Patrick Brown

[Petitions, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have a second petition from 100 constituents about missing aboriginal women and girls across Canada.

[Petitions, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from close to 1,000 constituents about Bill C-18. The petitioners encourage the House to refrain from making changes to the bill.

[Vasu Chanchlani, September 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, September 14, I was honoured to attend and speak at a memorial service for my dear friend and mentor, Mr. Vasu Chanchlani. He was not only a close friend of mine, but of Canada's as well.

Mr. Chanchlani was a celebrated businessman and a philanthropist.

Although he came to Canada in 1979, his close ties with his home country of India fuelled his advocacy for building a stronger relationship between our two great nations. As one of the founding members of the Canada India Foundation, he understood the true potential of building a strong bond with India which led to the rich, long-standing partnership that we continue to build upon today.

His passion for education shone through as he gave generously to many of our Canadian universities in the areas of health, research, international relations, and literature, to name a few.

He accompanied the Prime Minister and the Governor General on their official visits to India.

My thoughts and prayers are with Vasu's family at this time. His contribution to Canada and India will never be forgotten and will be honoured forever.

[Petitions, April 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, finally I rise to present a petition from several hundred constituents, on human rights abuses in Venezuela.

[Petitions, April 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to also present a petition from numerous constituents on proportional representation.

[Petitions, April 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I also rise to present three petitions on Bill C-18 and the Seeds Act.

[Petitions, April 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions on Bill C-442, the national Lyme disease strategy.

[Charity Hockey Game, April 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, last night, Conservative members of Parliament laced up their skates along with the Canadian Police Association for the second annual MP police charity hockey game in support of the Robert Warner Memorial Fund.

This fantastic charity helps to distribute immediate financial assistance to the families of officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Each year members of the Canadian Police Association travel to Ottawa to meet with elected representatives to talk about issues of concern to law enforcement and public safety, and this friendly game of hockey is a great opportunity to get to know each other.

I am proud to report that this year's game raised $4,000, with the participation of 17 police officers and 19 Conservative MPs. A special thanks goes out to our coaches and the five federal cabinet ministers who participated.

Police officers are continually faced with diverse challenges while ensuring the safety and security of their communities. I would like to thank members of the Canadian Police Association and all officers for their outstanding service. They are some of our finest citizens.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, April 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I recall when I was a city councillor, the Liberal government of the day had not a penny to support municipalities like mine in Barrie. We asked for funding to expand the GO train. Nothing.

However, when the Conservatives were elected, we expanded the GO train, built two new stations and, across our city, we have seen infrastructure investments, whether it is the expansion of the Georgian College, with the new campus, whether it is the new bridge at Duckworth Street, whether it is the expansion of the regional airport, whether it is the refurbishing of Eastview Arena. There are dozens of projects. I can tell members it is a stark contrast to what happened under the Liberals, where they did not care about infrastructure.

We have made a commitment that is a record investment in infrastructure. I am proud of that commitment to support Canadian municipalities. I am glad we have not continued the Liberal policy of doing nothing.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, April 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to correct the mistakes that were highlighted by the member opposite.

First, it is an absolute error to say that there were cuts in infrastructure. This government is responsible for the largest investment in infrastructure in Canadian history, and we are seeing that go forward in the next decade. It is a rock-solid commitment to municipalities.

I served on a city council for two terms. At the time, there was no support for municipalities. There was no audience, in Ottawa, for municipalities. The fact that we have had such an incredible investment in infrastructure has allowed municipalities, like the one I represent, to invest significantly in real and meaningful projects.

I would note that the member opposite said that unemployment has gone up and that we did not get those jobs back. The member is incorrect. I look at my own community. We had unemployment of 11.9% after the recession and we are down to 7% today. These are successful numbers. Progress is being made. If the NDP chose to support this economic progress, it would see, I think, more support in the polls.