Mario Silva

[Petitions, February 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition on the whole issue of undocumented workers, asking the government to take action on this very critical issue.

Today I met with Michael Atkinson from the Canadian Construction Association, and Mr. Atkinson was reporting to me, as he has mentioned to the minister as well, about the critical shortage of workers in the construction sector, particularly given that the average age of construction workers is about 55.

There is a need for about 150,000 people to come into Canada within the next eight years just to fill in the present shortage of retiring workers, so this is a very important issue also for the Canadian economy, which I have mentioned many times. The government has to take action or else it will be damaging our economy.

[Petitions, February 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I also rise to present a petition given to me by constituents in my riding of Davenport. They call upon the government to remove Canadian soldiers from Afghanistan immediately.

The continuing mission in Afghanistan is one that must be debated in this House. The Conservative government forced a vote on this issue with minimal debate. There was no time for discussions, compromise, consensus or education.

The Conservatives used procedures to deny Parliament and the Canadian people the full debate they deserved. Now we find out that they are planning to extend the mission beyond the two years without even consulting this House.

[Petitions, February 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I want to present a petition today from the War Resisters Support Campaign. This organization is petitioning the government to demonstrate its commitment to international law and the treaties to which it is a signatory by making provisions for U.S. war objectors to have sanctuary in this country.

This is clearly an issue in which Canadians overwhelmingly support the previous Liberal government's decision not to enter the war. Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien understood the realities of this conflict and the importance in this case of avoiding unilateral military action outside the conventions of the United Nations.

[Petitions, February 6th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition that calls on Parliament to deal with the issue of undocumented workers.

I had the opportunity in the last little while to again meet with people in the industry and they tell me that there is an incredible shortage of workers, particularly truck drivers. The industry needs about 35,000 truck drivers every year and there are not enough to fill that particular problem.

In addition to that is the issue of the construction boom that is going on in the Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary areas. The median age of construction workers is about 55 years of age. There is an incredible shortage right now and there will be for the future.

Unless the government deals with these issues and resolves the issue of undocumented workers and people who are already here and contributing to the economy, this problem will continue. We hope the government will find a humane solution to this problem.

[Petitions, February 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have another petition signed by members of the Canadian Auto Workers. It again calls on Parliament to look at the issue of undocumented workers. It states the fact that undocumented workers play a vital role in the Canadian economy, that the Canadian government and this Parliament must do everything possible to make sure this situation is dealt with, and that the bureaucratic barriers that impose a lack of eligibility for Canadian citizenship need to be addressed to deal the issue of undocumented workers.

[Petitions, February 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present another petition, one of several that my office has received, dealing with the issue of Bill C-316, calling upon Parliament to reinstate funding to literacy programs cut under the Conservative government.

I present the first of several petitions, which is from the Waterloo region. The petitioners note the importance of literacy for social and economic development and the impact that it has on our society. They recognize the need for Canada to help the 38% of Canadians who have trouble reading and writing. They also recognize that the $17.7 million cut from the funding of literacy programs will contribute to $10 billion in annual literacy costs to Canadians. I stand with citizens of the Waterloo region in calling for the reinstatement of literacy funding and petitioning the government to undertake a national literacy strategy to ensure that all Canadians have the opportunity to achieve this vital skill.

[Black History Month, February 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, in 1995, the Parliament of Canada officially designated February as Black History Month to celebrate the unique contributions of Afro-Canadians to our cultural heritage.

Consider, for example, William Peyton Hubbard, who was the first black person to serve as a mayor, when he served as acting mayor of Toronto between 1894 and 1913.

For those who came from around the world, choosing to settle in Canada in order to build a better life for themselves and their family, the Afro-Canadian culture fully contributes to the wealth and vitality of our country's traditions.

We recently paid tribute to Martin Luther King, who so eloquently shared his dream with the world. We too have a dream, one that is realized every day around us.

I am pleased to extend my best wishes to all Canadians for Black History Month.

[Canada Pension Plan, January 29th, 2007]

First of all, Mr. Speaker, I want to state my sincere congratulations to the member on her new position as critic and also congratulate her for her fine speech, made with passion in this House. Of course, all of us are concerned about this issue, and it is a very important one for which I think we will probably find support in the House among members of all parties.

Sometimes we have to remind members of the House and the public that the Liberal Party is the party of old age pensions and the party of old age security. I recall vividly having a discussion with my friends on this very issue about seven or eight years ago. Many people, and certainly people of my generation, have felt that there probably will not be a pension when people of my generation retire. I think that probably if we had listened to the NDP's recommendations we would not have a pension plan now nor would we for future generations.

We Liberals in fact brought about great stability. The member for LaSalle—Émard, when he was Minister of Finance, brought incredible stability to the pension plan and today we can say that it will be there for the next 75 years and hopefully for many more years to come.

We have to keep straightening out the record because my hon. colleague from the NDP, when he asked his question, certainly was forgetting the fact that the system was practically bankrupt and that my generation would not have been able to benefit from the plan we have today. There was an incredible amount of work done, and there were some sacrifices, yes, but we brought stability to it and in fact the plan that we have today is guaranteed. That guarantee would not have been there. This is something the NDP member somehow always forgets to mention when he states his facts.

[Marriage, December 6th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, certainly, in the last few years there has been an incredible amount of thought given to the whole issue of civil marriage versus same sex marriages versus what in France is called a “pacte civil”. This has been in discussion for quite some time. However, there has been a great deal of work on this issue from leading experts on human rights that this is something that is quite fundamental and is in fact a human rights issue.

If we look at country after country, whether it is Belgium, Spain, The Netherlands or South Africa, these are the arguments that have been espoused. In Canada, too, there has been a great evolution around this issue in the last number of years. We are now in a situation where those who argue against it are arguing also against human rights.

[Marriage, December 6th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I must say that I have profound respect for the work the member has done to support equality for us all. When we talk about equality, it is not only about equality for gays and lesbians. It is equality for all Canadians. It is also a question of respect for all citizens in this beloved country.

The member is absolutely right in what he said but I would like to go a little further. We did debate this issue and every member of the House who wanted to speak had an opportunity to speak. Contrary to what the Conservative members opposite, who are now in government, have stated, which is that we rushed this through, there was in fact a full debate in the House and there were hearings.

At the end of the day, Parliament made a decision and it was respected by most Canadians. Canadians may not agree with everything that Parliament does but on issues of human rights, equality and the charter, at the end of the day when a decision is made in the House I am constantly impressed by the incredible tolerances shown in this country. The people of this country, by and large, do respect our laws, our Constitution and the charter.