Stephen Woodworth

[Parliamentary Debate, November 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians debate passionately. We debate along cultural lines, religious lines and social lines. A wise man knows passionate debates need to be resolved.

Who is responsible for finding resolution? It is the members of this Parliament who should be reconciling Canadians and who should be listening to one another.

Canadians are debating noble issues. They are debating about issues of fundamental human rights. Does every human being deserve the protection of fundamental human rights? Is a child only a human being when fully born as our law says, or is a child a human being before that?

When rights conflict, how do we balance them?

These are noble questions. My belief is that they deserve noble answers and a respectful dialogue among parliamentarians daring to reconcile, not divide, Canadians.

[Freedom of Religion, November 4th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, our government strongly condemns the threatening statements by al-Qaeda that all Christians are to be considered legitimate targets.

These outrageous claims come only days after Catholic worshippers were attacked in church during Sunday mass. Fifty-eight were killed and more than 60 others were wounded. This was a vicious and shameful act. The deepest sympathies of all Canadians are with the families of those murdered on Sunday.

All violence against innocent civilians is deplorable. Our government condemns these acts in the strongest terms.

Terrorism and al-Qaeda's promotion of hatred and division in Iraq cannot be allowed to deter Iraqi efforts toward a peaceful and united democratic state. We stand firmly with the people and government of Iraq against these shameful acts of terrorism.

[Petitions, November 2nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition from about 50 residents of the Kitchener--Waterloo area who wish to draw the attention of the Government of Canada to alleged abuses of human rights and environmental degradation and who would have wanted the Government of Canada to consent to the expeditious passage of Bill C-300 and also create effective laws regarding corporate responsibility.

[Petitions, October 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by a large number of my constituents and others who are concerned about the atrocious deterioration of human rights in Iran.

Innocent men and women, whose only crime is peaceful protest or religious beliefs, have been killed on the streets or sentenced to death. Innocent men and women, including journalists and academics, have been arrested on vague allegations and some tortured in prisons.

Canadians have loved ones and friends suffering in Iran. My constituents want our government to apply pressure on Iran to respect human rights. Justice demands this. They want Canada to offer more emergency support to refugees from Iran. Humanity demands this. They want Canada to support UN efforts to investigate human rights abuses in Iran. Hope demands this.

The time to act is now.

[Ending Early Release for Criminals and Increasing Offender Accountability Act, October 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this debate confirms to me something that I have often observed about how people project their inner selves onto their opposition. I could not help but think of that when the member opposite suggested there were rants going on over here, because quite frankly, I have never heard such a rant as the member delivered a few minutes ago.

When we talk about the facts, again I see him looking at his one-pager. I want to tell him about some facts from my riding of Kitchener Centre. I would like to invite him to drop by the Morning Glory Café which receives money from our government in order to help young people find jobs and to improve their job skills. I would like him to visit our police and our crime prevention society which are doing great work with anti-gang strategies thanks to a $3.5 million grant from our government. I would like him to check out the high on life program which our government is funding to help young people stay off drugs.

These and other measures are all things our government has been funding. I would like to know if the member has even heard of them or if he is deliberately misleading people by ignoring them.

[Petitions, October 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present to the House a petition from a number of constituents and others regarding the Hague Convention of 1961 which abolished the requirement of the legalization of foreign documents.

Canada is not a signatory to that convention even though China, the Czech Republic, France, Korea, Romania, Great Britain, U.S.A, Albania and many others are. The difficulty this has created is that without a certified document Canadians must endure a time consuming and expensive process to obtain authentications from foreign consulates.

With the large influx of newcomers to Canada, the petitioners believe it is time to simplify the flow of legal documents. They call upon the Government of Canada to conclude negotiations with the provinces and territories for the adoption of that convention within the next 12 months or, failing completed negotiations, to proceed unilaterally to ratify the convention.

[Petitions, October 6th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I wish to present is to introduce a new volunteer service medal to be known as “The Governor General's Volunteer Medal” to acknowledge and recognize volunteerism by Canadian troops.

This was issued from September 3, 1939 to March 1, 1947 and also from June 27, 1950 to July 27, 1953, but not since.

