House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2011, with 53% of the vote.
Veterans October 31st, 2012
Mr. Speaker, two veterans ombudsmen have said that the Veterans Review and Appeal Board is not doing its job properly. The tribunal's appeal process does not work properly and the dissatisfaction rate is very high among veterans and their families.
When will the Conservatives finally dismantle the Veterans Review and Appeal Board and replace it with a simpler process for processing applications? When will they give veterans and RCMP members the benefits they deserve?
Fundraiser for Developmentally Delayed Children October 26th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the cyclists, volunteers and sponsors who took part in Expédition Pinocchios, a bike tour around Quebec, from Val-d'Or to Mascouche.
This event is sponsored by the Mascouche police force and raises money to help children living with brain damage. At a ceremony in Mascouche last Wednesday evening, it was announced that participants had raised over $40,000 for the Fondation Pinocchios.
This non-profit organization helps parents of children with developmental delays, whether or not they are diagnosed. The Fondation Pinocchios provides sensory, motor and intellectual stimulation activities for children.
Congratulations to the Mascouche police force for the wonderful fundraising initiative they have been organizing for 14 years. I hope they will continue to cycle around Quebec and raise funds for and awareness of this cause for years to come. This is a remarkable event that helps and supports people, and one that we should be proud of.
Strengthening Military Justice in the Defence of Canada Act October 23rd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Trois-Rivières, who always has a sharp sense of humour.
The answer is probably yes. We have asked the question several times in this House and none of my colleagues opposite have risen to answer it. I imagine they were given the order to not ask any questions on this bill. It is unfortunate, because this bill deserves to be evaluated and studied. It has to do with military justice and we all know that our military personnel need a fairer justice system.
Strengthening Military Justice in the Defence of Canada Act October 23rd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, it is very simple. Minor infractions include things such as insubordination, quarrels, misconduct and absence without leave. Do these kinds of offences merit a criminal record? Certainly not.
When a member of the military has a criminal record, it is very difficult for him or her to return to civilian life. A criminal record will make it difficult to find a job or even simply to travel.
This is probably baffling to many people.
Strengthening Military Justice in the Defence of Canada Act October 23rd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult to explain why these amendments were accepted in the past, but now they no longer are. It is probably a lack of interest on the part of the government. This bill is probably not important to the Conservatives. They simply want to slow it down and this is how they chose to do it.
Strengthening Military Justice in the Defence of Canada Act October 23rd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, today we are discussing Bill C-15, an Act to amend the National Defence Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. Bill C-15 is intended to strengthen military justice and as a response to the reports of former chief justice Antonio Lamer and of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
Bill C-15 in fact includes only 28 of the Lamer report's 88 recommendations. It is essentially the latest attempt to strengthen military justice. One need only think of Bill C-41, introduced in 2010, which was also an attempt to respond to the Lamer report. However, the various parties and the government managed to reach a degree of consensus on that bill.
We made a series of amendments to that bill through negotiations in committee. Bill C-15 is far from being a perfect copy of Bill C-41. Bill C-15 does not include the important amendments that committee adopted in the last Parliament.
Those amendments included some of the NDP's proposals respecting the authority of the Chief of Defence Staff in the grievance process, consistent with one of the recommendations of the Lamer report. Changes were also recommended to the composition of the grievance committee so that 60% of its members would be civilians. Lastly, there was the provision guaranteeing that a person convicted of an offence during a summary trial would not unfairly be given a criminal record.
Obviously, this bill contains a number of important reforms. The NDP's support for an update of the military justice system is not a recent development. We have observed for some time that there is a genuine need in this area. That is simply logical, given that Canadian Forces members are subject to regulations that are harsh, to say the least. In the circumstances, this situation must be offset by establishing a legal system that is subject to at least comparable standards. However, a number of necessary differences between military and civilian justice must be taken into consideration if we want that justice system to be truly fair.
Bill C-15 has a number of flaws that the government needs to consider. The bill's flaws can be divided up into three specific areas: the reform of the summary trial system, the reform of the grievance system, and the strengthening of the Military Police Complaints Commission.
Regarding the reform of the summary trial system, the amendments in this bill were not adequately examined. Certain members of the Canadian forces convicted for minor offences face tough procedures that will inevitably lead to a criminal record. Moreover, under this judicial process, accused persons cannot consult counsel, and the judge is none other than the accused’s commander. Such a simple and quick process is appropriate in a purely disciplinary context within the Canadian Forces, but what is being proposed here is quite another matter.
It needs to be made clear that having a criminal record has a real impact. It is not a simple matter of discipline, as is the case in the armed forces, and for good reason. Such a change will have damaging consequences for members of the armed forces in their civilian lives, which is why it is important to make the distinction between the notions of civilian and military in summary trials.
