Linda Duncan

[Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act, May 25th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I appreciated the presentation of a fellow colleague from Alberta. There were some very interesting points. However, I have the same questions for the member as I put to a number of other members of the government.

First, the government is talking of the need and the interest in beginning discussions on broader reforms. Would the member commit to supporting the tabling of a white paper to bring forward the long awaited reforms that were first recommended in 1985 by a parliamentary committee? The reason I recommend a white paper is we have a practice in the House of landing substantive bills and very little opportunity to amend. Therefore, in deference to first nation, aboriginal, Métis and Inuit communities, will he support a white paper so there can be broad discussion and so we can bring forward a consensus report?

Second, how much money has the department budgeted to deal with the process going forward to the end of this fiscal year to continue the consultation and does it include the issuance of a white paper?

[Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act, May 25th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I have two questions for the member, one on costing and one on the timeliness.

The member has stated that the Minister of Indian Affairs considers that this is a critical issue to address and yet 22 years have lapsed since the recommended reforms have come forward. The government has been in power for four years. I would hardly call that a timely response to a report that has been languishing for 22 years. I wonder if the member could speak to that. We have had 22 years of Liberals and Conservatives who have not addressed those proposals.

Second, it has been the policy and practice of the government every time a private member's bill is tabled to demand that costing be done and yet the government tables for debate this very significant bill in which band councils and first nations will incur substantial costs. Could the member please advise why there is not a line in this year's budget where we could not find billions of dollars to reduce corporate taxes but no resources are available to support the bands in delivering on the bill?

[Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act, May 25th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the hon. member could address the following point. I notice there have been a lot of complaints and a lot of witnesses who have appeared to say would have preferred much broader amendments.

Could the member speak to the issue that the government seems to be responding only to the order of the court, instead of going more broadly and looking at the requests of the affected first nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples?

[Homelessness, May 12th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, homelessness plagues cities everywhere and Edmonton is no exception.

In 1999 a count in Edmonton revealed over 1,100 homeless. By 2008 that number swelled to over 3,000.

Val Stevens did not accept this. A local author, she won an award two years ago for a story on changing public perceptions of homeless people.

My Home Street Home follows a woman who suffers a string of unfortunate circumstances, leaving her homeless. It is based on the lives of less fortunate Edmontonians whom Ms. Stevens met on walks in the river valley, downtown and through my riding. Val Stevens showed the remarkable resilience of women facing tremendous challenges and gave them a voice.

Sadly, Val Stevens died suddenly a year ago. Her family has relaunched Val's book to continue her campaign. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Mustard Seed Church and Hope Mission.

I encourage colleagues to support the campaign, read Home My Street Home and support Val Stevens' efforts to address homelessness in Canada.

[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, May 7th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for tabling the bill. It is very important that we deal with this critical matter.

The question I would like to put to the member is this: Would the member consider also supporting a proposal to tag some of the transfer payments to the provinces so that the long-awaited treatment facilities for crystal meth could be established?

The Government of Alberta quite some time ago under Premier Klein promised to set aside major moneys to established rehabilitation places. This has never happened. That promise was never delivered on to the extent that is needed. As a result, a lot of young Albertans are literally dying from addiction to crystal meth. I speak regularly with parents who are in anguish because there is no place for their children to go, so they resort to crime or simply die or languish under their addiction.

I would like to hear the member's response to that. It is one thing to run around trying to arrest people, but it is another thing to actually try to resolve the problem of addiction.

[Fairness for Military Families (Employment Insurance) Act, May 7th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her incredible speech today. As usual she brings it down to the basic community level. It is absolutely beautiful how she always does this.

It reminds us all in the House that our military and our police officers are part of our community. It is very important when we are bringing forward measures, that we think fulsomely of all the support they need.

I am wondering if the hon. member could respond to my inquiry. We are offering extended parental leave and some level of flexibility, but in many cases the officers returning to Canada are severely injured or mentally incapacitated. They may have to live in another location.

I am wondering if perhaps we should be giving additional assistance and thought to the fact that there might have to be additional support to the family, so they can be reunited and parental support can be given.

[Fairness for Military Families (Employment Insurance) Act, May 7th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I always love to hear Newfoundland representatives speak, being the homeland of one of my grandfathers.

I was interested in the member's comments on the issues raised by the Bloc representatives and on the broader issue of providing financial measures to give more access to parental leave. Does the member think it would be important that we give supplementary support to our officers, including the police and the military who serve all Canadians, that would include expanded access to affordable child care, expanded medical support, for example, for post-traumatic stress, for those officers who return and would like to take up their parental leave but are crying out for additional support so they can be a good parent?

[Katharine Hay, May 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, a very special young woman from my riding lost her lifelong battle with kidney disease at the age of 24. Katharine Hay was born with polycystic kidney disease and had her first transplant when she was in grade five.

With the support and encouragement of her parents, she enjoyed sports, riding horses and became an accomplished pianist. In high school, she took up biathlon winning a bronze medal at the 2001 national championships.

Starting in pre-med at the University of Alberta, she later switched to radio and television at NAIT, hosting a weekly radio show and writing for the student paper.

In 2007, her mother donated a kidney when her transplanted kidney failed.

At the U of A she continued to lead New Democrat youth on campus, bravely running against a cabinet minister in the 2008 provincial election.

When she died, Katharine was training for the Kidney Foundation Gift of Life Fun Run. Her friends formed Team Kat, raising over $8,000. In her honour, Edmonton's Kidney Foundation has named its award for most individual donations “The Katharine Hay Memorial Award”. We will all miss her.

[Fairness for Military Families (Employment Insurance) Act, May 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the member across the House said, I found the member's speech on this bill to be very heartfelt. In fact, it appears to me to be furthering the benefit availability that the government is putting forward. We certainly fully support the amendment the Bloc is proposing and, of course, as my colleague said, we look forward to the Bloc's support of our amendment. I would encourage that the bill be amended to include not just police who are deployed overseas but also the many other officials, including peacemakers, who are deployed overseas to help in missions. We need to ensure that they are also covered.

I particularly appreciated the member's discussion about the breadth of the issue when soldiers return home. Even though the soldiers would like to immediately return and take up their parental leave, I have seen cases in Edmonton where soldiers have returned home and are so traumatized by the war that they have a hard time relating to their newborn children whom they are just meeting for the first time.

It is very important that we reach out and provide even more benefits to our soldiers when they return home. We need to ensure they have affordable access to quality child care and other support to help them when they return home to their families.

I wonder if the member could comment on that.

[Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights, May 6th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, that is an extremely tough question.

I could not possibly go over the 130 countries that have taken the effort to actually enshrine in their constitutions the right to a clean, healthy environment.

I can advise the member that I had the privilege of working in Bangladesh. That country, which operates under a similar system of law as Canada does, has taken that measure and actually enshrined that right. India has as well. I would be here all day if I listed all the countries. A better way to put it is that Canada is among the few nations that have not taken that step, and that is precisely why I have tabled the bill.