Ron Cannan

[Situation in Ukraine, January 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I too would like to voice my opposition to the actions of the Ukrainian government in treating its people with a lack of respect for human rights and human dignity.

This is a very high priority for our government. I thank the Prime Minister for all of us for allowing this debate to take place, because I believe this is a non-partisan issue.

More than 1.2 million Ukrainians came here. My papa came from Ukraine. Both my mother-in-law and father-in-law have a Ukrainian background. We just had a great Malanka festival celebration, a New Year's party, to remember the joy and hope for those who have come from Ukraine to make Canada their home for 2014. However, the sad reality is that the people back in Ukraine are being beaten and tortured and treated like animals. The fact is that its government needs to respect human rights and human dignity.

At the end of the night, would the hon. member agree that consensus should be from all parties in the House that we send a clear message to the government of Ukraine to quit beating up the people of Ukraine and allow Ukrainian folks to be part of Europe if that is their wish?

[Citizen of Kelown-Lake Country, December 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege and honour to stand in the House today to offer my sincere congratulations to constituent Amanda Clancy. Amanda graduated on December 4, 2013 from CFB Borden as a logistician, receiving the Most Distinguished Award as top of her class.

Instituted to promote teamwork and leadership among students, this award is given to the student who demonstrates exceptional personal commitment to the support and assistance of fellow students. The recipient is chosen by his or her peers without input from the instructional staff.

Amanda enlisted in the navy in 2012 and is being posted to CFB Petawawa. She has been assigned to the 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, which when fully deployed will consist of 400 personnel.

Amanda's family and community are very proud of her accomplishments, and we wish her a wonderful career. Once again, we congratulate her and thank her for her service to our country. God bless and good health.

[Petitions, December 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise on behalf of a constituent by the name of Alda De Rosa. I met with Alda, and she presented a petition asking for the creation of a legislative ombudsman mechanism for responsible mining.

[Economic Development, November 7th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that supporting innovation in the private sector is key to our continued economic success. While the Liberals and NDP spread fear and uncertainty, we have been encouraging the growth of our entrepreneurs and business leaders with the launch of the western innovation initiative, otherwise known as WINN.

Could the hard-working, intelligent Minister of State (Western Economic Diversification) please outline how our government is creating new economic opportunities in the west?

[BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE AND ITS COMMITTEES, October 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In terms of decorum, I would like to bring to your attention to page 150 of Beauchesne's Parliamentary Rules and Forms related to appropriate language.

We all want to have decorum and respectful debate in the House of Commons. The hon. member from the NDP used the words “verbal diarrhea” with regard to the government. It was totally inappropriate in this situation. We want to respect one another. I would ask you to ask the hon. member to rescind her comments and to respect the House.

[International Trade, October 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, a key part of our government's economic agenda is to open new markets around the world to increase Canadian-made exports.

I am pleased to announce the plan has achieved real success. In less than seven years, Canada has concluded new free trade agreements with nine countries. We are continuing to pursue new agreements with the largest and most dynamic markets in the world.

Can the Minister of International Trade please update the House about the latest success on the trade front?

[Petitions, June 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of numerous British Columbians who are calling upon the government to implement the new mandatory minimum sentencing for those persons convicted of impaired driving causing death and get tougher on impaired drivers.

The petitioners request that the Criminal Code be changed to redefine the offence of impaired driving causing death to vehicular manslaughter.

Also, as the summer is upon us, I would like to remind all Canadians to drink responsibly and to not drink and drive.

[Petitions, June 13th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise on behalf of my constituents in the beautiful riding of Kelowna—Lake Country. I have to two petitions.

The first calls upon Parliament to condemn discrimination against girls through sex selection.

The second is from another part of the beautiful province of British Columbia. Folks in Kamloops are supporting Motion No. 408 condemning sex selection.

[Safer Witnesses Act, May 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, first, I think all of us here in the chamber give great gratitude for our hon. colleague. She is not only serving as a member of Parliament, but she served many years protecting men and women in the community in Winnipeg. That deserves a round of applause as well.

The bill has had numerous consultations with the provinces and stakeholders. As the Minister of Public Safety alluded to earlier, the police association president, Mr. Tom Stamatakis had clearly shown great support at committee. He said:

Further on that point, the specific changes in this legislation that exempt a person from any liability or punishment for stating that they do not provide or assist in providing protection to witnesses will be a direct benefit to the law enforcement community in Canada that is tasked with these particular responsibilities.

As I alluded to earlier, we had Minister Bond from British Columbia. We also had Chief William Blair from the Toronto police. He said:

In Toronto, we have seen the fear caused by intimidation and the threat of retaliation in gang investigations. Witnesses with valuable information are deterred from coming forward. We support the government’s initiative as a valuable step in protecting public safety.

[Safer Witnesses Act, May 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Avalon, a beautiful part of the country. I had a chance to visit there a few years ago with my wonderful wife.

He raises a great point. In fact, my neighbour has been an RCMP officer for about 27 years. He is an outstanding individual and works day in and day out providing safety and security. He works in an integrated force. There is a very high level court case going on right now in my community that he is involved in.

The fact is, we have to protect these men and women, our front-line officers who were exempt from the previous act. That is the biggest change and advantage of the bill. It not only protects witnesses who come forth from the community, but also protects the front-line officers.