House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 38% of the vote.
Citizenship and Immigration October 23rd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, it was this government that actually brought a merit-based appointment system to the IRB. Candidates for appointments are now screened by the IRB before they are recommended to the minister. The Auditor General, Sheila Fraser, recognized these changes when she said in the spring that there were changes to the system and the process would appear to be fairly rigorous.
Maher Arar October 23rd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, during a recent interview with the British Observer, the Liberal leader accused Canada of sending Maher Arar to Syria to be tortured. This is not true. As anyone who has lived in Canada in recent years would know, Maher Arar was sent to Syria by the United States. This was an overt attempt by the leader to mislead Canadians.
What is more, the Liberal leader conveniently ignored that Maher Arar's ordeal happened under the Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, and that it was our Conservative government that apologized to Mr. Arar.
When asked to clarify his smearing of Canada to his British friends, the Liberal leader's office refused. For once, will the Liberal leader admit he has made a mistake? Will the Liberal leader correct his comments, or will he brush them aside and pretend he never made them?
While the damage to his party is the Liberals' problem, rest assured his mountain of misinformation will not cross to this side of the floor.
Justice October 22nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, our government has been committed to restoring justice within our justice system. A key component of that is abolishing the deeply flawed two-for-one practice that allows violent criminals to walk free after sentencing, sometimes following as little as one day in jail.
I am proud to say that I have supported the abolishment of this practice since I earned the right to represent the people of St. Catharines, and I introduced a private member's bill to end this practice.
The Liberal Party supported the end of two for one when it left this place on June 8, but it seems the Liberal senators still favour the practice of extra bonus credit for time served. However, despite Liberal senators' opposition to this legislation, today the bill received royal assent.
The Liberal Party supports tough on crime legislation when the cameras are on and then ignores the plight of victims when the cameras are off.
It is time the Liberal Party of Canada stopped playing politics with our justice system.
Prohibition on Importing Goods Produced by Sweatshop Labour Act October 21st, 2009
Yeah. She just keeps jabbering on.
Madam Speaker, as I have indicated, our government is committed to ensuring that this program remains fair and equitable so that employers receive the services that they need, and that our vulnerable workers are not exploited by the unscrupulous.
The fact remains, employers and their employees are required under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to sign employment contracts, and the terms of these contracts cannot violate provincial employment standards.
These standards include minimum wage overtime payment for additional hours worked and vacation pay. All decent people expect these standards to be respected, and we cannot accept instances where employers violate these standards. If employers fail to measure up to these standards, employees can take their complaints up with provincial labour departments, just as all Canadians can.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada has also distributed information about their rights to caregivers. This information is also available to all.
Madam Speaker, I certainly appreciate some of the comments made by the member for Trinity—Spadina, and in particular, those at the beginning of her comments, with respect to immigrants. I can only think about my parents who immigrated to this country: my father, who landed in Quebec by boat in 1950 and my mother, who arrived by ship in Halifax in 1952. I certainly know of what she speaks as a first-generation Canadian in terms of understanding how much opportunity there is in this country for those of us, either ourselves or our parents, who have come to this country as immigrants, only to then be able to call ourselves Canadians.
I am pleased to rise to address the hon. member's question with respect to the temporary foreign worker program, and more specifically with regard to live-in caregivers. Obviously, the health, safety and well-being of all temporary foreign workers in Canada is very important to the government.
The live-in caregiver program is important as it helps meet care-giving needs in Canada. It also provides the possibility of permanent residence to foreign live-in caregivers. Our government is committed to ensuring that this program remains fair and equitable to both workers and employers while protecting potentially vulnerable caregivers. The federal government is working with the provinces and territories to ensure that workers receive full protection of the law. All levels of government are working to improve the situation of live-in caregivers.
I know I was personally shocked, and so was the member who sits with me on the committee for citizenship and immigration, by some of the testimony we have heard at the immigration committee about the poor working conditions and the treatment, and I am confident that having heard from the witnesses that we all heard from, the committee members left the room even more committed to protecting vulnerable workers from people in positions of power.
Provincial and territorial labour laws establish employment standards such as minimum wage, overtime payment for additional hours worked, vacation pay and maximum amounts for room and board. These labour laws also provide a complaint mechanism for employees. We have consulted with caregivers and other stakeholders, including employers, to hear how we can better ensure their protection. We are also looking at intermediaries and recruiting agencies and the role they play in Canada's immigration system.
To ensure worker protection, there is a legal requirement for signed employment contracts between employers and their employees, and these contracts are subject to provincial employment standards. Our government has been developing regulatory amendments that would help ensure that employers of temporary foreign workers, including live-in caregivers, provide the workers the wages, the working conditions and the jobs that were promised.
We are taking action to achieve our goal of ensuring worker protection, and we are informing workers of their rights and their options for recourse if they are mistreated. I can assure the House that our government is committed to ensuring that the live-in caregiver program remains fair and equitable to workers and employers.
In fact, as the minister has already indicated to the standing committee, improvements are planned for the live-in caregiver program and work is already under way, as the member for Trinity—Spadina knows. We voted together on it to move it forward.
Credit Unions October 8th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Canada's credit union system in advance of International Credit Union Day on October 15.
Member owned and democratically controlled, credit unions offer services that are determined by the needs of their entire membership. Credit unions help communities drive economic growth. Despite the economic downturn, they have maintained their strong financial position and continue to seek ways to enhance services to their members. This commitment to service is evident in more than 380 communities across Canada where credit unions are the sole financial institutions.
Outside Quebec, there are 497 credit unions and caisses populaires with over 1,700 locations serving more than five million people and managing assets in excess of $117 billion. When including Quebec caisses populaires, the total rises to 957, with one in three Canadians holding a credit union membership.
I extend my congratulations to all credit unions, vital components of Canada's economic and social life.
Economic Recovery Act (Stimulus) October 2nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I certainly did not mean to cause you the grief of having to rise from the chair, but it was my response only because of the incredulous words I was hearing from the member. I certainly appreciate the eloquent way in which she presented her facts, but those facts are completely untrue, as she knows.
There is no other government that has worked harder with the economic development statement that we designed. Implementation began in January of this year. Work has gone into it, and 90% of it has been implemented already or is in the process of being implemented. There are 4,000 of 7,500 projects announced by this government that either have a shovel in the ground, are in process, or are nearing completion.
I would like the hon. member to clarify. In her own riding I am sure she has projects under way as we speak. I would ask her to clarify that jobs have not been lost, but jobs have been created. That work is under way. It is true. This government has done more to stimulate this economy than has any of the other G7 nations.
Economic Recovery Act (Stimulus) October 2nd, 2009
You can't even say that with a straight face.
Citizenship and Immigration October 2nd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, as it is currently written, sections in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act allow the government to deny violent foreign criminals entry to Canada. The Liberal Party wants to rewrite the immigration act to weaken those sections.
Here is what the bill says:
...shall be exempted by the Minister from any legal obligation applicable to that foreign national...that would prevent them from being allowed to remain in Canada.
A foreign officer who has supervised or participated in war crimes or, for that matter, people who are fleeing prosecution for serious violent crimes would be exempted from all legal obligations in Canada