House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 80% of the vote.
Petitions March 10th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition on behalf of constituents who note that Canada is a country that respects human rights and that since 1988 there has been no law to protect the lives of unborn children.
The petitioners call on Parliament to pass legislation that will protect life from conception until natural death.
Committees of the House March 10th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources.
In accordance with its order of reference of Tuesday, February 8, the committee has considered votes 1(c), 5(c), 15(c) and 25(c) under Natural Resources in the supplementary estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, and reports the same.
Interparliamentary Delegations March 10th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I have to two reports from interparliamentary delegations.
First, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation in the 2010 annual session held in Warsaw, Poland from November 12-16, 2010.
Second, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the visit of the Defence and Security Committee held in Afghanistan from October 24-27, 2010.
Petitions March 9th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of constituents who note that Canada is a country which respects human rights. In fact, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects everyone's right to life.
The petitioners have noted that, since 1988, Canada has had no law whatsoever to protect the lives of unborn children. They call upon Parliament to enact legislation to protect human life from conception until natural death.
Petitions February 18th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, the petitioners note that if people are to receive old age security currently, they must have contributed to Canadian society for at least 10 years. The petitioners note that there is a private member's bill, Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (residency requirement), that would reduce that requirement to three years.
The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to defeat that legislation. They believe the 10-year requirement is reasonable.
Petitions February 18th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions.
In the first one, the petitioners note that Canada is a country that respects human rights, including the right to life. They note that it has been over 20 years since Canada has had a law to protect unborn children.
The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to pass legislation that will protect human life from conception until natural death.
Abolition of Early Parole Act February 15th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I was listening to the conversation between the two Liberal members of Parliament. It is interesting that they are concerned about the costing of our justice legislation, but not the cost of anything else.
The leader of the Liberal Party refers to himself as a tax and spend Liberal, not concerned with all these huge programs and their cost, but are all of a sudden very concerned about the cost of the justice program. Liberals have to look at the cost of not passing legislation like this as well.
The member said that we need to hear from the people on this issue, hear what the people had to say. I am shocked if the members opposite have not been hearing what the people have to say on justice issues all along. I have been hearing that every week in and around my constituency. I am very concerned that the member has not heard the people on this. Why is he not listening to the victims of Earl Jones and people like that, people who have committed white-collar crime, which has deprived people of the retirement they worked for long and hard?
Petitions February 15th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present, on behalf of constituents from Two Hills, Innisfree, Ranfurly and elsewhere, a petition that calls upon Parliament to maintain the 10-year residency requirement for Canadians to collect old age security. They call on the House to defeat Bill C-428 which would reduce that requirement to three years.
Seeds Regulation Act February 8th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise to speak to the bill today after listening to that ridiculous rant from the member opposite. I have a great deal of respect for the member, but it was a ridiculous rant. It was over the top. It certainly did not look at this subject objectively at all. After that, it is very tempting to go on a rant myself, but I will not. I will just point out a few things.
The member went so far as to point to the Vatican and bishops who oppose this. I have a lot of respect for bishops as religious leaders. I do not think bishops should be involved in issues like this. There is no evidence at all that genetically modified foods are unsafe. For centuries, modification of one type or another has been taking place when it comes to plants. What is being talked about here is a logical second step.
The party might not be that relevant, but what the member is proposing and what is being proposed in this private member's bill could do a lot of harm to many people who depend on this industry and in particular who depend on agriculture for their jobs.
On one side, I have heard the members opposite complain about the high cost of food and the problems it is creating in certain countries around the world. They rant and rail against the very change that is taking place in agriculture that will allow countries, poor countries in particular, which cannot afford high priced food, to produce food more effectively, more efficiently to better feed their own people.
We have always said we should proceed very carefully. We should base the decisions on science. The decisions on how these things proceed as long as they are based on science should be decided by the industry and by people involved in the science. That is what we propose.
This debate has been going on for more than a decade. I remember shortly after I was first elected 15 years ago there was talk about how, if people ate genetically modified foods, there would be terrible things happening. We have been eating them for 15 years and we have not seen that.
The scientific evidence that there is any danger in these products is not there, but certainly it is the type of issue that the NDP is choosing to instill fear in people about. What is happening here today, I would argue, is fearmongering. That is not an appropriate way to deal with issues in the House or anywhere else for that matter. Why do we not base these issues on science and allow science to determine what happens and, beyond that, let industry and trade take place?
What the members are proposing can be very harmful, because it could lead to barriers to trade that simply are not needed. Canada is a country in which 30% of our jobs depend on trade. In other words, if trade were shut off, as the NDP would like to see, 30% of all the workers in Canada would no longer have jobs. Members of the party always talk about being the party that supports workers when in reality many of their proposals, including this one, would lead to a massive loss in jobs. They cannot have it both ways.
Will members of the NDP go along with these carefully monitored, science-based rules or will they take this overreaction and fearmongering to another level and try to do things that will lead to job losses across Canada and other places as well?
That is the decision they have to make. Their fearmongering is not harmless.
I expect that we will let science and industry continue to drive this issue. I am very thankful the NDP is not more relevant than it is, because it could lead to some very serious issues if it were.
I encourage the members opposite to think about this and not base all that they do on radical politics and, instead, take a more reasonable approach. Do what is good for workers in this country, what is good for the agricultural sector and what is good for people in other countries who are finding the high cost of food difficult. Think about them as well.
The members opposite should allow the bill to go forward in a way that will allow people around the world to be much better fed in the decades ahead than in decades past. That is what we are talking about. Members of the NDP cannot have it both ways. I encourage the members to think about that.
The Budget February 3rd, 2011
Madam Speaker, I sincerely want to thank constituents who attended my prebudget town hall meetings in January, including several mayors, reeves and municipal councillors. Their input into the budget process is both helpful and important.
Generally they were happy with the way the Prime Minister and our government have managed the economy. Most agree that our five-year deficit elimination plan is appropriate. They strongly support our justice agenda and are angry with the opposition parties for slowing progress in this regard. The overall message was clear: carry on as planned.
I sincerely want to thank all who attended. I want to let them know that I heard their message and that their message and the information they gave to me will in fact get to the finance minister to be considered in the prebudget process.