Peter Stoffer

[Members-Pages Soccer Game, June 9th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House of some good news. This Wednesday select members of Parliament will be playing a select group of ambassadors at 7 o'clock at Ashbury College in a great game of soccer. Hopefully the MPs can be victorious.

However, I regret to inform the House that the MPs' House of Commons soccer club let its fellow members down. On May 8, we played the invincible pages of the House of Commons. For the first time in six years, the mighty MPs went down to defeat. It was a terrific game. I personally have to admit that it was the fault of the goaltender for the MPs.

I also want to mention that two players, one member from the Liberals and one of the pages, received most valuable player awards.

It was an awful lot of fun.

On behalf of the entire House of Commons, I thank the pages for their service to us this year. We wish them the very best of luck in their future.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 28th, 2008]

With regard to the anthrax vaccine administered to Canadian Forces personnel serving in the Gulf War: (a) has the government completed independent testing on the safety of the vaccine; (b) has the government completed a study on the health of Canadian Forces personnel who received the vaccine; and (c) has the government continued to monitor or has it undertaken any follow up studies on the health of Canadian Forces personnel who have received the vaccine?

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 16th, 2008]

With regard to the debts, obligations and claims written off and forgiven by the Federal Economic Development Initiative in Northern Ontario, what are: (a) the types of approval for write-offs or forgiveness under the Financial Administration Act; (b) the number of cases approved by the Minister in 2006-2007 for write-offs or forgiveness under the Financial Administration Act; (c) the amounts approved by the Minister in 2006-2007 for write-offs or forgiveness under the Financial Administration Act; (d) the types of approval for write-offs or forgiveness under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act; (e) the number of cases approved by the Minister in 2006-2007 for write-offs or forgiveness under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act; and (f) the amounts approved by the Minister in 2006-2007 for write-offs or forgiveness under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act?

[National Defence, May 14th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the supply chain of the military supplies everything from pencils to planes. There are 3,000 businesses from Victoria to Gander that currently have access to DND. The privatization of that supply chain will kick them out of the business. As well, 1,600 full time public service jobs will be gone if it is privatized.

My question for the government is very simple. I know it cannot handle easy questions, so I will say it very slowly. Is it or is it not privatizing the supply chain of Canada's military?

[National Defence, May 14th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, in the previous government, the Liberals spent millions of dollars to find out that privatizing the supply chain was not only irresponsible, but extremely costly to the Canadian taxpayer.

My question for the Prime Minister is quite clear. Are there any discussions with Haliburton or any other companies regarding the privatization of the supply chain of Canada's military?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2008, April 9th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I might have a little history check for the hon. member regarding the budget. He talked about the northern allowance. I also remind him of a few other promises the government made when it was in opposition.

The now Minister of Veterans Affairs and Prime Minister both said that if they were elected, they would compensate everybody in the agent orange file from 1956 to 1984. They came out with a package that even the Liberals would not have accepted, and they asked for a public inquiry. It is not done.

The Prime Minister, in a letter to a widow of a veteran, said very clearly that if the Conservatives were elected, they would immediately extend the VIP to all widows of World War II and Korea, not only some. The budget came out and 30% additional widows will get that coverage, while 70% of additional widows need not apply. Why would the government say “all” and only give it to some?

The former defence minister and the current defence minister said to our veterans who had been in Nevada for the atomic testing that the government would have a package very soon for them.

The agent orange people are now in court against the government. The atomic veterans have gone to court. The veterans facing the SISIP clawback are in court. Why do these veterans who fought so hard for our—

[Budget Implementation Act, 2008, April 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is absolutely correct when he talks about the United States protecting some of its industries when it comes to free trade talks. The hon. member will know that in every free trade agreement the United States has entered since 1924 it has always exempted shipbuilding and marine services from those free trade talks.

In fact, when the United States negotiated with Canada in the 1980s, one of the first things it exempted was shipbuilding and marine services, yet we did not do that in our country and now we see the result, which is the decline of the industry in our country. Even though there has been a report sitting on the desk of the Minister of Industry since 2001 and we have had four ministers since then, we still have not seen any movement on this file.

I wonder if the hon. member would like to elaborate. He comes from an auto area and I come from a shipbuilding area, but the problems are literally the same in regard to the lack of action and planning by the government.

[Business of Supply, April 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I want to briefly say that if corporate tax cuts were the panacea to all the problems to help Canadians in this country, I would like the hon. member to explain to me why in my province, since I moved there in 1988, we now have an increase in the number of food banks.

We now have fuel banks to help people stay in their homes. We have obscene lineups now for medicare. Many children cannot get proper education. Seniors cannot get the help they need. Pharmacare prices are out of control and this from the panacea of corporate tax cuts of $100 billion in 2000 which are continuing. Every single time we hear that we are told that it is going to make Canadians prosper.

I would like the hon. member to tell my constituents, with increases in the number of food banks, fuel banks, school supplies we have to buy for kids now because their parents cannot afford it, pharmacare and medical waiting times, why have all these things increased under the Liberals' leadership and now the Conservatives?

[Business of Supply, March 31st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege over the last 10 and a half years to listen to my hon. colleague, when he was in government and now in opposition. In this case he brings up some very valid points. However, all the rhetoric, all the theatrics, all the discussions mean absolutely nothing if he is not prepared to stand in the House, at the very first opportunity, and stand up for Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario Liberals.

On a more personal level, he and I know what it is like to immigrate to Canada. He and I know what it is like to have the privilege of being elected as a member of Parliament although we were not born here. He and I know that there are probably many other immigrants out there who may themselves have that golden opportunity. However, if the government gets its way, they may not have that opportunity.

The way it could be stopped is quite simple. He and his party could stand up and vote against the government at the first confidence vote. Will he now tell the House, tell his constituents and tell all those immigrants he so eloquently talked about that he will do the right thing and bring down the government at the very first opportunity?

[Business of Supply, March 31st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the only reason the Conservatives get to govern like they do is because in their hip pockets they have the Liberal Party.

There is no so-called real Her Majesty's official opposition because if the government were going to work, it would work in the manner that she so inclines, where we help people and veterans and everyone else in this country, where we help the environment, where we help the education system.

The reality is that many things are happening in this country, and only because the government's policies, in our personal view, are wrong, and she has admitted that the government is wrong on many of these issues.

Whether it costs $350 million for an election today, next month or next year, it will still cost $350 million, not the half a billion that she says. Will she stand in the House and, on behalf of her people, say that the government is wrong, the Conservatives are wrong, and have the election at the earliest possible time so that not her, not me, not the government but the Canadian people can decide who is right or who is wrong?