Maurice Vellacott

[Justice, November 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are rightfully concerned when the practice of polygamy is exposed in the country.

Polygamy has been linked to a consistent set of harms, including physical and sexual abuse; physical, reproductive and mental health harms; economic deprivation; lower levels of education; inequality, including both gender inequality and marginalization of young men; decreased political rights and civil liberties; and the commodification and objectification of women. The harmful effects of polygamy justify the criminal law ban.

That is why our government has vigorously defended the prohibition against polygamy in the Criminal Code. It is a practice which inevitably leads to the exploitation of women and young girls. This is unacceptable to our party and to our government. We have already acted to raise the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 and currently have legislation before the House that will crack down on a wide variety of child sexual offences.

I would like to assure all Canadians that they can count on our government to stand up for these important values.

[Petitions, October 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition in which 30 Canadians from Saskatchewan and Ontario want the government to ensure the Holodomor and Canada's first national internment operations are permanently and prominently displayed at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

[Democratic Reform, October 21st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, our Conservative government has committed to moving the House of Commons toward fair representation. We are committed to ensure that any update to the formula for allocating House of Commons seats will be fair to all provinces.

We will increase the number of seats now and in the future to better reflect the growth of faster-growing provinces and we will ensure that the number of seats for the other provinces does not fall.

We expect the support of all members in the House for this important democratic move. That great statesman and Father of Confederation, George Brown, was passionate about securing the principle of representation by population in Canada. Today's members of Parliament should do no less.

A move toward fair representation by population would give more seats to the growing provinces, while protecting the seat counts of all the other provinces.

We are governing for all Canadians.

[Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act, June 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I want to read a message from a British Columbia resident, somebody who voted for the NDP in the most recent election.

He names the leader of the NDP, and he says that he voted for his party in the last election but that now he regrets it. He says that the NDP promised they would look out for the average Canadian's interest but now they are against back to work legislation for the postal workers who are affecting average Canadians. He stated that incomes and payroll are the single most important thing to every Canadian and the postal lockout does not help at all.

He asks when did the unions became the average Canadian. Because the NDP is the opposition party, he says that does not mean they need to oppose everything that is put forward without even looking into the matter.

He says the NDP has become the crying baby—

[Persons with Disabilities, March 11th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise today to recognize the first anniversary of our Conservative government's ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Our Conservative government is committed to removing barriers for persons with disabilities, who play a vital role in the success of our economy and our communities.

Can the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development please inform this House about the important investments our government is making toward this goal?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, March 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to strengthening Canada's economy. Last week Statistics Canada released the 2009 “Bioproducts Production and Development Survey”. The survey confirms that the investments our government has made have sparked the industry, with 43% of those firms reporting having become involved in bioproducts production or development since our government took office. That is an outstanding growth rate.

Could the Minister of Agriculture tell the House how biofuels are benefiting Canadian farmers while boosting the Canadian economy?

[Petitions, December 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition in hand. These petitioners indicate their support for Roxanne's law, Bill C-510, which would empower women to press charges if they are coerced into an unwanted abortion.

The petitioners also reference Roxanne Fernando, a Winnipeg woman whose boyfriend attempted to coerce her to abort their unborn child and subsequently murdered her for not doing so.

The petitioners would also like Parliament to support Bill C-510, which would help protect vulnerable women from being aggressively coerced against their will to have abortions.

[Trade with Turkey, December 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we are a trading nation. Our prosperity depends on our ability to sell our goods to other countries. That is why our government is pursuing an ambitious trade agenda to expand trade, open doors for Canadian exporters, encourage economic growth and create jobs for Canadians.

This week, the Minister of International Trade is on a trade mission with Canadian business to Turkey. While in Turkey, the minister has opened a new office of Free Breeze, a Canadian wind energy company, as well as a promotional office for Centennial College to recruit students from Turkey to study in Canada. As a sign of Canada's continued efforts to engage Turkey in a productive commercial relationship, the minister also opened a new Canadian consulate in Istanbul.

Turkey represents an important market for Canada, with trade between our two countries at over $1.5 billion in 2009.

As chair of the Canada-Turkey parliamentary friendship group, I encourage all members of this place to support our Canadian businesses as they engage with Turkey. I applaud the minister's efforts in these days.

[International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. No government has done more for Canadians with disabilities than our Conservative government.

We introduced the historic registered disability savings plan to help parents and others save for the long-term financial security of a child. Having a child with those concerns and needs, we personally, as a couple, have benefited from that. As a government, we also created the enabling accessibility fund, which is making buildings in communities across the country more accessible. We ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Just listen to what Al Etmanski from the PLAN Institute had to say. He said, “I believe [this] Government is hands down the most effective Federal champion people with disabilities and their families have ever had.”

Our government's initiatives are making a positive difference and we will continue to support the full participation of Canadians with disabilities.

[Petitions, November 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the petition I have in hand is again from individuals who are greatly concerned and draw the attention of the House to the fact that Canada is a country respecting human rights and that in fact we have included in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that everyone has the right to life. They, as with the last petition, remind us that it has been now 40 years that Parliament has had no law to protect the lives of unborn children. So they are asking Parliament to pass legislation for the protection of human life from the time of conception until natural death.