House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 42% of the vote.
Justice September 27th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, there has been a representative from Atlantic Canada on the Supreme Court for over 140 years. I cannot believe that all 32 Atlantic Canadian Liberal MPs are smiling at how wonderful this is that this seat could be taken away from Atlantic Canada. I want to ask the Minister of Justice how many of these 32 MPs have approached her to tell her what an outstanding idea they think this is.
Justice September 27th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have told us how wonderful it is for Atlantic Canadians to have a representative from Mississauga in charge of ACOA, and how grateful they should be that some applicants from Atlantic Canada are being considered for the Supreme Court. I am sure for the Liberals that is a beautiful thing. However, this is what they do not get. It is not just their right to apply, these seats belong to Atlantic Canada. Why would the Prime Minister even consider taking away Atlantic Canada's only seat on the Supreme Court? That is what I want to know.
Boys & Girls Club of Niagara September 27th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to stand in the House today to offer my congratulations to the Boys & Girls Club of Niagara for its excellent service to the youth in my riding.
The Boys & Girls Club of Niagara provides programs for over 16,500 children and youth in the Niagara area. Its sole mandate is to provide opportunities for all young people. No child is ever denied access.
Its mission statement is to provide a safe, supportive place where children and youth can appreciate new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships, and develop confidence and skills for life.
In addition to its many aquatic sport and recreation programs, the Boys & Girls Club of Niagara also provides over 47,000 meals and snacks, 1,500 weekly rides, and almost 5,000 beds annually for at-risk youth.
As the Boys & Girls Club of Niagara approaches its fifth anniversary in its new facility, I encourage everyone to continue supporting this worthwhile organization. It is truly a good place to be.
Justice September 26th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I am sure the Liberals think that Atlantic Canadians are flattered by the fact that someone from Mississauga is now running the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Maybe that is why they think Atlantic Canada does not need to have representation on the Supreme Court of Canada. But I am pleased that at least one Liberal member, the member for Central Nova, now agrees with the Conservatives here.
I would like to know about the other 31. Are they going to stand up and do the right thing for Canada and Atlantic Canada?
Justice September 26th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the Liberal minister from Kings—Hants is upset by the way the Prime Minister is treating Atlantic Canada, but that is no excuse for classifying Supreme Court justice appointments as cronyism.
Could he identify which members of the Supreme Court he is talking about, or better still, could he get up and do the right thing and apologize for saying that?
Business of Supply September 22nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question and I very much appreciate it.
The member pointed out that just last week, in fact, the Conservatives met in Halifax and discussed a wide range of issues, including this one. As I indicated, the leaders of the opposition from the Progressive Conservative Parties in Atlantic Canada were unanimous that this was the right thing to continue to do.
We have to respect all areas of our country. We were outside the Irving shipyard. I could not help but think about how proud the Conservatives were, as a government, for having invested in it. It was the right thing to do. People in Atlantic Canada know how to build ships. They know how to do that in Halifax. Again, we are very proud, and it was the appropriate thing to do.
It is a similar situation with the Supreme Court of Canada. When the Supreme Court of Canada was established, regional representation was supported by every prime minister throughout history. As I pointed out in question period yesterday, this is the first prime minister who has called this into question. Why he is doing that? What is the problem?
Somebody may say he does not like the electoral system, the way people vote in Canada. I disagree with him on that, but this has been a huge success, something of which we have all been very proud. I call on the 31 members to please stand up for this. Other members of Parliament in other parts of the country would not disagree with it either. They would disagree with it if the system did not require someone from western Canada. I would not like it if Ontario was not represented on the Supreme Court of Canada. Therefore, I ask them to stand up and do the right thing.
Business of Supply September 22nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, let me just say this. Those individuals, regardless of which part of the country they came from, will speak for all of Canada and they represent all of Canada.
However, I believe it has been an important component of the composition of the Supreme Court that we have honoured this constitutional convention that all areas of the country should be drawn upon for representation on the Supreme Court of Canada.
I would say to the hon. member that if there were no representatives from western Canada on the Supreme Court of Canada, and yes, there were an outstanding individual in the province of Ontario, I believe he would have a problem with that. The hon. member would not be very pleased with that, nor would I. I love the province of Ontario. I love Nova Scotia. I love Atlantic Canada.
Again, I believe it is a good idea. It is the appropriate thing. It is a constitutional convention, and I believe it should be respected.
I say to the Prime Minister, do the right thing and stay with this convention. There are many qualified people, judges who could take on this role from Atlantic Canada. Appoint one of them. That is the right thing to do.
Business of Supply September 22nd, 2016
moved:
That the House call on the government to respect the custom of regional representation when making appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada and, in particular, when replacing the retiring Justice Thomas Cromwell, who is Atlantic Canada’s representative on the Supreme Court.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased and honoured to split my time with the hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton.
I cannot really start this without saying how moved I was by the comments concerning the member for Calgary Midnapore. He has done an outstanding job. I have been very proud to serve in Parliament with him, and I was particularly moved by his speech. I would hope that people who study the history of the House of Commons will include his speech today as one of the great moments in the history of this chamber.
