House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 48% of the vote.
Business of Supply December 5th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, we hear a lot of talk about the Keystone pipeline and how it would go over all these sensitive areas that everybody is suddenly concerned about.
Would my hon. colleague like to address the fact that well over 25,000 miles of pipeline already exist in those same areas, and that this is all about the 2012 presidential election and nothing else?
Business of Supply December 5th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to my colleague. No one will ever doubt her sincerity and I applaud her for that.
She made a couple of points in her remarks about the oil sands and alluded to some things, which I hope she does not think are actually happening, such as the devastation of the boreal forest. Less than 1% of the boreal forest is being used and it is all being remediated back to where it started.
The member talked about water. I hope she would give credit to the oil companies that have invested billions of dollars in tailings pond technology to take a process from what used to take months and years down to a process that takes two or three weeks. I hope she was not referring to supposed damage downstream in places like Fort Chip, where the doctor who proposed that has been shown to be a fraud and has been disciplined by the relevant authorities.
Are these the kinds of things about which the member is talking? The overriding question is if we do not get countries like China on board, what hope do we have?
YOUCAN Youth Service November 30th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, recently I had the pleasure of announcing funding for and visiting an organization in Edmonton called YOUCAN Youth Service.
YOUCAN Youth Service helps young people with barriers to employment and education overcome those barriers and achieve their full potential. I met dedicated staff and volunteers who spend countless hours unselfishly working to give young people facing challenges an opportunity to discover who they can be. I met young people at various stages of turning their lives around. They realized that they do matter and that they do have people who care about their futures.
I participated in a discussion circle, where everyone has a chance to speak openly and honestly. A rock is passed around the circle and the holder of the rock has the floor while everyone listens attentively. What a quaint notion. As the keeper of the parliamentary rock, Mr. Speaker, perhaps it is an idea that you might consider for adoption in this place.
I want to thank and pay tribute to organizations like YOUCAN Youth Service and people like Kyle who make a tremendous difference in the lives of young Canadians. I also want to recognize young Canadians, like Candy, who seize the opportunity and turn their lives around.
I would encourage all of us to be the rock for a young person who needs our help.
Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act November 21st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I will not resort to the math here, but there is a reason why substantially more Canadians voted for our government in the last election than any other party.
The economic action plan has many moving parts. Is there a single element or characteristic of our approach that he can attribute that would explain the fact that Canadians voted overwhelmingly in support of that plan?
Rayne Dennis Schultz November 18th, 2011
Madam Speaker, last week we spent time remembering the service and sacrifice of Canadians in uniform. One in particular struck a chord with me.
Group Captain Rayne Dennis “Joe” Schultz was an Alberta boy who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in July 1940 and started a distinguished RCAF career that lasted 37 years.
During the war, Joe flew de Havilland Mosquitos in the night fighter role with one of my old squadrons, the 410 Cougars. He finished the war as an ace with eight kills, including four in one night, which earned him and his navigator the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Known as “Mr. Flight Safety”, his efforts were recognized by the Flight Safety Foundation and the United States Air Force Aerospace Safety Hall of Fame.
In Canada, he was awarded the Trans-Canada McKee Trophy in 1978. He was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997.
Like many young aviators, I received the benefit of Joe's personal advice and had the privilege of knowing him for many years.
After a fighter pilot's struggle, Joe slipped the surly bonds of earth for the last time, appropriately on Remembrance Day 2011, in his 89th year.
Noctivaga, Joe.
Canadian Forces November 3rd, 2011
Mr. Speaker, July 2011 marked the end of Canada's combat mission in Afghanistan. While the combat mission has come to an end, the Canadian Forces continue to play an active role in training their Afghan counterparts.
The past 10 years have brought about many changes for Afghanistan. Afghanistan has held three elections, government agencies have been improved, its economy has gained momentum, girls are going to school and the Afghan security forces have been provided with invaluable training and mentoring.
One hundred and fifty-nine Canadian Forces members have made the ultimate sacrifice to help Afghans obtain a taste of the freedoms that we hold so dear, tragically, joined recently by Master Corporal Byron Greff, of Edmonton's Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
In addition to Afghanistan, Canadian Forces are serving in 15 overseas missions, including Libya, Haiti, and Sudan.
At home, they save lives during search and rescue missions, provide assistance when natural disasters strike, and protect our nation's sovereignty on a daily basis.
This Veterans' Week, let us remember the service and sacrifice of our Canadian Forces members and their families.
“To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die”.
Ending the Long-gun Registry Act November 1st, 2011
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the heartfelt comments of the member opposite. I know she feels strongly about this but heartfelt does not replace common sense.
The member quoted statistics about what happened after 1995 on the decline in gun deaths, which my hon. colleague on this side correctly pointed out started in 1971. Why was there no increase in the rate of decrease of gun deaths in 1995? Why did it just continue? If the long gun registry had such an effect, why was there no change in that slope and it just continued? It is because it had started 25 years before.
Foreign Affairs October 31st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, this weekend members of the Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Association of Edmonton learned that their imam, Mr. Al-Atar, was detained without charges in Saudi Arabia.
The member for Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont went with his son to meet with this community and its leader to hear their concerns and relayed these to the minister's office directly.
Today we are happy to learn that Mr. Al-Atar has been released by Saudi authorities.
At the risk of repeating good news, could the Minister of State please tell the House how the government quickly reacted to learning of Mr. Al-Atar's detention and ultimately assisted in obtaining his release?
Spinal Cord Injuries October 26th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I stand today to bring attention to a situation that affects over 86,000 Canadians today and 4,300 more Canadians every year.
I am referring to Canadians living with spinal cord injuries at great personal cost to themselves and costing billions of health care dollars every year.
Today, 25 members of this House and the other place are spending their working day in wheelchairs to get a tiny taste of the challenges that people with spinal cord injuries face in everyday activities that we take for granted. This is the annual chair-leader event, sponsored by the Canadian Paraplegic Association, and I am proud to be a part of it.
Many Canadians with spinal cord injuries have accomplished great things and have provided us with inspiration, people like Rick Hansen, athletes like Chantal Petitclerc, and our own colleagues in this House from Montcalm and Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia.
We need to do more than take inspiration from these people. We need to raise awareness of the challenges that all Canadians with spinal cord injury face and do everything we can to support treatment and, what is very important, research and development.
We have made a lot of progress, but there are many steps left not taken.
Business of Supply October 25th, 2011
Madam Speaker, I will just reiterate some of the things we talked about earlier. This is a simple matter of freedom. It is a simple matter of choice. It is a simple matter of treating all Canadians the same.
I am not surprised at the story from my young friend from northern Alberta about Ontario farmers being amazed that western farmers do not have the same rights that they have had forever.
I am amazed too, that we would have such opposition in this place to what is simply a matter of freedom and equality for Canadian farmers across the country. That is what our government stands for. That is what Canadians stand for: freedom and equality. I really cannot understand where those folks are coming from.