Scott Reid

[Business Development Bank Of Canada, May 14th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, for the second time in a month officials of the Business Development Bank are claiming that an internal document obtained by the media is a forgery. Last month it was a financial record. This time it is a chronology relating to the recall of the $615,000 loan for which the Prime Minister had personally lobbied.

The accusation that forgeries are being either produced or leaked on a recurring basis is a serious charge. On what grounds is this accusation being made?

[St. George's Anglican Church, May 14th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the parishioners of St. George's Anglican Church in Clayton, Ontario, who are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their church this year.

I am happy to welcome the most Rev. Michael Peers, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, who visited St. George's this past Saturday, May 12, to begin the anniversary celebrations.

St. George's Church enjoys a proud and distinguished heritage. In 1899, the decision was made by the local congregation to erect a new structure to replace the original Grace Church in Clayton.

With almost all the labour and money donated by the parishioners, the cornerstone was laid on Victoria Day, 1901, and the church was officially opened by the bishop on October 23 of the same year. It is an architectural marvel that is admired, and it impresses engineers and artists to this day.

Today St. George's Church plays the same important role that it has served for four generations. Under its current rector, Father David Andrew, the congregation of St. George's is growing.

To all the congregation of St. George's, I wish a happy 100th anniversary and God bless them.

[Petitions, May 10th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition today on behalf of over 300 Canadians, mostly residents in my riding but also some in Nepean, Kingston and elsewhere.

The petitioners call upon parliament to immediately place a moratorium on the cosmetic use of chemical pesticides until such time as there is scientific evidence demonstrating that these pesticides are safe.

[Supply, May 8th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, the other area under the federal jurisdiction where there are problems is on military bases, for example at Valcartier. The federal government has not taken action and did not take action for years with regard to pollution affecting the town of Shannon in Quebec. We see a federal government which has taken no leadership action.

Why does the hon. gentleman's motion not focus on setting a federal leadership role in areas that are directly under the federal government's jurisdiction so that it can lead by example. Why is that absent from his motion?

[Supply, May 8th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, I want to ask the hon. gentleman a couple of questions with regard to his eloquent speech.

He defended very eloquently the rights of provinces to be autonomous in their own areas of jurisdiction. Of course that is not what the motion says. I think the hon. gentleman may have reconsidered how he wanted to phrase his words before the House when he realized the Bloc Quebecois would not be supporting him.

Frankly, I look at the federal record on water in areas that are within the federal government's jurisdiction and it is deplorable. We do not see that being addressed here. This is one area where the federal government could act effectively, forcefully and could improve a standard which quite frankly is the worst in the country, not the best. The federal government has shown no leadership. On the contrary, the federal government has been the worst offender in this regard.

I will make the point that will allow me to raise the question. Last Friday it was reported that Matthew Coon Come had observed that one in eight aboriginal communities, areas where the water supply was under the federal jurisdiction, had unsafe water. A 1995 report indicated that one in five aboriginal communities had substandard water of the 171 reserves across the country.

Another area that is under federal jurisdiction is the—

[Petitions, May 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting a petition signed by 130 citizens, mostly from the Ottawa area but a few from other provinces as well.

They draw to the attention of the House the intolerable human rights situation in the southern Sudan. They pray that the House and parliament make representations to the Sudanese government on behalf of human rights in that country.

They pray that parliament amend the Special Economic Measures Act so that the Canadian government can initiate a policy that would be reflective of the need for human rights in that country, particularly with regard to Christians in the southern Sudan.

[Ethics Counsellor, April 27th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the ethics counsellor has participated in seminars about ethics, corruption, conflict of interest and public sector values in China, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, the U.K., France, Chile and the United States. In all that is 10 countries in every hemisphere and on every continent other than Antarctica and Africa.

With all this international travel, why has the ethics counsellor never found the time to travel to Shawinigan to investigate and verify the facts regarding the Auberge Grand-Mère himself?

[Business Development Bank Of Canada, April 27th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, twice now we have asked the industry minister if Mr. Jonas Prince ever received any direct or indirect funding from his department, from the Business Development Bank or from the Export Development Corporation.

He took the question on notice almost a month ago. Since he has had a month to think about it, he must now be ready to answer our question. Did Mr. Prince or his companies get any help from Industry Canada or from the agencies it oversees?

[Infrastructure, April 26th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, they got zero in British Columbia last year. In the past few years 11 fatal accidents have occurred on parts of the highway passing through Lanark county. Three have occurred in Frontenac county and still more have occurred on the stretch that passes through rural Ottawa. Companies have refused to locate in Carleton Place because of the dangers and the delays caused by this killer stretch of road.

The federal governments promise during the last election to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on highways and bridges east of the Ottawa River has those of us living to the west wondering how many more deaths, how much more economic damage before the government—

[Infrastructure, April 26th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the ongoing status of highway 7. This is the most direct route between Ottawa and Toronto. It is also the natural gateway for the explosive growth of Kanata into Lanark county.

Highway 7 should be a divided four lane highway. The province is seeking to expand this and other highways into four lanes. The mayor of Carleton Place has worked tirelessly for this expansion, but it is nearly impossible for a cash strapped province when the federal government will not contribute any revenues from the excise tax on petroleum. This tax is being paid by motorists who use highway 7. Why is the government—