It is important to be mindful of the types of minor military offences, and contrast these with what the bill sets out in terms of criminal offences. An important legal distinction must be made in a context like this where the rights of the accused are at stake.
All that to say that the process involved in the reform of the summary trial system will not lead to fair trials and could significantly hurt members of the armed forces in their civilian lives for no good reason.
The sentences resulting from summary trials are not only intended to have this effect. They are intended to provide an example, strengthen discipline and discourage future offences. With this in mind, the process could be considered normal for the armed forces, given the minor violations and offences that are dealt with there, but those hardly merit a criminal record.
Summary trials are designed to expediently dispose of minor military offences. This fundamental difference between court martials and summary trials must be stressed. It is clear, based on the figures concerning the treatment of offences committed by Canadian military officers, that the majority of cases are subject to a summary trial. Only a minority of offences are subject to court martial.
Let us discuss some of the infamous criminal offences in question. They include, for example, insubordination, quarrels, misconduct, absence without leave and disobeying an order. These are not criminal offences, they are breaches of military discipline. A criminal record, however, will, for obvious reasons, make rejoining civilian life difficult. Getting a job, renting an apartment and, for those who like to travel, travelling abroad, will become difficult.
It is important to note that, on average, Canadian Forces members tend to retire at a much younger age than other Canadians. Thus we see just how many problems this can cause for our military personnel. Is there not a more appropriate way to ensure that justice is served than to impose a criminal record, the effects of which are hard to determine, on people who are being tried for a minor offence without a professional judge and without a formal defence?
Furthermore, the amendments that we proposed to Bill C-41 to expand the list of offences and sentences that are not worthy of a criminal record were not included in this bill. These were sentences that were deemed to be minor and not worthy of a criminal record but that warrant disciplinary measures not exceeding a fine equal to one month's basic pay. This is an important nuance, and we must ensure that these amendments are included in Bill C-15.
Another amendment that was not included in this bill pertains to the reform of the grievance system. We wanted at least 60% of grievance board members to be civilians who have never been an officer or a member of the Canadian Forces. This is a critical requirement if we want to ensure that the grievance board is perceived as an independent, external civilian body, as it should be.
We also proposed an amendment to give the Chief of Defence Staff more authority in the grievance process. Nothing was done in this regard. We must ensure that grievances are quickly resolved in a fair and transparent manner.
Another one of the shortcomings of this bill pertains to the Military Police Complaints Commission. We must increase the commission's authority so that it is able to rightfully investigate and report to Parliament. We must further strengthen the commission by giving it more power to act as an oversight body. This is one of the shortcomings of this bill since this issue was barely touched on.
Today we are talking about reforming the military justice system, in order to bring it more in line with the civilian justice system, while ensuring that the justice process is fair and just for members of the Canadian Forces. That is not the case with a number of the proposed amendments in this bill. Overall, the bill tends to create problems instead of solving existing ones. The government must review this bill and include our amendments that were adopted in committee as part of the study of Bill C-41 and that have disappeared in this bill.
We owe it to the members of the Canadian Forces to give them a justice system that is fair and just. That is the least we can do.
Persons with Disabilities October 23rd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, two years after recording a $102 million surplus, the Public Service Disability Insurance Plan is now in posting a deficit because the Conservatives stopped funding it. And yet, the number of claims is on the rise. This seems to be a completely fabricated crisis that will allow the Conservatives to start denying benefits to people in trouble, especially those grappling with mental health problems.
Will the Conservatives adequately fund this plan?
Official Languages October 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, in addition to refusing to set up the committees that they said they would, the Conservatives are not setting up the committees required by law. According to the Act to Amend the Criminal Code, a committee should have been created already to review the provisions of the Criminal Code pertaining to the language of the accused.
Why is the government still dragging its feet when it comes to official languages?
Persons with Disabilities October 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, as we speak, too many people with disabilities are being excluded from income support programs.
I receive a huge number of complaints in this regard from Canadians who tell me about the obstacles they face when attempting to get the disability tax credit or open a registered disability savings plan.
Given that Canada has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the government must take its responsibilities and obligations seriously. This must be accomplished in a context where the rate of unemployment for people with disabilities tends to be 25% higher than the Canadian average, where Canadians with a disability are twice as likely to live in poverty and where young people with disabilities are only half as likely to pursue post-secondary education.
People with functional limitations have the right to a decent standard of living and access to the labour market. I therefore urge the government to take the required corrective action as quickly as possible in order to ensure that these individuals can fully exercise these rights.
Business of Supply September 25th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Naturally, I would be very pleased to know the reason. I cannot fathom why a person would not be eligible for a tax credit or for the registered disability savings plan. That keeps even more disabled people in poverty. What should we in the House do about it? We should help these people get into the job market, and socially, we should help them to live more normal lives.