House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 64% of the vote.
Petitions November 6th, 2002
Madam Speaker, it is my honour and my responsibility to present the following petition which was signed by 26 electors from the city of Calgary.
The petitioners call upon Parliament to focus its legislative support on adult stem cell research to find the cures and therapies necessary to treat the illnesses and diseases of suffering Canadians.
Kyoto Protocol November 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I do know that western Europe is not in the western hemisphere.
The provinces did not buy the government's power point presentation, which did not include any details regarding the implementation, any analysis of the impacts on industry and business, or any estimate of how much Kyoto will cost.
Why is the Prime Minister still refusing to call a first ministers meeting to ensure the support of all the provinces?
Kyoto Protocol November 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's approach is unilateral within the country and unilateral internationally. We are the only country in the western hemisphere proceeding with this accord.
Even as the government pushes ahead for ratification, it tries to renegotiate the terms of the deal. The environment minister recently returned from Delhi where he once again failed to get credit for clean energy exports, a concession on which one-quarter of the government's reduction target depends.
How can the government ask Canadians to ratify this deal when it continues to try and renegotiate it internationally?
Kyoto Protocol November 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister continues to push ahead on his made in Japan Kyoto accord. He has alienated the provinces with his go it alone approach. He has increased uncertainty for investors by proceeding without an implementation plan.
Why is the Prime Minister forging ahead when the provinces, business and Canadians have no idea how the government will reach its made in Japan targets?
Parliamentary Reform November 5th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister is an opponent of such secrecy, maybe some day things will not be decided in secret in his cabinet and in the PMO.
The election of committee chairs is only the first leg of the journey toward allowing members to play a more important part in the House of Commons. Already, a majority of members of this House support the decision to broaden the role of members and committees in the governance of our country.
Why is the Prime Minister so afraid to complete the journey toward greater democracy in this House?
Parliamentary Reform November 5th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the street fighter never knows when to give up.
It is clear that a majority of members of the House support certain additional measures. Let me give some examples: making all private members' business votable, parliamentary scrutiny over senior order in council appointments, and adoption of the all-party Catterall-Williams report on accountability and scrutiny of government spending.
Will the Prime Minister instruct his House leader to initiate discussions right away so that in the next few days we can bring in these changes with majority support here in the House?
Parliamentary Reform November 5th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, we are going to make two important steps toward the democratic reform that the Canadian Alliance has long been demanding. Later today we will have the vote on the election of committee chairs by secret ballot. Yesterday the Prime Minister said that he would allow free votes on certain opposition motions. These changes are necessary and overdue but there is a consensus in the House for a small number of other reforms.
Rather than repeat the chaos of the last week, will the Prime Minister instruct his House leaders to get the House leaders together and submit to the House in the next few days a package of reforms on which we can all agree?
Parliamentary Reform November 4th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, they never happen. We will see whether the government supports this tomorrow.
The government has been giving an excuse that the reason we cannot do this is only the Prime Minister could strike a regional and gender balance in choices for committee chairs. This is a Prime Minister who has picked 59 out of 69 male committee chairs and has had two-thirds of committee chairs coming from a single province and in some cases provinces have not had committee chairs in the past nine years.
Does the government really believe that members of the House could possibly do a worse job of striking regional and gender balance by voting for committee chairs by secret ballot?
Parliamentary Reform November 4th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, as a leading member of that party has said “It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you know someone in the PMO”. That is what they say.
The government would deny MPs the rights given last week to murderers and rapists, the ability to vote by secret ballot. The government throws farmers in jail, yet refuses to give MPs, its backbenchers, these rights when it comes to committee chairs.
Is the government so fearful of democracy breaking out that it is unwilling to take the baby step of allowing committee chairs to be elected by secret ballot?
Parliamentary Reform November 4th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, electing committee chairs is a baby step toward returning democracy to the House. It is long overdue, even though it has been repeatedly rebuffed by this and previous governments.
The Prime Minister's support of the Canadian Alliance motion would be a step on the road to democratic reform. Could the Prime Minister not find it in his heart, in the smallest corner of his heart, to get behind this motion and allow the baby step of electing committee chairs in the House?