Scott Armstrong

[Victims of Crime, February 9th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government operations committee accommodated an NDP request to hear from the Church Council on Justice and Corrections.

When asked if those who rape children should be put in prison, the NDP witness said, “Not necessarily.” That position represents a disturbing glimpse into the ideology which underpins the coalition soft-on-crime approach.

Unlike the NDP, our Conservative government believes that those who commit heinous crimes against our children should not be free to roam the streets and victimize others.

Sadly, we see a pattern emerging here. The member for Ajax—Pickering cares more about inmate morale than he does about victims rights. The member for Vancouver Kingsway tried to remove all references to victims of crime legislation. The member for Outremont tried to block any legislation which would allow fraudsters to have extended parole.

When will the coalition care more about victims than they do about criminals?

[Justice, February 8th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians lose confidence in the justice system when the severity of the punishment no longer matches the severity of the crime committed.

Sexual offences committed against our children are the most deplorable acts imaginable, committed against our most vulnerable citizens, the youth of this nation.

What is the Minister of Justice doing to ensure that those who commit these deplorable acts do not get off with a simple slap on the wrist?

[Business of Supply, February 8th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, I listened with interest to the comments from my colleague across the way. I kind of dispute his attitude on the effect that these tax cuts will have upon small business. Members do not have to believe us, they can believe other people. Bill Stirling, the Newfoundland and Labrador vice president of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, says:

While there are a very small number of very big businesses in Canada that would benefit from the tax cuts, there are hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that would also benefit. [...] The reason is that small and medium-sized enterprises take the cash available from those tax savings and plow it back into the business. [...] They spend money on training. [...] The proposed tax cuts are good for the Canadian economy, good for Canadian workers, and good for the country.

That is from a representative from Newfoundland. I am wondering if the hon. member can explain the difference between his opinion on the effect these tax cuts will have and that of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters own vice president from Newfoundland.

[Canada-Panama Free Trade Act, February 3rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if my hon. colleague is aware that in four short years our Conservative government has signed new free trade agreements with Colombia, Peru, Jordan, Panama and the European Free Trade Association states of Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.

Our government continues to work to open doors around the world so that our producers, our job creators, can continue to exploit export markets and trade from one end of this continent to the other, as well as across the seas in Europe and Asia. We are doing everything we can to ensure we open up markets for our producers.

[Lynn Ross and Richard Hayden, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, Lynn Ross was a dedicated mother and an outstanding classroom teacher at Truro Junior High School. At age 44, she began the school year in perfect health but she was soon diagnosed with cancer and told that she had a short time to live.

After a valiant if short battle against this disease, she passed away, leaving her family, school, students and hundreds of former students shocked by the tragedy of her loss.

Richard Hayden was a giant in the educational and recreational communities in Nova Scotia and a dedicated husband, father and grandfather. He passed after a long and protracted battle against this disease.

Those two were tremendous people who dedicated their lives to the service of others. I was proud to call both of them my friends.

Although we often disagree in this House, I know that we are united on this issue. Cancer is a plague upon the peoples of our nation and in fact the world. It is a plague that at one time or another has struck close to home for each and every one of us.

For those who have suffered—

[Opposition Coalition, December 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, today the Bloc and the NDP confirmed what we have known all along: that after the next election they will try to form a coalition government, led by the Liberal leader. The Bloc House leader and the NDP leader made reference to that fact during their year-end press conference.

Could the Minister of Justice please comment on the pieces of justice legislation and other legislation before this House that these coalition parties have obstructed this fall?

[Public Safety, December 8th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can trust our Conservative government to make their streets and communities safer.

Yesterday, our Conservative government passed a piece of legislation that will strengthen the national DNA databank and the national sex offender registry.

There are currently 20 pieces of legislation before Parliament that, like this piece of legislation, get tough on crime.

Would the Minister of Public Safety please remind this House why we need to get these important pieces of legislation passed without further delay?

[Halifax Explosion, December 6th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, 93 years ago today, at 9:04 in the morning, Halifax suffered a great tragedy when it lost nearly 2,000 of its men, women, and children and saw thousands more injured due to a tragic Halifax explosion that rocked the city. The collision in The Narrows of Halifax Harbour of the Imo and the Mont-Blanc was the largest man-made non-nuclear explosion in the history of the world.

Neighbourhoods near the explosion were levelled. Halifax was in shock with the destruction, the devastation, the wounded and the dead. Despite an oncoming blizzard, relief efforts from local communities such as Truro, Kentville, Moncton and New Glasgow were sent to Halifax to help. Relief efforts from as far away as Boston arrived in the next days and weeks.

The city of Halifax was shattered that day, but Halifax was not broken. The port city lost many, but those who survived and residents who live there today will never forget this tragedy and will always remember those who sent help during a time of need.

[Health, November 30th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister of Health announced the first-year results of the government's cross-country survey of radon concentration in houses. This being lung cancer awareness month, would the hon. minister please inform the House of the results of this important survey?

[National Holodomor Awareness Week, November 25th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, in 1932 and 1933, millions of Ukrainians died because of a politically instituted famine known as the Holodomor. The direct translation of Holodomor means death by starvation, a genocidal policy put in place by Joseph Stalin.

At the peak of the Holodomor, 25,000 Ukrainians were perishing from hunger each and every day. A full third of these were vulnerable and innocent children.

The suffering caused by the Holodomor is, without question, one of the worst peacetime tragedies the world has ever known. As this is National Holodomor Awareness Week, I implore all my fellow members to honour the victims of this genocide by learning more about the Holodomor so tragedies like this will never be permitted to be perpetrated on the innocent in this world again.