House of Commons photo

Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was ndp.

Last in Parliament October 2015, as Conservative MP for Oak Ridges—Markham (Ontario)

Lost his last election, in 2015, with 43% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Infrastructure June 19th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister announced funding would be made available through the public transit fund for Toronto's smarttrack express rail service, which will service the people from Mississauga through Toronto, all the way through to my riding of Oak Ridges—Markham.

The public transit fund represents the largest and longest federal commitment to public infrastructure in Canadian history. It means jobs and economic growth, and it means prosperity for the region.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the member for Mississauga South and the entire Conservative GTA caucus members who have been fighting for this because we know it is jobs and economic growth.

Ethics June 19th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, we have put on the table some significant reforms to the Senate, and now it is, of course, up to the Council of the Federation to look at.

However, I want to quote something: “Can you confirm where these employees will be working? The employment forms indicate that they all live in the Montreal area but they will be working in the Ottawa office? Will they be in a set office [ in Montreal or Ottawa]?”

The response from the leadership of the NDP: they will work “In Ottawa”.

The problem with that is they worked in Montreal in an illegal partisan office, and they should repay the $2.7 million they owe taxpayers.

Ethics June 19th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, as you know, we do no such thing. It was the Senate that invited the Auditor General in to review senators' expenses, and we expect them to co-operate in that process.

At the same time, the report of the House administration found that there are 68 members of the NDP caucus who owe three times as much as the Auditor General identified with respect to the Senate. It is $2.7 million, and as of July 1, the NDP members will be forced to repay by having their wages garnished instead of doing the right thing and repaying it on their own. It is a shame. They should have done the right thing on their own.

Ethics June 19th, 2015

Now, Mr. Speaker, here it is on the last day of this session, and the member for Medicine Hat is still asking—

Ethics June 19th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, when I first got here in 2008, the member for Medicine Hat was asking of the Liberal Party—

Oak Ridges—Markham June 19th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the good people of Oak Ridges—Markham for the opportunity to represent them in this House.

As members know, my riding is the largest riding in Canada, but it will no longer exist after this election. It will be split into four different ridings, and as part of that redistribution, I will be losing the historic towns of King and Richmond Hill or Oak Ridges. I want to thank them for allowing me to represent them.

I wish all of my colleagues a very happy, safe, and healthy summer. It has been a pleasure answering their questions, as much as they seem to have enjoyed asking them.

I thank my great team, Nathalie James, Owen Macri, Jennifer Cagney, Jessica Plume, Amy Day, Jessica Baran, and Carole Halse for their work.

Ethics June 18th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, that member owes the taxpayer $122,000, and refuses to pay it back. Now it is probably because he does not have enough cheques in his chequebook, because has been writing cheques to Québec solidaire. However, he has a problem. Now that there is another Québec separatist party, the Bloc Québécois, he does not know to whom he will write his cheques. Will it be Québec solidaire or the Bloc Québécois?

What the member can do is write one cheque to the Receiver General of Canada for $122,000, and do the right thing.

Ethics June 18th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, bring it on? Bring on the fact that the party across the aisle owes taxpayers $2.7 million. As of July 1, the taxpayer will be bringing it on by garnishing their wages and ensuring we get the money back. What the NDP members could have done is the right thing and paid it back on their own.

I will tell the members what $2.7 million means. It means a church in my riding, the Lemonville United Church, could have gotten an elevator for seniors. It means thousands of disadvantaged kids could have gone to summer camp. It means thousands of hours of English as a second language.

Instead, those members used it for partisan purposes against the rules. The should pay it back.

Ethics June 18th, 2015

Again, Mr. Speaker, the facts are in black and white from the office of the Leader of the Opposition. The NDP said that these people would be working in Ottawa. They actually worked in an illegal, partisan office in Montreal.

Now I have to believe that not all 68 members of the NDP want to go into the summer break owing $2.7 million to their constituents. I hope there are a few of them who will at least do the right thing and pay back the money they owe constituents, immediately.

Ethics June 18th, 2015

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that these cases are not under investigation. However, I would like to read something for the members from a House administration report. It states:

Can you confirm where these employees will be working? The employment forms indicate that they all live in the Montreal area but they will be working in the Ottawa office?

The response from the leadership of the NDP was that they would be working in Ottawa. The problem with that statement is that it was false and made liars out of 68 members of the NDP caucus.

I have to believe that there are some members in the NDP caucus who do not want to go into the summer break owing their constituents thousands of dollars, and I hope—