House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 50% of the vote.
Privilege May 1st, 2007
Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the question of privilege raised by my friend. I am unfamiliar with the particular circumstances in question, which were new to me, or the individuals in question. We would certainly appreciate an opportunity to investigate the matter a bit further before we comment and would like to reserve that opportunity to do so.
Democratic Reform April 30th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, it is a sleepy nation that is watching the Senate study the bill to limit the terms of senators. How much detailed study is needed for a 66 word, 2 paragraph bill? So far, it has been over five days for senators to study each single word in the bill.
Today marks not just the Prime Minister's birthday, it marks 11 months since the bill was introduced for the Senate to bring in term limits.
For 11 months the Liberal leader's unelected, unaccountable senators have done everything they could to block and delay Senate term limits. It is a modest but important measure for accountability in the Senate.
The Liberal senators should listen to Canadians, stop their obstruction and delay, and pass the bill the immediately.
Criminal Code--Bill C-376 April 27th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:
That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders or usual practices of the House, on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, private members' business shall be suspended and Bill C-376, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (impaired driving) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, shall be dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence; and at the time for the beginning of private members' business the House proceeds to the adjournment proceedings pursuant to Standing Order 38(1).
Afghanistan April 27th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, when the opposition continues to make false allegations and repeat false allegations there is no wonder the story keeps changing. Every day we get a false allegation and then we must chase it down and put the facts on the table.
When we keep answering false allegations with facts there is obviously a change in the story.
If the Liberals and the other opposition parties would stop repeating and misstating falsehoods, we would no longer have this issue of changing stories because the straight truth would be coming from one source, this government.
The Environment April 27th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, our policy is clear. For the very first time, Canada is forcing industry to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollutants. We will impose mandatory ceilings on industry in order to cut industrial atmospheric pollution in half by 2015.
The Environment April 27th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, Canada has to make a U-turn because it is going in the wrong direction. Since the Liberals promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 1997, emissions have not stopped increasing. We are going to change that.
Afghanistan April 27th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, I am stunned that the opposition continues to repeat false accusations and undermine our troops.
I reference the following CBC report. Responding to news that Canadians have a new arrangement to inspect detention facilities, Dutch Major General Ton van Loon said he has not heard of any specific cases of abuse in the six months he has been in charge of NATO troops. “'I have not been given any reason to think that they would take place,' van Loon said”. He and his officials talk regularly with Afghan police and the country's intelligence service, and with a name like van Loon, I have to respect him.
Afghanistan April 27th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, the opposition members should really stop inventing stories to help the Taliban. If they have any proof, they should put it on the table, and they should put it on the table now instead of repeating falsehoods.
I will quote this authority:
Therefore, it was not imprudent on the part of the government, in the context of our fight against terrorism, to side with a nation that was attacked and not become the defenders of terrorists, as the [opposition] has.
Do they know who said that? It was Jean Chrétien.
Afghanistan April 27th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, the opposition continues to restate falsehoods, although the record has been made clear.
The reality is that the previous Liberal government, which had sent our troops into Afghanistan, had for almost the entire period it was in government no policy whatsoever on detainees. Only at the eleventh hour did it enter into an arrangement which allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross access, an arrangement that the Liberals later attacked as inadequate, their own arrangement that they entered into.
We have since made arrangements with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission to have access to detention facilities and now we are confirming the arrangement that we have with--
Afghanistan April 27th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, the confusion and disappointment on the opposition benches is desperation at the loss of their issue. They were wrong. They said that the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission did not have access to detention facilities. It does. They said that Canada did not have access to detention facilities. We do.
The fact is they keep restating false accusations again and again, and they are doing it today, after they have been proven wrong again and again. Would they please apologize to Canadians, to the troops, and stop repeating falsehoods?