House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 35% of the vote.
Fair Representation Act December 13th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the NDP vision is of a two or perhaps three-nation concept, but what I fail to hear in this debate is any vision from either the government or the third party in the House. Would my colleague elaborate a little more on the NDP vision and where they have missed the boat in terms of this debate?
Fair Representation Act December 13th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we think this bill is essentially a battle between two old parties. It is an outdated idea and we think the House needs to move to proportional representation.
We have never really had a proper debate in this country. In fact, the royal commission that looked at electoral reform in the 1990s was specifically instructed not to look at reforming our electoral system. Yet, we still have this back and forth debate about the number of seats and a system that does not work.
Why has the government not looked at the issue of proportional representation and when it will give Canadians a chance to discuss real electoral reform?
Petitions December 13th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Helen Chang, a Burnaby—Douglas constituent, for providing me with a petition concerning hate crimes.
The petition requests that the Attorney General of Canada enact a hate crimes statistics act and implement a standardized mandatory hate crime reporting system.
Unfortunately, intolerance remains a major issue right across Canada, whether it pertains to hate crimes against women, visible minorities or the LGBTQ community. However, community actions such as this petition, or Kaitlin Burnett's Purple Letter Campaign about implementing a gender identity and sexual orientation policy for all B.C. schools, demonstrate how we can come together and stop hate crimes.
Business of Supply December 5th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I find this debate very alarming, and not just today.
I am very proud of the motion that we put forward, but I find the tone of the debate on the other side of the House very alarming. The Conservatives have no plan for the environment, they are trying their best to wreck international agreements, they are cutting funding for our own environmental monitoring here in Canada and they are punishing our scientists for telling the truth about climate change.
I would like to ask my hon. colleague if the Conservatives are taking this approach of undermining our efforts to save the environment, both here in Canada and worldwide, just to please Chinese and U.S. oil companies, or are they doing it just because they are in denial about climate change?
Business of Supply December 5th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague and my colleague from Halifax, for leading the charge in this debate.
I think the government has completely dropped the ball on this and is disappointing Canadians. The government is choosing to speak for a small segment of the oil industry rather than for Canadians at large.
According to the International Energy Commission, CO2 emissions in Canada went up 20% between 1990 and 2009. I would like my colleague to comment on how the NDP's plan for a cap and trade, something that we have all committed to and have campaigned on for a long time, might help reduce these really gross levels of CO2 emissions.
Infrastructure November 28th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, unfortunately that answer will not help Calgary families. If they were not going to receive funding, why were they not told three years ago?
The City of Calgary was told the project only needed political approval. If recreation centres were not eligible for funding, why did the government's website say they were? Why was this information mysteriously removed from the website just hours after the mayor's press conference?
Calgary families are waiting for an answer. When will the Conservatives come clean?
Infrastructure November 28th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the City of Calgary negotiated in good faith with the federal government for three years to build badly needed recreation centres in fast-growing parts of the city. The city spent millions as part of the application process. Mayor Nenshi has pointed to the Conservative government's bad faith on this issue. Why did the Conservatives pull the plug, and why are they taking Calgary for granted?
The Environment November 25th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, we have seen what happens when the government and industry do not consult on major projects like the northern gateway.
The coastal first nations have made clear their opposition to the project and process. Now Kinder Morgan is proposing to double the Trans Mountain pipeline that would run through at least 15 first nation reserves and 30 traditional territories. Failure to negotiate in good faith has left a cloudy picture of rights and title in British Columbia.
When will the minister commit to government-to-government talks with the affected first nations?
Copyright Modernization Act November 22nd, 2011
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Surrey North is a fine educator of high repute in his own right .
The problem is this law is so complex that the ramifications have probably not filtered down to universities and colleges and perhaps even to high schools. That is why we need to discuss this more. The government should ensure that it consults a bit more and talks to universities to find out what they will do to ensure that education continues in the way it should.
Copyright Modernization Act November 22nd, 2011
Mr. Speaker, as an educator for decades and as somebody who writes textbooks, what often happens is students are not aware of what they are learning as they go through their courses, but it is only upon further reflection that what they are learning sinks in deeply.
From my understanding, 30 days after a course ends a great deal of the material that a student might collect has to be destroyed. That is contrary to my sense of what learning actually is. The government has to take another look at this because that is not going to move Canada ahead. It is going to undermine our education system. The government has to have another look at it.