Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of constituents in Newmarket—Aurora, who are concerned about a new class of pesticides and are asking the government to ban the use of these pesticides for the period of a year for study.
House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2019, with 38% of the vote.
Petitions February 4th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of constituents in Newmarket—Aurora, who are concerned about a new class of pesticides and are asking the government to ban the use of these pesticides for the period of a year for study.
Winter Olympic Games February 3rd, 2014
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are counting down the hours to the start of the 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi. I would like to take this opportunity to wish two individuals from my riding of Newmarket—Aurora the very best on their quest for gold.
Figure skater Gabrielle Daleman, one of our youngest Olympians at 16, will be representing Canada as a member of the figure skating team. Huron Heights Warriors football alumni James McNaughton will compete as a member of our exciting four-man bobsled squad. Both earned their spots through determination, hard work, and the desire to be the best that they can possibly be.
To Gabrielle and James, all of Newmarket—Aurora will be encouraging you every step of the way on your historic journey. I wish the best of luck to the entire Canadian Olympic team in Sochi. We are proud of them.
Go, Canada, go!
Business of Supply January 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, at home in my living room, I have an antique. In 1797, when my ancestors came and pioneered York Region, my great-great-grandfather Jacob Hisey wrote a letter to his brother, John Hisey, who lived in Victoria Square some 10 miles away and it was their only form of communication. Life has changed significantly. One of the things our government has done has been to invest in Internet connectivity across this country. We have put it into many libraries in rural communities. These kinds of initiatives have incredibly changed the way we communicate today.
I have a daughter living in west Africa, and we communicate by Skype all the time. I wonder if the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport could comment about how these changing initiatives have changed the way people are communicating, not only in Canada, but globally. What revenue streams does the Post Office have when it is working for Canadians?
Ukraine January 27th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague talk about the situation in Ukraine. We know that it has been fragile for quite some time, but over the last month and a half, we have seen greater violence. The situation has deteriorated considerably.
One of the things that has really been at the heart of all of this is the Ukrainian people's desire to align with the European Union. I wonder if my colleague has any thoughts on what a trade agreement with the European Union would offer the Ukrainian people in freedom.
Ukraine January 27th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I listened very carefully to my colleague's comment when he said that Canada needs to send a clear message. It was December 10 when we had a debate in the House on this very issue. Since that time the Minister of Foreign Affairs has been in Ukraine with the protestors. I wonder if my colleague could comment on what kind of a strong message that this has sent the Ukrainian people. We believe that is the kind of strong message that Canada has sent, and I hope that my colleague would comment on that and affirm that it is indeed the message we have sent.
Situation in Ukraine December 10th, 2013
Mr. Chair, in my speech, I had the opportunity to talk a bit about the investment that Canada had made in Ukraine, first of all in the electoral process. I touched a bit on the investment that we had made in training judges.
I wonder if my colleague could speak a bit about the influence he thinks that has had on our bilateral relationships.
Situation in Ukraine December 10th, 2013
Mr. Chair, I agree with my colleague that there is no better way to extend the hand of friendship than to meet people face to face.
For a number of years my family hosted young people from around the world through an organization called AFS Interculture Canada. We were a volunteer host family, and we hosted five students who each lived with us for a full year in our home and attended a local high school. There was no remuneration to the host families; they just do it because they love kids.
There is no better way to have an influence in other countries than to get to know people on a one-on-one basis. When people become friends, there is a real opportunity to speak to each other's lives. I believe one of the areas, as parliamentarians, in which we can engage is to meet with our counterparts in Ukraine and have that conversation with them.
I commend my colleague for being a member of that friendship group. We do not have a lot of time here to put into some of these organizations, but they are very important. I thank him for doing what he is doing.
Situation in Ukraine December 10th, 2013
Mr. Chair, indeed, we are very concerned about what is going on in Ukraine right now.
I was part of the foreign affairs committee that went to Ukraine in May 2012. We met with people from the opposition. We met with people from the government. We expressed our deep concern for the things that we could see happening with Ukraine then.
