House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2008, with 58% of the vote.
Firearms Act April 7th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to subsection 93(2) of the Firearms Act, it is my pleasure to rise in the House today to table, in both official languages, the 2006 report of the Commissioner of Firearms on the administration of the Firearms Act for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2006.
Public Safety April 7th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the government was first to ask for a complete report on the events at Vancouver airport. The Canada Border Services Agency has already conducted an investigation and provided a report with many recommendations. Furthermore, the Vancouver International Airport Authority has also conducted an investigation which resulted in more recommendations, and I believe we will be receiving eight other reports as well.
Public Safety April 7th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague mentioned, I have asked for a report on the use of the taser. Now, every time a taser is used a report must be filed. Mr. Kennedy has also prepared a report and we are awaiting his final report for further recommendations.
Communications Security Establishment April 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, questions about Canadians' security are very important. That is why the agencies, including the agency mentioned by my colleague, are included in the process that allows us to access information, to protect our citizens and also protect our citizens' privacy. Those two things are very important.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police April 1st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, instead of some exasperated rhetoric, maybe we should just ask some other questions. Does the member recall, since he wants to review the election, that during that election the public was absolutely fed up with the former Liberal government that was living under the worst levels of corruption seen at the federal political level?
We also had a very clear program of reducing taxes and programs for families, and paying down debt. Frankly, the public responded to all of that. Now, the recommendations which Mr. Kennedy is asking for are being put in place right away, so we are taking action.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police April 1st, 2008
Just to review the file, Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals were in government, there was an announcement made by the former finance minister about certain dividends going back to corporations.
Surprisingly, there was a spike in the price of shares and share volumes just before that and it was a member of the NDP who asked the RCMP to look into this.
The RCMP did look into it and Mr. Kennedy has now observed in his report that there was no political involvement by the RCMP. He suggested recommendations and those recommendations are being put in place.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police March 31st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2006-07 annual report of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police pension plan.
Parliament and, by extension, Canadians can have full confidence in the integrity and the accuracy of the 2006-07 annual report of the RCMP pension plan. This is the sixth year in which this report is based upon audited financial statements. These have been verified by the Auditor General. The Auditor General has issued, without qualification, a clean audit opinion report on the financial statements contained in this year's annual report on the RCMP pension plan.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police March 31st, 2008
Really, Mr. Speaker, I am trying to be understanding of the member, who is living in the past on things that have been corrected. I might add, along with what I already have indicated on the things that have been implemented and the changes we are looking for, that the former commissioner resigned. I do not know if the hon. member is aware of that, but that took place some time ago.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police March 31st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I do not know if my hon. friend is caught in a time warp here. The Arar investigation and situation, which took place under the federal Liberals, was something that we followed up on with the O'Connor reports. Every single one of those recommendations has been dutifully followed.
Just two weeks ago, I announced the new implementation council. That is a group of people who will oversee the very significant reforms that we are looking forward to in the RCMP over the next year and a half.
Questions on the Order Paper March 14th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the Correctional Service of Canada took the recommendations from the Arbour report very seriously; it was the catalyst for pervasive policy change throughout the organization and led to the strengthening of the organization’s focus on respecting the rule of law and accountability.
The report contained 14 main recommendations with over 100 subrecommendations that focused primarily on women’s corrections but had broad policy and management implications throughout CSC. The report broadly addressed issues such as human rights, segregation, the inmate complaints and grievances process, as well as the investigative process.
Various committees were convened to examine the findings and develop action plans to address the recommendations. Many recommendations were addressed immediately, or in the short term, while others required multi-year implementation. A prominent example of an action taken by CSC following the Arbour report’s recommendations was the creation of the Deputy Commissioner for Women, DCW, in June 1996. The DCW and the Women Offender Sector provide corporate expertise on women offender issues, and leadership on program and policy development and implementation.
In April 2006, the Women Offender Sector published the “Ten-Year Status Report on Women’s’ Corrections, 1996-2006” to coincide with the anniversary of the release of the Arbour report in 1996. The “Ten-Year Status Report” addresses the recommendations and changes that resulted from the Arbour Report as well as from subsequent major reviews since 1996.
CSC has made progress in addressing the unique needs of women offenders; however, an ever changing correctional environment requires constant organizational evolution. The service must therefore continue to improve approaches in order to ensure they are current, results focused and demonstrate the highest degrees of accountability. In this context, CSC is committed to meeting the needs of women offenders, while ensuring the protection of public safety.
In response to (b), CSC considers many of the recommendations put forth in the Arbour report that were either ‘accepted’ or ‘accepted in principle’, to be complete. For those recommendations identified in the status report as ‘ongoing’, the corrective actions undertaken have become an integral part of the way the service conducts its business on a daily basis. Nevertheless, the business of corrections is dynamic and work is continually under way to ensure the effectiveness of the women’s corrections system and strengthen the protection of Canadians.