House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 58% of the vote.
Petitions April 7th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present another petition, containing the signatures of some 700 people. The petitioners ask that the long history of recognizing the rights and freedoms of religion and conscience in Canada be recognized, especially for those in health care institutions and training centres, and that they not be obliged to violate their conscience by being involved in acts of abortion or procedures of euthanasia.
Petitions April 7th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition signed by over 500 individuals who draw to the attention of the House that the value of marriage is the cornerstone of public policy. They ask that the definition of marriage remain as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of others.
The petitioners object to Bill C-23 which extends marriage-like benefits to same sex couples. They ask that parliament withdraw Bill C-23 and, instead, affirm the opposite sex definition of marriage in legislation and ensure that marriage is recognized as a unique institution.
Human Resources Development April 7th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the grants and contributions scandal at HRDC keeps getting more and more sordid.
Yesterday the national president of the union that represents HRDC workers testified before the human resources committee. We learned that employees at Human Resources Development Canada were ordered to review their job creation grant project files, fill in any blanks and backdate documents so record keeping would appear in order. That is file tampering. They were given that verbal directive in January, right after it was revealed by an internal audit that HRDC had mismanaged and improperly monitored $1 billion worth of job creation projects.
We are hearing a consistent message from many credible parties: from the auditor general, from the information commissioner and from the employees at HRDC. We are hearing that the problem of HRDC lies with the Liberal political masters and the very top officials in the department who do their bidding.
Human Resources Development March 29th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I know they are choosing sides on the leadership question over there and a little plug like that I guess does not hurt.
I quote from the 1998 audit of HRDC for senior management. That audit laments this government's lack of openness. It stated “Whether dealing with our special audits or the survey, often there appears to be a reluctance to share information about unfavourable results”.
Why did the HRDC minister ignore even her own department's complaints about cover-up?
Human Resources Development March 29th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the information commissioner, John Reid, appeared before the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and revealed some pretty stunning information about the lengths to which the government has gone to cover up its own mishandling of taxpayers' money.
Since it became clear just how bad the problem at HRDC is, even completed audits have been withheld from us. All it takes for the government to comply with such requests is to place those audits on the photocopy machine, but the government has been stalling and has not been answering requests for information within the legally required 30 day time period.
What is the reason for the delay? According to the information commissioner, Treasury Board and the Privy Council Office have taken on a greater role in the release of documents over the past month, mainly to prevent further public relations damage. Mr. Reid said, “Treasury Board and the Privy Council Office want to know what audits have been requested, whether they contain bad news, and what the official media line will be”.
Who are we to believe? The minister who says that the government is transparent, or the information commissioner who says we are witnessing a “government wide—”
Human Resources Development March 23rd, 2000
Mr. Speaker, these requests are not very complicated. They are simple audits and these audits need only to be put on the face of a copier, no white-out needed.
Has the minister not learned from her mistakes? Many of these requests are for audits like financial integrity and assessing the operational environment of HRDC. Treasury Board has ordered that all departments release internal audits without requiring an access request.
Why is the minister breaking Treasury Board guidelines in addition to breaking the law?
Human Resources Development March 23rd, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources Development talks about openness and transparency yet she continues to stonewall on releasing information.
The Reform Party currently has 30 important access to information requests on which her department is up to a month late. In other words they are 30 days beyond the point of providing that material to us.
Why is the minister not respecting the access to information requests?
Petitions March 23rd, 2000
Mr. Speaker, my last petition is on the matter of taxes.
The petitioners are asking that something serious be done about the high taxes that we have, which have grown over the course of time. They call on parliament to give Canadian taxpayers a break by instituting tax relief of at least 25% in federal taxes over the next two years starting with the next federal budget.
Petitions March 23rd, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I have another petition with respect to the status of pornography in certain provinces in our country.
Two hundred and twenty nine petitioners express their horror that pornography depicting children is now legally allowed within our country and is not regarded as criminal.
They ask for the enactment and enforcement of the criminal code provisions to protect those most vulnerable in society from sexual abuse. They ask that all measures be taken such that possession of child pornography would remain a serious criminal offence.
Petitions March 23rd, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today containing a total of 2,862 signatures.
The petitioners object to the violation of the rights of religion and freedom of conscience by those in the health care profession where they have been stripped of those rights. They cite examples of hospitals where nurses are forced to assist in abortion against their deeply held religious and moral convictions and some have lost their jobs in this matter.
They call on parliament to enact legislation against such violations of conscience rights by administrators in medical facilities and educational institutions.