Peter Stoffer

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, October 30th, 2012]

With respect to mental health and suicide in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): (a) how many RCMP members and RCMP veterans participated in Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) clinics each year from 2005 to 2012 inclusive; (b) of those listed in (a), how many were male RCMP members; (c) of those listed in (a), how many were female RCMP members; (d) how many families of RCMP members participated in OSISS clinics each year from 2005 to 2012 inclusive; (e) what percentage of RCMP members and RCMP veterans suffer from an Operational Stress Injury; (f) what percentage suffer from (i) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (ii) anxiety, (iii) depression, (iv) substance abuse; (g) what are the statistics on RCMP member and RCMP veteran suicides for the last twenty years, broken down by year; (h) how are suicides tracked for currently serving RCMP and RCMP veterans; (i) what, if any, mental health surveys have been undertaken by the RCMP; (j) what were the survey questions; (k) how many RCMP members were surveyed; (l) what were the conclusions and recommendations of these surveys; (m) what specific steps have been undertaken to address mental health concerns in the RCMP; (n) what efforts have been undertaken within the RCMP to address the stigma of mental health; (o) is the RCMP considering implementing its own OSISS program specific to RCMP members and RCMP veterans; and (p) is the RCMP considering offering its own VIP-type home-care program specific to RCMP members and RCMP veterans or working with Veterans Affairs in offering this benefit?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, October 26th, 2012]

With regard to government expenditures in Nova Scotia: (a) what is the total amount of all government grants provided to the following Nova Scotia ridings from 2006 to 2012, broken down by year, (i) Halifax West, (ii) Halifax, (iii) Sackville-Eastern Shore, (iv) West Nova, (v) Kings—Hants, (vi) Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, (vii) Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, (viii) Sydney—Victoria, (ix) Central Nova, (x) Cape Breton—Canso, (xi) South Shore—St. Margaret's; and (b) what is the total amount of government loans provided to the Nova Scotia ridings listed in (a)?

[Veterans, October 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, what utter nonsense. The fact is, he knows and the government knows that it is funeral homes and provinces that are picking up the financial slack to ensure that our veterans get the dignity they deserve when they pass on.

We are going to ask the government one last time. Will it now put the funding into the last post fund to ensure that every single veteran in this country, who served the country with the unlimited liability, gets the dignity that they and their families deserve?

It is the least we can do. It is our last chance for a grateful nation to thank the veterans for their service. Will the government restore that funding to ensure veterans get the dignity they so richly deserve?

[Animal Memorial, October 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in the House of Commons in the Memorial Chamber, just before the entrance into that hallowed room, lies a statement for the animals who served in the war called the “Humble beasts who served and died”.

On November 3 at Confederation Park in Ottawa, Lloyd Swick, a 90-year-old Korean War veteran, along with artist David Clendinning will realize their dream of a monument for the animals that served in the various conflicts throughout our history. This monument will be a true testament to the horses, dogs and other animals that served our men and women so bravely back then. So many of them sacrificed their lives for the greater good.

I encourage all members of Parliament and people in the Ottawa area to come to Confederation Park at 10 o'clock to see Lloyd Swick's dream of a tribute to those brave animals that served our brave heroes of Canada.

May God bless Lloyd Swick and David Clendinning. This will be a fantastic exhibit and a wonderful monument to encourage remembrance of all kinds in the years to come.

[Veterans Review and Appeal Board Replacement Act, October 3rd, 2012]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-447, An Act respecting the repeal and replacement of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the House for their unanimous consent to introduce the legislation.

Basically, this is a one-page bill that is, quite simply, for our veterans, military and RCMP in this country. I am sure I speak on behalf of all members who want to ensure that our veterans get the benefits they require in a quick and expedient manner to ensure they can get on with their lives after service to their country.

The bill basically says that the Government of Canada must, in consultation with Canadian veterans and organizations, develop new legislation to repeal and replace the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act in order to establish a new and simplified regime that incorporates a medical, evidence-based, peer review process for decision-making regarding veterans' entitlements under relevant federal statutes, and may introduce that legislation in the House of Commons within three days of when this act comes into force.

Once again I thank all members of the House for the opportunity to introduce this legislation.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Motions for Papers, October 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I beg the indulgence of the House to introduce a private member's bill. Unfortunately, I was on the phone when the time for private member's bills came up and I missed the opportunity to introduce my private member's bill.

I seek the unanimous consent of the House to introduce a private members' bill.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 17th, 2012]

With regard to the categorization in the Main Estimates of all information technology spending under the heading “Internal Services”, what is a more detailed breakdown of those aggregate expenditures for the fiscal year 2012-2013, specifically, hardware costs and software costs, including application software, operating system software, data management software, and security software, for: (a) Shared Services Canada; (b) Justice Canada; (c) the Department of National Defence; (d) Public Safety Canada; (e) Public Works and Government Services Canada; (f) Human Resources and Skills Development Canada; (g) the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; (h) Treasury Board Secretariat; (i) the Department of Finance; (j) Citizenship and Immigration Canada; (k) Industry Canada; (l) Department of Canadian Heritage; (m) Transport Canada; (n) Health Canada; (o) Department of Fisheries and Oceans; (p) Environment Canada; (q) Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada; (r) Natural Resources Canada; and (s) the Canada Revenue Agency?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 21st, 2012]

With regard to the Canadian Forces (CF): (a) for each year from 2001 to 2012, how many members of the CF have been medically released; (b) for each year from 2001 to 2012, how many CF members have been medically released with less than 10 years of service, specifying whether they served with the Navy, Air Force, or Land Force sections; (c) considering all the medical releases each year from 2001 to 2012, what percentage of those who served less than 10 years were medically released; (d) what accommodations are made for health and dental benefits and pensions for those who are medically released with less than 10 years of service; and (e) how many members were medically released each year from 2001 to 2012 after (i) one year of service, (ii) two years of service, (iii) three years of service, (iv) four years of service, (v) five years of service, (vi) six years of service, (vii) seven years of service, (viii) eight years of service, (ix) nine years of service, (x) ten years of service?

[Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, June 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, because we are almost at the final vote, I would be remiss not to send--

[D-Day, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, 68 years ago today, Canadians woke up to know that their heroes were landing on the beaches of Normandy with their allies the Americans, the Brits, the Poles, the Australians, the New Zealanders and many others, to fight against the terrible scourge of Nazism that was going across Europe.

Our heroes like Reid Myers of Fall River, Nova Scotia, landed on the beaches of Normandy. Murray Knowles operated a naval gun, and while he was doing that on June 6, his son was being born in Nova Scotia at the exact same time of the landing on Normandy. Harold Chuck Elliott, one of the heroes, landed as a paratrooper at midnight that night behind enemy lines.

These are three examples of the thousands of brave men and women who sacrificed everything for the freedom of Europe and the world.

On June 6, 68 years later, we stand in the House of Commons and thank them and honour them. We say “God bless their memories” to them and their families and God bless Canada. To a free Europe and to a free world, they truly are Canada's greatest heroes.