Ron Cannan

[Afghanistan, September 21st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, today is International Day of Peace, which makes us fully aware that in places such as Afghanistan, peace must first be established.

The political naysayers who sit in the safety of the opposition benches and criticize our mission do not represent the truth of this conflict.

The truth is found in the voices of our bravest Canadians: Kelowna's own Private Isaac President and Master Corporal Brendan Hynes of Petawawa, who send this message:

What we are doing here is the right thing. We just cannot turn our backs on these people. No one realizes we fight alongside the Afghan military. I share camps with them...they stand watch with us. Canada is leading the charge and making gains. When all is said and done and the stories come out, people will have much more of a reason to be proud.

These are the voices of those who live and breathe the reality of Afghanistan on a daily basis. To support our troops is to support what our troops want to do, and they want to bring peace to the people of Afghanistan.

[Aboriginal Affairs, June 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, after 13 years of Liberal government, Canada's aboriginal peoples continue to face the same needs, such as adequate housing and safe drinking water.

Liberals would like to brag about their record, but if we can believe it, even one of their own candidates has said that the Liberals have “a devastating record on aboriginal issues”.

Would the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development share his thoughts on 13 years of Liberal neglect and how the Conservative government will take action to improve the lives of aboriginal Canadians?

[Business of Supply, June 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I come from Kelowna—Lake Country. Kelowna has been referred to on numerous occasions during this session of the House. It is obviously of great concern to the Conservative government. I am proud that the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has done a great job of addressing the issues in the short period that he has been in the position of minister compared to the Liberals who were in government for 13 years.

I was a member of Kelowna city council at the time. I was in Kelowna standing outside the Grand Hotel while the talks were taking place and watched the protesters. The off reserve members were absolutely frustrated. They were shut out from the accord, as it is called.

As recently as Friday afternoon I had a face to face meeting with Premier Campbell and discussed this specific issue. There are all kinds of flaws in the proposal. Since I was elected on January 23 I have been trying to get a hold of the Kelowna accord, the document everyone keeps referring to. If the member opposite has such a document, I would like her to table it because it is a real mystery.

I asked Premier Campbell, as I mentioned, and I have spoken with all kinds of other people who were at the event. There are a lot of laudable goals in the discussion paper, as we have referred to it, and principles that we agreed to as a government and acted on. I would ask the member opposite to please table the Kelowna accord if she has such a document.

[Public Health Agency of Canada Act, June 13th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question with regard to the Public Health Agency.

In the summer of 2003 the Okanagan mountain park suffered damage as a result of forest fires. There was a real need for leadership from the provincial side that was somewhat challenged at the time. I appreciate the member saying that the federal level needs to show leadership. I know the provinces will be on side for that because they need stability, certainty and leadership during a national health crisis.

SARS occurred about four years ago and we identified that as a pandemic. It was shouting at us from a national perspective. Why has it taken so long for the Public Health Agency legislation to come forward?

[Education, June 12th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to acknowledge the many outstanding graduates in my constituency of Kelowna—Lake Country.

This has been a milestone month for education as we are celebrating the first ever graduating classes of two new post-secondary institutions. On June 3 Okanagan College held its first ever spring convocation: 209 students graduated with diplomas, while 142 students were given degrees.

On June 9 the University of British Columbia welcomed over 450 new alumni, as graduating students participated in the first graduation ceremony at UBC Okanagan.

In addition, over 1,357 grade 12 students will have high school diplomas conferred upon them. While I would like to congratulate all the local high school students for reaching this great accomplishment, I would also like to send special congratulations to my wonderful daughter, Ashley, who graduated on Saturday from Kelowna Secondary School. Enjoy your prom tonight, dear.

On behalf of the constituents of Kelowna—Lake Country, we applaud all the recent graduates and wish them much success in all their future endeavours.

[Aboriginal Affairs, June 6th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the community of Kashechewan has been evacuated three times in the last 15 months due to flooding, sewage backup or water quality issues. The Liberal government made promises and did not follow through.

The Minister of Indian Affairs has said that he is committed to rebuilding Kashechewan. Could the minister please explain to the House his plan for this community?

[Petitions, June 5th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I would like to present a petition from members of my constituency of Kelowna—Lake Country and throughout Canada. The petition calls for Parliament to enact legislation which would recognize unborn children as separate victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of an offence against their mothers, allowing two charges to be laid against the offender instead of only one. I support the petition and present it.

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the hon. member's comments with great interest. I come from the interior of British Columbia in the Okanagan Valley. We have a diverse community. Obviously part of our culture is wine. We have a great diversity of culture, vineyards and a beautiful eclectic community.

I had the opportunity to be deputy mayor of the city of Kelowna. I served nine years as a councillor. I led a delegation to Japan to look at opportunities for investment in foreign countries for exporting and importing. The member mentioned he had a delegation from Taiwan. We support Canadian business. We support working to help Canadian artists expand their artistic endeavours throughout the world.

By maintaining or enhancing the current restrictions on foreign ownership in the cultural sector, how will this foster positive relationships with countries such as Taiwan, or any country for that matter in the global economy?

[Criminal Code, May 29th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I have some real concerns about the statistics in the member's presentation. It is easy to quote information and state data that might skew the information for the public. The latest national data showed that overall crime in 2004 dropped by 1%, but the murder rate jumped by 12% from the year before. We do not have to ask anybody in Toronto about that problem. It was particularly acute last summer when 52 people died as a result of gun violence.

I believe this is well thought out legislation with improvements to our sentencing laws that will ensure courts hand down meaningful sentences for firearms offences.

The member opposite made reference to house arrest. He said that conditional sentences were tougher than having to serve time in prison. I want him to realize that this proposal does not solve all justice problems in Canada, but it is a step in the right direction.

To clarify, I think the hon. member is stating that people would prefer to serve time in their homes, with luxuries such as watching their TVs and having privileges of freedom, rather than spending time in prison. He believes this is more reflective of the desires of Canadians rather than getting tough on crime.

On May 5 the Winnipeg Sun stated that this was the right message. He has said that it is the wrong message. The Ottawa Sun has stated “Hard line is the right idea”.

Could the member clarify his reference to the leniency and jail time versus house arrest?

[Criminal Code, May 29th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, because of my nine years of experience in local government and chairing the Union of B.C. Municipalities Justice and Protective Services Committee, I know that for local governments, policing is the number one budget item, as health care is for the provinces. In speaking with local government, the superintendent of the RCMP, and crown prosecutors, our community fully supports adjustments to the Criminal Code.

What other organizations has the parliamentary secretary heard from that support the need to adjust the Criminal Code so that we do not have the catch and release program that is in our communities today?