Scott Simms

[Canada Elections Act, February 2nd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I sat quite close to the member for Papineau when he first came here. I can honestly say that to suggest that he was not involved in this place at the beginning is not exactly correct, considering the fact that he was one of the first ones to pass a motion regarding youth, one that was long overdue, and he did a very good job doing that. He worked very hard on that. That was when he first got here.

I want to go back to what the member said. It is obvious that he does not want to support Bill C-50, which is a long time coming. This proposed legislation is certainly refreshing. It is almost like we have forgotten the facts. He said himself that political fundraising is part of our political process. I was present in the House during the tenure of the former Conservative government. It almost seems like a minister never showed up to a fundraising event in those years. That is entirely not true, if that is what the member believes. The former minister of heritage, the former minister of finance, when they were in the Conservative government, went to these fundraising events.

Instead of talking about Bill C-50, because I know how the member feels about Bill C-50 now, I want him to tell me exactly why it was so wrong for those Conservative ministers to go to those events and what he did to make sure that it did not happen.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, December 13th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian parliamentary delegation respecting its participation at the mission to the country that will next hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and the fourth part of the 2017 session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Sofia, Bulgaria and Strasbourg, France, from October 4 to 13, 2017.

Merry Christmas, Skipper.

[Committees of the House, December 11th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 12th report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in relation to Bill C-55, an act to amend the Oceans Act and the Canada Petroleum Resources Act.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

[Former Member for Gander-Twillingate, December 1st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, today I stand to honour someone who stood in this great House for nearly 30 years, and then in our Senate for another 15 years. He is the longest continually serving member of this Parliament. I speak of former member of Parliament, former minister, former senator and, most importantly, a ferociously proud Newfoundlander, the Hon. George Baker.

Born in Green's Harbour, he spent most of his life in Gander with his wife Averill and his family. George Baker had a solid reputation for always speaking up and supporting his constituents. For eight federal elections in a row, his constituents returned the favour and supported him. He took on giants, such as John Crosbie and Brian Mulroney, and at times took issue with his own side by taking on former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.

Recently retired from the Senate, not surprisingly he now lives in Gander.

George Baker leaves these hallways with some advice for all of us, when he said, “You do your best. You represent your constituents the best you can”. I thank George.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, November 29th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian parliamentary delegation respecting its participation at the 38th Interparliamentary Meeting with the European Parliament's delegation responsible for the Relations with Canada, and the third part of the 2017 session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Brussels, Belgium, and in Strasbourg, France. That was from June 21 to June 29, 2017.

[Committees of the House, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B) 2017-18”.

[Petitions, November 1st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, petition e-1054, initiated by a gentleman I know, whose name is Dean Penton, from Joe Batts Arm, talks about the fishery. He states that the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call on the government to conduct a public inquiry to examine all aspects of Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries management, the roles of DFO and FAW, the groundfish moratorium, and all science and management related issues.

I present this with a total of 1,090 signatures.

[100th Birthday Wishes, September 28th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish Mr. Lloyd Seaward, of Bishop's Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, a happy birthday. On October 3, Lloyd will be turning 100 years old.

In 1939, Mr. Seaward joined the Royal Navy. While on patrol in the English Channel, he was injured and sent to the Royal Navy hospital. The doctor recommended sending him home to Newfoundland, but Lloyd said, “No way.” He demanded that he stay and went back on the patrol boats.

In 1942, while on patrol, his cruiser sank in the Java Sea, and he was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese. In prison, he was seen making a pair of wooden clogs by an officer. When asked if he was a shoemaker, he said, “Sure.” He was transferred to Makasura camp, where he made boots for the Japanese army. While there he learned to speak Japanese and Malay, which he now speaks to his grandkids. Lloyd stayed with the Royal Navy until 1947.

I am happy to say that Lloyd is still in good health. He says he runs more than he walks. I wish Lloyd a happy 100th birthday.

[Infrastructure, September 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, recently I travelled to Embree, a small town in my riding. If members do not know where that is, it is next to Little Burnt Bay; they cannot miss it. It has a population of around 700 people. I had the honour of announcing close to $300,000 in federal money for its water system.

After years of neglect, I joined the Newfoundland and Labrador government's local MHA, Derek Bennett, to bring the residents an announcement for their drinking water system, which has been a need now for 12 to 15 years.

These are the types of investments we are doing, not just for the larger centres but the smallest communities as well. Could the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities please comment on that and other small communities across the country?

[Come From Away, June 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure and, indeed, an honour to congratulate the Canadian musical Come From Away. Last night, Come From Away's Christopher Ashley took home the Tony Award for best direction.

On September 11, 2001, the world was horrified to witness the evil destruction of the World Trade Centre. However, there was a tremendous act of kindness and compassion shown on that day, when almost 6,600 passengers were stranded in central Newfoundland for days. As true Newfoundlanders, we fed, housed, entertained, and consoled folks we called “the plane people”. Come From Away celebrates this genuine act of kindness, and now Newfoundlanders and their member of Parliament say thanks to the cast, the crew, and the creators of this wonderful musical for honouring us.

Congratulations on their well-deserved nominations and awards this season. We thank them.