We met with a group of people from the media. One thing that we heard from the media was that it was very difficult for the free media to get the voice of the people of Ukraine out to the people because they did not have advertisers.
I was very pleased to support one of the radio stations. It was a free radio station in Ukraine. I gave them a cheque for $200 of my own money and I bought advertising on that radio station, and just asked them to repeat the message that we wanted to see a free, fair and democratically elected government in Ukraine, and to encourage the people of Ukraine to keep pursuing democracy.
Situation in Ukraine December 10th, 2013
Mr. Chair, I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this debate.
I will be splitting my time with the member for Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette.
I will speak briefly about Canada's developmental systems in Ukraine and specifically about our continuing commitment to advancing democracy and the rule of law.
Our respective nations share historic ties that extend back through generations of Ukrainian migration to Canada. Ukrainian Canadians have given so much to Canada, and Canada remains committed to giving back to the Ukraine.
In 1991, Canada was the first western nation to recognize Ukraine's independence. Since then, we have devoted considerable effort and resources to support the Ukraine's democratic and economic transition.
Good governance is vital to democracy and for achieving the sustainable economic growth required to move populations from poverty to prosperity. It provides the processes and institutions through which a government is accountable to its citizens.
An election is democracy's fundamental accountability process. It is essential that election processes be fair and free to ensure leaders are genuinely accountable to the people they are elected to represent. As we know, this lack of accountability has been an area of deep concern in Ukraine for quite some time. That is why Canada has provided consistent support for free and fair elections in Ukraine over the last two decades by sending election observers to witness the 2004 and 2010 presidential elections and the 2006 and 2007 parliamentary votes.
In 2012, Canada fielded its largest-ever electoral observation mission, sending 500 Canadians as observers with the Mission Canada bilateral electoral observation mission. Overall, Canada provided $11.4 million in support for the 2012 election process, particularly through Mission Canada but also through support to Ukrainian civil society organizations that mobilized thousands of young volunteers to conduct their own election monitoring and public awareness campaigns.
Through its development program, Canada has also provided technical assistance to Ukraine to modernize its electoral laws and systems. Through the implementation of an online training system for electoral commission members and observers, this system is now being used for the repeat elections that are now under way.
Canada is known for its ardent support for elections in Ukraine. The observers Canada has sent to Ukraine over the years have seen the reality of Ukraine's electoral processes. They know there is a long way to go for Ukraine to reach the international standards of free and fair elections.
In 2012, observers witnessed the misuse of state resources, a lack of transparency of campaign and party financing, vote buying, and biased media coverage, but they also observed a real democratic competition, fierce at times, and an unprecedented engagement of Ukrainian youth in domestic electoral observation efforts. This is cause for hope. Without Canadian and other international observers, the situation might have been much worse. Ukrainian citizens are very appreciative of Canada's generous election observation efforts and solidarity. The Ukrainian people yearn to live in a real democracy.
A functioning democracy needs active, informed citizens, well-functioning public institutions, and rule of law. Canadian development assistance to Ukraine reflects this. Despite Canada's ongoing contributions and despite contributions from many other countries wanting and working for a more free and democratic Ukraine, recent events demonstrate that a democratic deficit still exists and indeed appears to be deepening.
Canada has continued to support Ukrainian efforts toward the rule of law. Canadian development assistance work in the judicial sector has helped ensure timely and transparent court decisions in selected courts. This project is introducing a comprehensive curriculum and training program to improve the capacity of judges to streamline the resolution of commercial cases involving small and medium-sized enterprises.
Canada will continue its support for democracy and the rule of law in Ukraine. It continues to be our priority to work in the best interests of Ukraine's citizens so that they can have complete faith in their electoral processes and ultimately reap the rewards of a truly democratic and prosperous society.
International Development December 6th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as I said before, our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Mandela's family, and we thank him for his great service to the world in doing the things he did to fight apartheid.
We have been a stronger supporter of the global fund, which is the fund that is fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
I was privileged to be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday at the replenishment conference, where Canada pledged $650 million. We are one of the highest supporters of the global fund, and we will continue to do our part to help eradicate these terrible diseases from the world.