Mario Silva

[Infrastructure, June 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the former Liberal government had a proud record of developing strong relationships with our cities and communities. Desperately needed financial support was flowing to cities like Toronto to fix crumbling infrastructure and to assist them in providing services that Canadians need and deserve.

The current government has abandoned our cities and communities.

My question for the Minister of Finance is simply this. When will the government and the minister show some respect and give some help to the communities across the country?

[June 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, a large majority of the members of this House support the proclamation of this law. A large majority of members of this House are hoping to make Canada a more just society by protecting workers.

Let us be clear about what is happening here. The Conservatives have both the power and the obligation to proclaim this bill and yet one and a half years later nothing has happened. Either the Conservatives do not want this bill to be law or they do not care enough about this bill to put in the necessary effort to make it law.

Today I am offering, not for the first time, to do whatever it takes to see this bill proclaimed into law and whatever it takes to protect these workers.

Will the minister commit today to set up a real timetable for the proclamation of this bill? We can factor in all the obstacles and work together to fix any imperfections. We can prove to Canadians that, like us on this side of the House, the Conservatives in Parliament are willing to do the work for the benefit of people in Canada. Will the minister commit to this today?

[June 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned and alarmed by the inaction on Bill C-55, the wage earner protection program. The bill, which was adopted in the 38th Parliament, has yet to be proclaimed by the government.

The bill is so crucial to so many who have lost their jobs. Bill C-55, or what should be known as chapter 47 on the status of Canada, puts the needs of individual workers ahead of corporations and creditors.

The essence of Bill C-55 is that working people deserve respect and justice. When a company is bankrupt, under the current system, the company and the trustees are under no obligation to ensure that salaries and pensions for their workers are the primary priority for payment. Bill C-55 would remedy this, ensuring that workers would not be left out in the cold.

Due to the inaction of the Conservative government, Canadian manufacturing jobs are being lost at an ever increasing rate. The Conservative government refuses to take any action to protect these jobs in the textile, automotive, forestry, fisheries and other sectors. The least it can do is to ensure that when these companies declare bankruptcy, their workers are protected.

The government has a duty to act. For all the noise the Conservative Party likes to make about leadership, it does not seem to understand that leaders lead through action. The Conservatives claim to support the bill, but if they do, why will they not do the right thing, move the appropriate motions and make the bill law?

Its actions lead me to the sad realization that rather than leading our country, the Conservative Party is simply unwilling to do what is needed to benefit Canadian people. It has made it abundantly clear that if it does not produce headlines, it is not a priority for the Conservatives.

Anyone can climb on a soapbox and proclaim to care about Canadians, but a real leader takes action. A real leader looks at ways to make Parliament work, not to obstruct it and its committees. Real leadership inspires the country, it does not produce inaccurate and unfounded attack ads that mislead and misrepresent. Real leadership is about standing up for what is right and just for all Canadians, not just for the wealthy few.

Real leaders roll up their sleeves and work on the real details on issues like Bill C-55. This is because they make such a difference in the lives of people and Canadians.

Canadians do not need million dollar campaign ads that speak of leadership, but deliver nothing of substance from those who paid for them. If the Conservatives want to show Canadians any leadership, then they are going to have to actually get up and lead. Bill C-55 is an excellent and long overdue opportunity to do just that.

When will the government show the slightest glimmer of leadership and follow the Liberal example on Bill C-55? Let us make this bill law now. It is the right thing to do.

[Foreign Affairs, May 31st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, today I add my voice to the chorus of people demanding justice for Munir Said Thalib.

Munir was Indonesia's most prominent human rights defender and an especially vocal critic of the human rights abuses committed by that country's military. In 2004, on a flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam, Munir was poisoned. The president of Indonesia commissioned a fact finding report, but refused to release the results of that investigation.

I had the honour of speaking with Munir's widow, who with dignity and courage described her quest to hear the truth about her husband's murder. I stand with her and groups like Rights and Democracy, Amnesty International, KAIROS and Human Rights Watch, among others, in calling for the government of Indonesia to put justice and human rights above politics and to release the report. I also call on the Government of Canada to pressure the government of Indonesia to do the right thing.

[Petitions, May 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition signed by concerned citizens of our country calling upon Parliament to protect the health of its citizens by acting to ban the sale of all smokeless tobacco products.

[Petitions, May 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have a series of petitions signed by concerned people who are calling upon Parliament to act against the political killing in the Philippines. The petitioners state that the Government of the Philippines is in clear violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that everyone has a right to life, liberty and security of the person.

The Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, KAIROS, has demanded that Parliament conduct investigations on the killing to determine what we should do in response to these blatant human rights violations.

[Petitions, May 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a series of petitions initiated by people across Ontario which ask Parliament to immediately amend the Non-smokers' Health Act to prohibit indoor designated smoking rooms in all federal workplaces and workplaces that are federally regulated.

In regard to evidence that concluded that tobacco smoke does in fact create health hazards and since indoor smoking facilities do not adequately protect against these hazards, the amended Non-smokers' Health Act would help make Canada a healthier place to live by protecting all citizens from second-hand smoke.

I also want to thank Minister Jim Watson, the Ontario Minister of Health Promotion, who has done a lot of work to organize and start this petition. Liberals are proud to be working together to make Ontario a healthier place.

[Manufacturing Industry, May 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the minister always seems surprised by the questions he is asked.

The government is taking its time with Bill C-55, a bill adopted by the last Parliament. This bill gave us the wage earner protection program to help protect the salaries and pensions of workers in the event of bankruptcy. Because of the multitude of job losses, many families will need this legislation.

Will the Prime Minister finally promise to finalize this bill before the end of this session?

[Manufacturing Industry, May 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, there are hundreds of workers on the Hill today. They are fighting for their jobs. They are fighting for a decent hearing and basic respect from the Conservative government. Textile workers in Quebec, automobile workers in Ontario, forestry and fishery workers, these people deserve answers from the government.

When will the Prime Minister take real action to protect these jobs?

[CP Rail, May 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, approximately 3,200 track maintenance workers at CP Rail are currently on strike. In spite of this, CP is saying that it will continue operations with mostly office and clerical staff.

Less than 300 of them have actual on-track experience and of those, only half are licensed track inspectors. This is a far cry from the normal workforce of 1,200.

Given the ever-increasing number of derailments and rail related deaths across the country, is the minister not concerned about the current work stoppage? Will he guarantee that CP Rail is operating safely and that the public has nothing to fear?