I am rising today in defence of the people of Atlantic Canada in regard to the Prime Minister's questioning of the constitutional convention of appointing a representative from Atlantic Canada to the Supreme Court of Canada. I am speaking on behalf of Atlantic Canada, but indeed I believe everyone across this country has a stake in the constitutional convention that makes up the Supreme Court of Canada. If one is from western Canada, I am sure it would be as completely unacceptable if the Prime Minister started questioning whether we should have a seat on the Supreme Court of Canada. I believe that would be the case.
It was fascinating for me recently to look up the information on file concerning my great-great-grandfather, Alexander Campbell. He served with distinction as the member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia for Inverness County. While they did not have Hansard for many, many years in the way we now have it, they were transcribing people's exact words and would do a summation of what a member of the Legislative Assembly said, and they would publish that. I was fascinated to see, among other things, that he questioned whether Cape Breton was getting ignored or was getting its fair share from Ottawa. I thought to myself how unhappy and how ironic it is today that we are talking about Atlantic Canada being ignored and not being properly treated.
This has been a constitutional convention for over 140 years and is something that has worked well and is only appropriate. This is a vital part of this country. It has always been since this country's creation. There are 2.3 million Atlantic Canadians, and to say that they will now not have that constitutional convention of having a representative on the Supreme Court of Canada is not acceptable.
I am hoping that we in the Conservative Party will not be alone in challenging this. I have had people say to me, “You just have to understand, the Liberals do not like anything about our system. They don't like our electoral system, our voting system; they don't like the composition of the Supreme Court of Canada”. Well that is not good enough. There is nothing wrong with the wonderful systems that we have developed in this country, and what we have done with the Supreme Court of Canada is something we should be very proud of.
It is certainly my hope, as members will note from the drafting of the motion, that it will not be seen as partisan, or angry, or unreasonable. I am hoping that along with us in the Conservative Party, some of the 31 members of Parliament from Atlantic Canada will stand and say the same thing. Okay, the Prime Minister does not like it, but it is the right thing to do. Certainly I have heard a deafening silence, quite frankly, and certainly it is my hope that we will hear from some of the four Liberal premiers in Atlantic Canada. A week ago, I heard from the opposition leaders from the Progressive Conservative Party in Atlantic Canada, who were unanimous in thinking it would be a great idea for us to continue this constitutional convention, that it would be the fair thing to do.
It is not just us in the Conservative Party who think this is a great idea. There is a groundswell of support for supporting the existing constitutional convention. I would like to bring attention to others who have come forward.
One judge, apparently from Atlantic Canada, speaking on condition of anonymity, which I can understand, said:
Universally people feel that it’s a slap in the face. It’s looking at leaving Atlantic Canada out, and there’s really no need for doing it.
René J. Basque from the Canadian Bar Association said:
We would like to see the highest court continue to represent all regions of Canada. Representation of regions, legal systems and population all bring the range of knowledge and perspectives that inform the law.
A letter from the Canadian Bar Association states:
Our highest court must continue to represent all regions of Canada, including Atlantic Canada. Consequently, we urge you to amend the mandate of the Advisory Board outlined in your August 4, 2016 letter, to ensure that the Atlantic Canada vacancy is filled by a meritorious candidate from that region. We also urge you to honour regional representation in filling future vacancies on Canada’s highest court.
There is no problem with appointing qualified judges from Atlantic Canada. I had the great honour of being the longest-serving justice minister, certainly in my lifetime. I was involved with hundreds of appointments. There are outstanding individuals in Atlantic Canada who could do this.
That is all I am asking. This is all my colleagues in the Conservative Party are asking. Let us do the right thing.
We want to reach out to others. Quite frankly, there is a lawsuit by Atlantic Canadian lawyers who are taking this matter to court, because they say, quite correctly, that this is a violation of a constitutional convention. There is no question that it is. I have been very clear that, yes, it would be a violation of a constitutional convention, but I also believe it is the right and appropriate thing to do to have all areas of this country represented on the Supreme Court of Canada. It is not just the constitutional issue; it is the right thing to do.
There are many things that the government and the Prime Minister do not like. They do not like the electoral system in Canada. There are all kinds of things they do not like about the tremendous successes we have had in this country.
However, one of the successes that I think they should leave is the success of the composition of the Supreme Court of Canada. Again, I would say to those 31 members of Parliament from Atlantic Canada, please step forward and have a look at the wording of this motion. This is not overly partisan. There should be no problem with this. Step up, step forward for Atlantic Canada. I believe the people of Atlantic Canada will thank them for doing that. Their constituents will thank them for doing it, because they know it is the right thing to do.
Justice September 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, for over 140 years, Atlantic Canada has been represented on the Supreme Court. It is a constitutional convention, but it is the appropriate and right thing to do and every prime minister since Confederation has supported it, with the exception of the current Prime Minister.
However, my question is not for him. It is for the Minister of Fisheries who has been in the House for 16 years representing New Brunswick. Is he prepared to stand up and do the right thing for New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada? I would like to know.
Justice September 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, for more than 140 years under both Liberals and Conservatives, Atlantic Canada has had representation on the Supreme Court of Canada. It was not just a good idea; it is a constitutional convention. The Prime Minister has called this into question.
Surely, with four Liberal premiers down there and 32 Liberal members of Parliament, there must be one of them who is prepared to stand up for Atlantic Canada.