Ralph Goodale

[Petitions, December 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the second group of petitions, 22 of them, come from literally thousands of people mostly across Saskatchewan and some from outside of the province.

The petitioners protest the downsizing of the Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site. They believe that site, which stretches back to the early agricultural history of Saskatchewan, is absolutely fundamental to the province and Canada.

They call upon the Government of Canada to maintain full funding for the Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site.

[Petitions, December 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have two sets of petitions to table this morning.

The first set of petitions include literally hundreds of signatures primarily from first nations people across Saskatchewan. The petitioners protest the provisions in Bill C-45 that specifically discriminate against aboriginal people.

They call upon Parliament to change its mind with respect to the aboriginal provisions contained, they believe wrongly, in Bill C-45.

[Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, December 5th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, one of the truly nice things a member of Parliament gets to do is nominate distinguished citizens to be awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. By celebrating them, we pay tribute to Her Majesty's 60 remarkable years.

It has been a great privilege to nominate outstanding Saskatchewanians who represent the wide range of talent, hard work, community service and excellence that typify our country. Among that group is Mr. Sam Gee. For years, Sam and his beloved wife Morley were pillars of the vibrant Chinese Canadian cultural and business community in Regina. They ran the most popular neighbourhood store. They contributed generously to Regina's rich multicultural mosaic. Always a proud Canadian, Sam played a vital role in drawing public attention to the sad legacy of Canada's Chinese head tax and in securing redress.

It was a great honour to present the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal to Mr. Sam Gee today.

[Government Services, December 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the cuts the government has chosen to make typically hurt low-income Canadians the worst. For them, vital front-line services are eviscerated, but there is more. There is a bizarre attack on public health and safety, maritime search and rescue, emergency preparedness, environmental science, habitat protection, food safety, product labelling and aboriginal health. None of these cuts are in the so-called back office. They are all front-line services that keep Canadians safe.

Why do the Conservatives let their financial incompetence impair public health and safety?

[Government Services, December 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives used their self-inflicted debt burden as an excuse to cut front-line services to the most vulnerable. They drove up federal debt by $140 billion.

Who is forced to pay the price? It is low-income families who cannot get their kids into university, the unemployed who cannot get anyone to answer the phone at EI, newcomers to Canada who are told it is not a federal problem if they get sick and die waiting for their refugee claim, and veterans who cannot get a decent burial.

Why do the most vulnerable need to suffer the financial incompetence of the government?

[Transport, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, from grain to lumber, from chemicals to cars, captive shippers have been asking for legislation since 2007 to provide enforceable level of service contracts. After five years, will we finally see that legislation this week?

Without discrimination, will all level of service contracts include six mandatory elements: services and obligations, communication rules, performance standards, performance metrics, consequences for non-performance, and a dispute settlement mechanism? Will we get that legislation this week?

[Neil Jahnke, December 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, there was never a stronger champion for cattle producers than Neil Jahnke of Gouldtown, Saskatchewan. Colourful, forceful and fearless, Neil was a natural leader who worked his heart out for the industry he loved.

He rose to the top of the Saskatchewan Livestock Association, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, the Beef Export Federation, the Beef Information Centre and Agribition. As Minister of Agriculture in the 1990s, I saw Neil at work expanding markets in Asia, and our exports almost quadrupled. Then, in 2004, as Minister of Finance, I remember how well he fought for $3 billion to help deal with the fallout from BSE.

He earned the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and a lifetime membership in the Agricultural Institute of Canada. He was also inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Neil Jahnke was taken from us far too soon last week. Our thoughts and prayers are with Marilyn and his family.

[Government Priorities, November 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative fiscal record is massive debt, obliterating the gains of the previous decade and eviscerating front-line services to Canadians, especially public health and safety.

The Conservatives squander millions on government ads, but cut prison security, border services, search and rescue, consumer labelling, crime prevention, emergency preparedness, food safety, environmental science, fish habitat, navigation and aboriginal health.

Why do Conservatives cut the most from the vital front line services that keep Canadians safe?

[Petitions, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the second set of petitions, again signed by hundreds of people from across Saskatchewan and, in this case, from different parts of the country as well, draw to the attention of the House the importance of the Prairie shelterbelt program and the historic tree farm at Indian Head, which has been functioning there since 1901.

The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to continue adequate funding for the shelterbelt program and for the tree farm.

[Petitions, November 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have two sets of petitions to file today. There are three petitions signed by hundreds of people from all across Saskatchewan with respect to the historic Motherwell Homestead, the national historic site near Abernethy, Saskatchewan.

These petitioners are commenting on the huge importance of that historic site and calling upon the Government of Canada to continue funding for the Motherwell Homestead.