House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 81% of the vote.
Correctional Service Canada November 18th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the new Solicitor General has inherited a department that is plagued by serious problems that threaten the security and safety of Canadians. Of immediate concern are 800 parolees who are apparently no longer reporting to their parole officers, thereby dramatically increasing the likelihood of reoffending.
Does the Solicitor General confirm or deny the fact that Correctional Service Canada has lost track of 800 parolees?
Prairie Farmers October 31st, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the only thing more distasteful than this policy is the government's refusal to take responsibility for it.
In 1996 the first farmer to be charged with selling outside the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly was found innocent. Immediately the minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board rushed out to change the regulations, ensuring that all subsequent charges would result in a conviction.
When will the minister admit that he is personally responsible for sending those innocent farmers to jail?
Prairie Farmers October 31st, 2002
Mr. Speaker, it is Halloween today and the Liberals' policy is as pathetic and scary as their responses.
Today the Liberal government will throw prairie farmers in jail for what is perfectly acceptable in the rest of Canada, selling their own wheat. This is not a complicated issue. Farmers should have the individual right to sell their property to the buyers of their choice.
When will the government stop throwing farmers in jail and give them the freedom to market their own wheat?
Prairie Farmers October 30th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow four of my constituents, Jim Ness, Rick Strankman, Rod Hanger and Mark Peterson, all hardworking and honest prairie farmers, are going to jail. These men are paying a huge cost; the loss of their freedom for defending their rights.
These farmers for justice believe that western farmers should not only be able to grow and market their own grain but that they should have the right to turn it into a saleable good.
The minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board is directly responsible for the injustice these prairie farmers face. I call upon the government to show some compassion, to show some common sense and decency and grant these farmers the same rights producers in the rest of Canada have taken for granted. Give them the freedom to sell their own wheat.
It is time to stop making criminals out of our prairie farmers who are simply attempting to earn an honest living for themselves and their families while defending our rural way of life.
Petitions October 24th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the privilege to present to the House of Commons 14 petitions signed by approximately 1,300 constituents in my riding of Crowfoot. The areas in Crowfoot that are represented in this petition are Veteran, Drumheller, Stettler, Three Hills, Trochu, Camrose, Hanna, Castor, Oyen and Acadia Valley, Flagstaff and Bashaw.
All these petitions call upon Parliament to protect children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.
These petitions reflect the opinion of a majority of Canadians in condemning the creation and use of child pornography. It is my pleasure to present them to the House.
Government Contracts October 22nd, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister stood in the House and suggested that the former solicitor general was the most honest of all the cabinet ministers on the front row. That is a sad commentary on the front row of this Liberal government.
When can the Canadian public expect then further resignations or, at least, when can we expect the Prime Minister to table the report of the ethics counsellor report here in Parliament?
Government Contracts October 22nd, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister justified swiftly dumping the former defence minister by saying he could not give contracts to his friends. Obviously it pays to be a political ally of the Prime Minister. The former solicitor general did exactly that. He awarded a $140,000 contract to a friend, and yet the Prime Minister stands in the House and defends the former solicitor general.
What is the difference between what the former defence minister did and what the former solicitor general did?
Government Grants October 21st, 2002
Mr. Speaker, we have asked the Solicitor General the same questions for the past week and he still has not come up with those answers.
The auditors found that 30% of $4 million worth of grant agreements were not compliant with Treasury Board guidelines.
Could the Solicitor General to explain his department's awarding of grants when there was no documented evidence that the recipients met the specific criteria needed?
Government Grants October 21st, 2002
Mr. Speaker, while the Solicitor General desperately tries to dig himself out of the hole he created while sole sourcing contracts to his political pals, the dirt keeps piling up around him. The rot runs deep and wide in his department. According to auditors, Correctional Service Canada handed out millions of dollars while “ignoring rules”.
Could the Solicitor General explain how $4 million worth of grants were awarded by one of his departments when in some cases applications were never even submitted?
Government Contracts October 11th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the minister's pathetic rhetoric is absolutely appalling and an insult to the Canadian public.
We do not need an ethics counsellor to tell us that political interference on behalf of Tim Banks was wrong, that lobbying the commissioner of the RCMP and Correctional Service Canada on behalf of his brother's college was wrong, that violating Treasury Board guidelines for untendered contracts was wrong, and that giving a lucrative contract to his political pal and two-time official agent was wrong.
When will the Solicitor General finally do the right thing and resign?