Larry Miller

[Criminal Code, June 19th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, for the hon. member for Thornhill, it was I who stood up a while ago and talked about the survey recently did in my riding. Yes, it was 95%. Maybe that is hard for the member for Thornhill to believe. People in the urban parts of the country, unfortunately, and it is not that they are not smart enough, have different issues than they have in rural Canada.

In my riding in this is a big problem. We have crime, but we do not have it to the same degree. We should not talk of duck hunters, farmers and whomever because there is a crime problem somewhere in the country.

The bottom line is there is a misunderstanding. There is life north, west and east of Highway 7. I know it is a common problem for that part of the world to recognize the rest of Canada. There are issues there. This is about trying to identify and prevent crimes, not just a knee-jerk reaction to a problem.

On that side of the House members say on the one hand that they want tougher crime bills, but their voting record tells the exact opposite. Why?

[Criminal Code, June 19th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. minister for bringing forth Bill C-21. In my last householder I did a survey on this to reassure myself that thoughts had not changed in the riding. It came back and overwhelmingly 95% still felt that the long gun registry had to be, if not revamped, scrapped altogether.

The Liberals reacted to a very terrible incident in bringing in the long gun registry. Some people said that they lied about the cost of it. Grossly underestimated is certainly a fact, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt on that. However, the fact that really bothers me was when a member across the way from the GTA said a few minutes ago that the Liberals supported toughening up the sentencing for gun crimes, but they voted very recently against that. It is pretty hard to say that is literally not telling the truth. What are the reasons for that? Could the minister comment on that?

[Ottawa Senators, June 14th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Ottawa Senators' great Stanley Cup run ended after a tough series against the Anaheim Ducks. The Sens were led in the trenches and on the bench by 28-year-old right winger Chris Neil.

Chris was born and raised in the town of Flesherton, in my riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, and has played for the Senators since 1998. He is a power forward who plays with the heart of a lion.

Chris was an integral part of the Sens run in the 2007 playoffs and made his presence known both on the bench and along the boards.

Chris Neil is a fan favourite, both in Ottawa and in Flesherton. During the Stanley Cup finals, hundreds of fans, including his father Barry and brothers Jeff, Dan and Jason packed the hometown arena to watch their hero. The town of Flesherton was red, covered in ribbons and other decorations to show its support.

Congratulations to Chris Neil on a great season and for being a great ambassador for the riding and the sport of hockey. We are all proud of him.

[Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, June 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague, the member for Kildonan—St. Paul, on her work in the status of women committee and in particular on the issue of the trafficking of humans. Her work is very commendable. She has done a lot of hard work over the years.

We debate bills from time to time in the House and we try to get it right. I think we have got this one right for the most part. There may be something we could say about any bill that has ever been debated here.

I want to ask my colleague if she agrees with me that we have had inaction on this issue for years, just nothing. There was strippergate a few years ago. Young women, particularly from Romania, came over here looking for a better life and it was not a better life in a lot of cases.

We have to move ahead. Will the bill eliminate the situation where women who came from Romania and other countries were exploited? What will it do further to that to help protect against human trafficking? I ask the member for her comments.

[Government Programs, June 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, in 16 months the government has delivered choice in child care, several improvements to EI and is supporting post-secondary education after 13 years of neglect.

On the other hand, the opposition offers a child care bill with more amendments than clauses. It is passing EI bills that add $6.2 billion in new annual costs with little study on their effectiveness and it is proposing a bill that would cut $5.4 million in education transfers to Quebec.

Would the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development tell Canadians a little more about the government's planned initiatives?

[SEVEC, May 31st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about SEVEC, the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada, an organization that has been bringing together young Canadians from different parts of the country for over 70 years.

SEVEC's youth exchanges provide practical experience for students between the ages of 12 to 17 to learn about their second language, experience a different culture and volunteer in two communities in Canada.

I am very proud that one of the largest SEVEC exchange groups is from my riding. As I speak, Hillcrest public school students in Owen Sound are hosting an exchange group from Quebec. Also, it was my pleasure today to meet SEVEC participants from across the country who are on the Hill to talk to MPs about their experiences.

Many students from my riding and certainly from across the country have benefited from this great program. They are the future leaders of this country. I am very proud that this government strongly supports a great program.

[Former Parliamentarians, May 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, today we honour parliamentarians who have passed away in the last year. This commemoration is one of the special days during which our national flag is lowered to half-mast.

This gesture is done out of honour and respect in conjunction with the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians. This group provides non-partisan support for the parliamentary system and fosters good relations between the Senate, this House of Commons and former parliamentarians.

By honouring this fine group of people who have served their country, and in doing so with the former parliamentarians, we make a continuing commitment to strengthen the institutions of democracy and public participation in the political process in Canada.

As members of Parliament, we are privileged to represent Canadians in this great House that Sir John A. Macdonald built. There have been 4,015 MPs in the history of Parliament and it is an honour for each of us to serve our country.

Congratulations to the members of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians for keeping alive the memory of those who have gone before us in this House.

[MS Awareness Month, May 11th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, May is MS Awareness Month. It was great for me to able to meet with victims of MS on May 9 and to accept a red carnation to wear as a symbol of our support to find a cure for this crippling disease.

Most of us know someone with MS. Personally, my sister Mary Lou suffers from MS and friends, Dianne Hepburn and Tammy Graver, have also been diagnosed with MS.

On April 14, it was my pleasure to participate in the MS Walk for Life in Owen Sound and to be a proud member of Mandy Maisonneuve's “Dream Team”. Mandy, a neighbour and a 30-year-old mother of two young boys, has been diagnosed with MS.

For these four young women, all from my hometown of Wiarton, and for all the sufferers of multiple sclerosis, we must keep up the fight to find a cure for this serious and debilitating disease. I ask all my colleagues in the House to join me in this great cause.

[Senate Appointment Consultations Act, May 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I do not like to speculate in this place, but I will use accountability, for an example.

It is something that should have been passed. We all want accountability, at least one would think that we all would in the House. A very simple act should have taken no time at all. While I forget the exact amount of time, it was almost an embarrassment to that great institution over there how it was dragged and drawn out. I do not know whether that is the reason they do not want to see, as long as we are in government, things improve over there. I have no idea.

I know previously a colleague from British Columbia over there talked about the leadership. I know my colleague from Selkirk—Interlake and I are proud to stand behind our leader. I am sure that hon. colleague from British Columbia wishes he was still over here.

[Senate Appointment Consultations Act, May 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for what looks like support for Senate reform. That is good to hear.

When it comes to reforming the Senate, there are further changes I personally would like to see. I ask my colleague across the way to support the government in getting those. In the meantime the indication has been that they will not support the full changes needed for Senate reform.

What we do, like the government did a few years ago when it made the reform changes in as far as limiting the age and making one sit at meetings, is some reform a little at a time. It is not the way we all want to maybe see it happen, but we are trying do a little at a time.

I look very forward to the final vote on this and to see the members support it. I hope the member will be persuaded and that the rest of his colleagues will do the same thing.