Randy Hoback

[Infrastructure, May 11th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, many of Canada's hockey rinks and other community rec centres were built over four decades ago as part of a special national program to help celebrate Canada's centennial year. Over the past four decades these facilities have served as gathering places for friends, families, neighbours and communities. In towns and communities across our country, Canadians have learned to skate and play hockey in some of these facilities.

Can the Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification tell the House how our government is helping upgrade these facilities while helping Canadians get back to work?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, April 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, our farmers are facing real, tough issues. The U.S. has enacted discriminatory labelling rules, the EU and South Korea are breaking WTO rules by not allowing our beef into their markets, and input prices are all over the place. Yet, what is the National Farmers Union protesting today? Yes, the rights of criminals and convicts. We saw it working with the U.S. protectionists earlier this year and now it is prisoners.

Could the Minister of Agriculture tell the House what he thinks the priorities of farmers are?

[Taxation, April 22nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, all the top economists in the world agree that raising taxes during these economic times is absolutely the worst thing to do to help our economy. Yet, that is exactly what the Liberal Party is proposing.

As revealed just last week, the Liberal leader said, and I quote, “We will have to raise taxes”. The Liberal plan is to raise taxes on Canadian families.

While the Canadian government has a strong economic action plan that will reduce taxes by a further $20 billion, the Liberals are now threatening to raise taxes. Yet, in typical Liberal fashion, they are refusing to divulge details in their tax plan.

The Liberal Party needs to come clean. It needs to be up front and honest with Canadians, and tell us what taxes it is going to hike. Liberals need to tell Canadians how much they are going to raise our taxes and they need to tell us who is going to pay these taxes.

[Canada Grain Act, April 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to listen to this debate. It shows the lack of understanding of the opposition parties in how things work in the grain system.

I get concerned because my constituents are farmers. They are my friends and neighbours. They do not want to be driving around in a 40-year-old half-ton. We are trying to modernize this half-ton; we are trying to modernize the grain act.

Why will the hon. member not allow this bill to go to committee and make the modifications there?

[Canada Grain Act, April 2nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I must say it has been a really interesting morning. Of course, I am a member of the agriculture committee. We were in agriculture committee talking to some farmers from Alberta and Quebec. I would have thought that the member for British Columbia Southern Interior, and being from a potato province, the member for Malpeque would have had an interest in potato topics, but of course, now I have found out that they have been here in the House messing around with the grain industry out in western Canada.

It is disappointing for me to stand here today. This is a bill that we talked about. Two years ago in committee, we came up with a unanimous report on how to go forward. Out of that committee report came legislation, which is what we see today. We know it is not perfect and the minister himself has said it is not perfect. It probably needs some refining and some work in committee. I was under the impression that all the opposition parties were in agreement with that and they thought that this would be a wise thing to do.

My colleague talked about bonding. What does he say to the small businessman who now has to buy an expensive bond? What does he say to the farmer who thought he was protected under the existing bonding system, yet when he goes to collect his cheque, he finds out it is only half of what he thought it would be? Does he think that is the way the system should be?

[Public Safety, February 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, there are no members of society who are more vulnerable than the children and youth of Canada. We as a government have a responsibility to protect children from the dangers that threaten them every day. The vast majority of children now have access to the Internet and online community. The massive child pornography bust last week only underscores some of the grave risks children may face online.

Seeing as today is Safer Internet Day, could the Minister of Public Safety please update the House on the work being done by the government to protect our children from these people who are lurking online?

[Icebreaker, November 26th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House today to thank the voters of Prince Albert for the honour of representing them.

I would also like to thank my wife Jerri, my two children Alysia and Brock, and my dad Ivar for their love and unconditional support.

I would like to commend the Prime Minister for his commitment to construct a new icebreaker named in honour of our late prime minister and my late member of Parliament, the Right Hon. John Diefenbaker.

This is a great honour for the riding of Prince Albert. Mr. Diefenbaker clearly understood that Canadians could only fulfill their national dream by accepting the challenges and seizing the opportunities presented by our north. I am sure Prince Albert's proud designation as Saskatchewan's gateway to the north helped him to forge this understanding.

Rest assured that as the Prime Minister and the Conservative government pursue the challenges of the north, Prince Albert's residents, businesses and first nations will be there with their knowledge and expertise, just as Mr. Diefenbaker was during his tenure as my member of Parliament and as prime minister.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, November 25th, 2008]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre for her comments on the throne speech. Even though they seemed a little long, I still appreciate her comments.

One concern I do have is in regard to the Canadian Wheat Board. Of course farmers across the Prairies have voted in favour of changes to the Canadian Wheat Board. Does she not recognize that the biggest threat to the Canadian Wheat Board is to do nothing? The biggest threat to the board not surviving in Winnipeg would be for the board to exist in the same format in which it has existed over the years and not to modify it to meet the needs and wants of western producers. Would she not recognize the fact that producers have been very clear that they want change? They made it very clear not only in a plebiscite but in the election of members across the great western Prairies where the Wheat Board acts. Of course, if we look across the House, how many rural members does the Liberal Party have compared to the Conservative Party?

Does she not recognize the cost to farmers that this organization has borne over this last year? A report which came out last week mentioned the figure of $40 a tonne. On my farm, which is a small farm, $40 a tonne is $40,000. If we apply that across the Prairies, how much money has been left on the table by this organization?

My question is very broad, but regarding the comments she has made on the Canadian Wheat Board, has she focused on what is important to Canadian farmers or on what is important to her and her political background?