

Kaetlyn's talent was obvious at an early age when she started skating before the age of two. Her parents, Jackie and Jeff, were determined to help their daughter realize her dreams by first moving to Montreal and then to Alberta where Kaetlyn was able to advance in the sport she loves.

I ask all members to join me in congratulating Kaetlyn, not only on her gold medal performance at Skate Canada International, but on all of her accomplishments as we wish her continued success.

[Public Safety, October 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it was three months. That is how long it took the cabinet to respond to an international warrant for Conservative insider Nathan Jacobson.

Did the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Safety sit on this case for months?

The government members cannot wait to rush two poor Nigerian foreign students out of the country, but their Conservative buddy walks around with impunity. Were they waiting for Jacobson's donation cheques to clear before they acted?

Why the special treatment? Why the hypocrisy?

[Correctional Service Canada, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government is turning our prisons into warehouses for those with mental illness. Ashley Smith's tragic death in a federal prison is now the subject of a coroner's inquest. Ashley ended up in jail rather than treatment and fell through the cracks. Instead of using this tragic incident as an opportunity to strengthen mental health treatment, the government is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover up its failure.

Why is the government fighting an inquiry designed to save lives, instead of investing in mental health treatment to prevent deaths like Ashley's from ever occurring again?

[Special Olympics, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on national Be a Fan day to recognize Betty Kettle from Channel-Port aux Basques in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's.

Be a Fan day is a Special Olympics Canada initiative to show our support for our athletes, volunteers and fans.

Betty is a valued supporter of the Special Olympics in Newfoundland and Labrador. She participated in her first Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics in 1996. Every year she spends 30 days going door to door collecting pledges. In the past 16 years, Betty has raised more than $20,000 for the organization.

For many youth and adults with disabilities, the Special Olympics enriches their lives by providing an opportunity to participate in athletic events at the local, national and even international level. This valuable organization could not exist without the tireless and selfless work of people like Betty Kettle.

Her efforts have been acknowledged by the Special Olympics and the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador on multiple occasions. I ask all members to join me in acknowledging Betty's contribution to the Special Olympics and to Special Olympians.

[National Defence, October 23rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in espionage cases there is normally some form of sanction against the offending country. It took the Canadian government too long to figure out that Jeffrey Delisle was spying, and we continue to wait for decisive Canadian leadership on this issue.

What has the government done to make clear to the Russian government that this behaviour is unacceptable in a bilateral relationship, and when will there be a judicial inquiry?

[Petitions, October 23rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition on behalf of the residents of the town of St. George's, in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's.

The petitioners are having great difficulty with the government's decision to cut financing for the community access program. The government having done that has caused undue hardship to so many individuals who always used the CAP sites, particularly the one at the library in St. George's, to access the Internet to do some work or some business by using that site.

A lot of those people do not own computers and have no idea how to use them, and when they go to the library, people there actually help them. We are finding their access is being limited. The province is stepping in to try to fill the void created when the federal government decided to back out.

The petitioners ask that the government reconsider this decision. This was a vital service to rural communities in particular and to people who really need that kind of support in a rural community. They are asking the government to really consider, to acknowledge how important those community access sites are and how important it is to continue to fund such sites, particularly in rural communities throughout Canada.

[Ethics, October 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, former Conservative Party candidate, Loyola Sullivan, was also the federal ambassador for fisheries conservation, a high-level patronage position. When Mr. Sullivan left his position to become vice-president in his family's fishery business, everyone in government should have known he was subject to a one-year cooling-off period. Yet the Ethics Commissioner found that Mr. Sullivan contacted DFO, Foreign Affairs and the fisheries minister's office 17 times during this period to lobby for changes in fish quota for the family business.

Why did nobody blow the whistle on this Conservative crony?

[Criminal Code, October 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals agree to apply the vote and will be voting no.

[Increasing Offenders' Accountability for Victims Act, October 16th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals agree to apply the vote and will be voting no.

[Birthday Congratulations, October 16th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable woman living in Clarenville in my riding of Random—Burin—St. George's.

On September 4, Mrs. Lydia Hiscock turned 105 years old. Since 2009, Mrs. Hiscock has been residing at the Dr. Albert O'Mahony Memorial Manor. She was among its first residents and helped cut the ribbon when the facility held its official opening.

Born in the picturesque fishing community of Little Heart's Ease in 1907, Mrs. Hiscock married her husband, George, in 1930. Together they raised eight children and have been blessed with a large extended family. She has 33 grandchildren, 58 great-grandchildren and 27 great-great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Hiscock worked hard over the years cleaning and drying fish and carrying out other chores that were part of the daily routine of our outport life in Newfoundland and Labrador. According to Mrs. Hiscock, hard work and a profound belief in God have been the pillars of her long life.

I ask all members of the House to join me in recognizing Mrs. Hiscock who is now in her 106th year.