Shelly Glover

[Justice, October 20th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken a strong stand on all types of crime. We understand that victims of fraud are as much victims as someone who is physically attacked. That is why we are committed to cracking down on white collar crime and increasing justice for victims by providing tougher sentences for the criminals responsible.

The Liberal leader and his party have talked the talk on getting tough on crime, but everyone knows that the Liberal Party has already once gutted a bill meant to ensure that white collar criminals could no longer get house arrest.

Canadians want action on crime, all types of crime and this government is addressing their wants.

The Liberal leader needs to put an end to his partisan strategy to block, delay and derail justice issues, and let this government do the work that Canadians want.

[Justice, October 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want individuals found guilty of crimes to serve a sentence that reflects the severity of those crimes, which is why our government introduced Bill C-25 to end the ridiculous practice of two for one credit for time served.

Bill C-25 was supported by provincial attorneys general from all political parties, as well as victims groups and police associations and yet the Liberal leader's own senators are now gutting Bill C-25 and they are promising to do the same with other tough-on-crime legislation.

The member for Ajax—Pickering is now saying that protecting the public from dangerous criminals is too expensive. We have always known that the Liberal leader is soft on crime and now he is just proving it once again.

[Bill C-25, October 8th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberal senators gutted Bill C-25, a key piece of anti-crime legislation that seeks to end the practice of reducing criminal sentences at a ratio of 2:1 for time served in pre-trial custody.

We have always known that the Liberal leader was soft on crime and now he has proven it. Despite overwhelming public support, the Liberals gutted the bill by passing an amendment that continues the practice for two for one sentencing.

Bill C-25 was passed unanimously by the House of Commons and this bill is supported by provincial justice ministers from all parties, as well as victims groups and police associations.

Canadians have been clear that they want criminals to be sentenced to reflect the seriousness of their crimes and yet the Liberals gutted this important piece of anti-crime legislation. This proves that the Liberal leader is not sincere in fighting crime. He is not in it for Canadians. He is in it for himself.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 7th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I volunteered for the aboriginal affairs committee because I felt compelled to be part of the committee's discussion on ending violence against aboriginal women.

I spent much of my policing career and my life fighting violence against women, especially against aboriginal women. I have seen first-hand the brutal violence inflicted on many of them, and as a Métis woman I was honoured to have the opportunity to share my personal and professional experiences with the new president of the Native Women's Association of Canada.

To my great unpleasant surprise, the member for Labrador, the Liberal aboriginal affairs critic, swore at me several times in succession when I spoke. He is a seasoned parliamentarian who understands that we are held to a higher standard and we must act accordingly.

A Conservative member called for an apology. However, the member for Labrador refused and stated, “I'll stand by my comments”.

How can the member for Labrador remain the Liberal critic for aboriginal affairs when he displays such aggression and bad judgment toward aboriginal women?

[October 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear about this: the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver will be bilingual. We will respect both of Canada's official languages and we expect VANOC to do its job. VANOC is in charge. To help out, our government has just provided another $7.7 million to provide VANOC with the translation services that my colleague just spoke about. That includes signage for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

She also mentioned the Richmond Oval. Our government has invested more than $30.5 million to ensure the success of the Richmond Oval and other Olympic venues.

The Olympic Games will respect both official languages and VANOC will do its job. We will make sure of that.

[October 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, ever since Vancouver made its bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, promoting both our official languages has been part of our commitment in support of that bid, pursuant to the Official Languages Act.

Efforts have also been made by the federal government to ensure that French takes its rightful place not only during the games, but also before and during the torch relay. It is a $24.5 million investment by our government. Thanks to that investment, the torch relay will allow thousands of anglophone and francophone communities to participate.

The Government of Canada is committed to having these games reflect the country's linguistic duality. We have taken steps to help VANOC respect the multiparty agreement. We have also encouraged the participation and representation in the games by official language minority communities.

To guarantee that all the cultural activities surrounding the games are bilingual, we have made the multiparty agreement official language requirements part of the contribution agreements for the torch relay, celebration sites, the cultural Olympiad and the opening ceremony.

On September 15, we announced $7.7 million in additional funding for translation and interpretation, signage and the medal ceremonies.

We will sign a memorandum of understanding with Public Works and Government Services Canada in order that the Translation Bureau can provide its expert services in translation and interpretation during the games.

This funding is consistent with a number of the recommendations by the Commissioner of Official Languages. What is more, in his follow-up report, the commissioner took note of the progress made by VANOC and by Canadian Heritage.

It is important to note that official languages before, during and after the games are VANOC's responsibility. It is VANOC's responsibility to serve francophones from across the country who will be participating in these games.

We are working together with the federal institutions responsible for essential federal services. We are working with the Treasury Board Secretariat in order to support the institutions that will provide services in both official languages to visitors from Canada and from the rest of the world.

Our overall objective is to ensure the bilingual character of the games and we in the federal government are taking that responsibility seriously.

[Sisters in Spirit, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Canadians from across the country gathered at the fourth annual Sisters in Spirit vigil to honour the lives of the many aboriginal women and girls who are presently missing, and we offered support to the suffering families that bear the terrible burden of grief.

Today, as a nation, we cannot stand by while over 500 aboriginal mothers, sisters, daughters and aunties have been taken so violently from us. Ending this type of violence and bringing to justice those who have committed crimes is a shared responsibility of all levels of government as well as law enforcement agencies, the justice system and civil society.

I personally worked on missing aboriginal women's cases as a police officer and I continue to work toward reunification and justice.

Our government continues to work together with aboriginal organizations, provinces and territories to protect the rights, freedoms and safety of aboriginal women and girls. We also reiterate our commitment to protecting and advancing the equality of aboriginal women and girls.

We urge all Canadians to take a moment to reflect upon this grave injustice and the ways we can collectively fight against it.

[Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, October 1st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, today, the International Monetary Fund released its world economic outlook. It is a report card on the global economy. The report states that Canada will be the fastest growing G7 economy next year.

This proves what we have been saying all along. Canada has been better positioned than most countries to weather the global recession. However, the recovery remains fragile and we must stay the course to continue to implement our economic action plan.

Shockingly, the Liberal leader proves he does not care about those hardest hit by the recession, as he voted against the home renovation tax credit. Earlier this week, his party voted against measures that would help hundreds of thousands of unemployed Canadians. How did the Liberal leader vote on that? He did not.

Our government's number one priority is the economy. The Liberal leader's priority is to force an unnecessary election that would halt our recovery. This proves he is not in it for Canadians; he is in it for himself.

[Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, September 29th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, on September 27, 2009, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell was elected president of the Native Women's Association of Canada. She is one of the founding members of the Ontario Native Women's Association.

She is probably best known for her challenge of section 12 of the Indian Act, which forced aboriginal women to lose their Indian status if they married a non-aboriginal person. In 1985, thankfully, section 12 of the Indian Act was finally repealed.

A champion of women's rights, she has worked tirelessly against injustice toward aboriginal women in particular.

In recognition of her efforts, an award has been set up in her name, which is presented annually to native women recipients who exhibit the same qualities and dedication as Ms. Corbiere Lavell.

We would like to congratulate Ms. Corbiere Lavell, and we are eager to work closely with her to improve the quality of life of native women in Canada.

[2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, September 18th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be bilingual and will respect both official languages. In fact, our government recently provided VANOC with $7.7 million in additional funding for translation services at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. They will be a great success in both official languages. All Canadians will be included. This will be true of the opening and closing ceremonies, the cultural Olympiad and the Olympic torch relay. We will do our best—