The petitioners would like it to be recognized for members of the regular and reserve military forces, the cadet corps, and support staff who were not eligible during that time but who have completed 365 days of uninterrupted honourable duty in the service of their country since that time.

[Petitions, October 6th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first is in relation to the Hague Convention of 1961 Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. It has been entered into by Albania, China, Great Britain, the U.S., and other countries, but not by Canada.

The petitioners are concerned because it requires Canadians to endure a time consuming and expensive process to obtain authentications from foreign consulates and therefore they ask the Government of Canada to conclude negotiations with the provinces and territories to enter into that Hague convention.

[Standing Up for Victims of White Collar Crime Act, October 4th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I enjoyed listening to the comments of my colleague across the way. I have some interest in the subject. I am a member of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, and we have been studying organized crime for quite some time.

Interestingly, we have discovered that white-collar crime, including a whole host of fraudulent schemes, is being carried out by organized crime from within Canada. People have described our existing laws as too lax to deal with this development.

We have also discovered that organized crime, ironically, is committed by organized criminals, sophisticated people who are driven by the profit motive, and who are not just drug-addled unfortunates.

I am wondering if my friend would agree that, when dealing with organized, profit-driven, sophisticated criminals, deterrence is effective, and that we should therefore be increasing the penalties for such crimes.

[Federal Sustainable Development Act, October 1st, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I want to extend my thanks to my colleagues for their support on this bill. I am very grateful that the bill has been an example of non-partisan consideration, even if it is just somewhat of a non-controversial one.

I am also grateful to the Liberal Senator Tommy Banks for proposing the bill and for his efforts in drafting it and promoting it. I am grateful to him for trusting me, a member of an opposite party, to sponsor the bill in the House.

This is a significant bill, as the member for Vancouver Quadra said earlier. Perhaps it might have been controversial, except that the bill is a model for three principles, which I believe are highly important in the House.

First, it is about ideas, not about personalities. When a member insults the motives or the character of another member, an opponent, it only serves partisan purposes. It does not advance the interests of our great country. When a member proposes a good idea, such as Bill S-210, all Canadians benefit.

Second, this is about legislation, the proper function of the House. The idea that the House can micromanage the executive branch is a dangerous one which is harmful to the future of our country. When the House debates and proposes legislation, such as Bill S-210, it is fulfilling its proper function.

Third, Bill S-210 is an example of collaboration. If every member demonizes his or her opponents, it should surprise no one that Canadians get the message that all politicians are a bunch of crooks and that Canadians do not bother voting at election time. When we treat each other with respect and collaboration, as Senator Banks and I have treated each other in relation to Bill S-210, and as all parties do in supporting the bill, we elevate the standing of every member in the eyes of all Canadians.

I really hope this message, which is really quite heartfelt from me, is heard by all the members in this chamber and by everyone who might be watching this debate today. My thanks, again, for the support of my colleagues for the bill.

The amendments in the bill reinforce one of this government's most fundamental priorities, greater accountability and transparency. Our government is committed to improving reporting so Canadians are better informed about the state of the environment. As members will recall, this act requires a minister of the environment to monitor implementation of the federal sustainable development strategy and to report on progress every three years. To do this, the government draws upon data available through the Canadian environmental sustainability indicators, or CESI, initiative.

To deliver the kind of accountability and transparency that Canadians expect and deserve, we need greater flexibility that existing legislation provides. It is vital to recognize that sustainable development is not a goal to be achieved in the usual sense of the word. Rather it is an elusive, ever-moving target. Even if all of our environmental indicators suggest positive results, we cannot believe that the job is finished and simply move on. To do that would jeopardize the lasting impact of our work and impinge upon the legacy that we leave future generations. As a result, we must always stay attuned to the delicate balance between our social, economic and environmental priorities. We have to monitor our progress carefully and frequently and recalibrate our actions as required. That is why the amendments in Bill S-210 are so important.

Though a key stakeholder was conspicuously missing from those consultations, in the Senate, I have no doubt that given the opportunity, senators could offer analysis and share insights that would strengthen our draft strategy. That is why I am pleased that the proposed amendments before the House today would enable senators to review the draft strategy, in addition to any other reports generated by the act.

For all of these reasons, I ask every member of the House to join with me in a great example of unanimity and collaboration by supporting Bill S-210 today.