Tilly O'Neill-Gordon

[Sealing Industry, April 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, radical animal rights groups continue to slander hard-working Canadian sealers, comparing them to Nazis and likening investments in the seal hunt to flushing money down the toilet.

Many Canadians, including my constituents in Miramichi, are fed up with the lies, the sneers, and the slanders of these animal rights groups.

Can the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans reiterate the government's position on the seal hunt?

[Sealing Industry, March 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in today's paper, I read once again about the efforts of an international animal rights activist group, the IFAW, to spread misinformation about the Canadian seal hunt. Groups like them have been profiting at the expense of sealers and communities that rely on them for decades now. Millionaires like Paul McCartney come to our shores and spread misinformation far and wide.

Can the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans tell us about how our government is fighting this misinformation and standing up for sealers?

[Sealing Industry, January 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, today is Seal Day on the Hill. The sealing industry plays a crucial role in the economies and the cultures of Inuit and Canadian coastal communities. The European Union's decision to ban seal imports is based on misplaced emotion, not on science or fact.

Canadians stand behind our government's decision to appeal the WTO ruling. In fact, a poll today showed that the clear majority of Canadians support the seal hunt.

Will the minister tell us what our government is doing to protect sealers?

[Flora Thibodeau, January 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to honour the life of Flora Thibodeau, who recently passed away at the age of 112. Flora held the distinction of being Canada's oldest natural born citizen and the 17th oldest person in the world.

Born in March 1901, Flora was the mother of seven children and was a widow at a young age. She was also a dedicated teacher for six years before she became the first female bank manager of the local Caisse populaire.

I had the pleasure of knowing Flora personally and witnessed first-hand her passion for life and her fiercely independent nature. She was a pillar of the tight-knit Acadian community of Rogersville, where her door was always open to visitors. She will be greatly missed.

I want to express my deepest sympathies to her family and friends and to all of those who will mourn our great loss.

[Sealing Industry, November 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the World Trade Organization admitted the ban on seal products adopted in the European Union was a political decision that has no basis in evidence or science. The opposition and the radical global activists who support such a ban are disingenuous. They are against the humane, sustainable seal hunt but they probably eat other meats, such as fish and chicken, and wear leather.

Will the Minister of the Environment comment on the WTO's decision?

[Fisheries and Oceans, November 25th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Atlantic and northern seal harvest is humane, sustainable, and a well-regulated activity that provides an important source of food and income for coastal and Inuit communities. Of course, the NDP and the Liberals do not share this view. They represent the views of radical left-wing special interest groups who want to see an end to the seal hunt.

Today, the WTO upheld the European ban against Canadian seal products. Will the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans update the House on the government's response?

[Violence Against Women and Girls, November 7th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, women are the victims of sexual offences in approximately 90% of police-reported incidents. That is astonishing. That is why on Tuesday the Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women called on communities across Canada to take action in the prevention of violence against women and girls.

Through a call for proposals, our government will fund new projects in local communities that are aimed at preventing and eliminating cyber-violence and providing access to community services to prevent and respond to sexual violence against women and girls. Proposals will be accepted until December 1, 2013, and I encourage organizations from across Canada to apply.

This call is a concrete example of how our government is making a real difference in the lives of Canadian women and girls and making Canada a safer and more secure country for all.

[Chatham O'Donaghue's Ironmen, October 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate the Chatham O'Donaghue's Ironmen baseball team, which recently won the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League Championship.

This is the 11th championship title for the Ironmen over the years. They will be going on to represent the province of New Brunswick, while in Newfoundland, at the Canadian Senior Baseball Championships.

It was a great team effort, but I do have to single out the skipper, who celebrated a milestone birthday along with the win.

I also acknowledge the dedicated fans who have supported and cheered for the Ironmen at every game. These fans will get the chance to cheer them on at home, as the Ironmen have just been selected to host the 2015 National Senior Championships.

The Ironmen are wonderful representatives of not only New Brunswick but of the Miramichi. We are all very proud of their accomplishments and wish them great success in Newfoundland in 2014.

[Sealing Industry, October 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the ban on seal products adopted in the European Union was a political decision that has no basis in evidence or science. So too are calls to boycott Canadian seafood because of the seal hunt.

The radical global activists who support such bans claim they abhor eating meat, but they probably all have leather handbags and belts.

This week, Anthony Bourdain stood up for good food and our coastal and Inuit communities. Will the Minister of the Environment comment on Anthony Bourdain's defence of the seal hunt?

[Status of Women, October 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, over the weekend women in Saudi Arabia made international headlines when they did something that we all take for granted: drive a car.

Participating in the Women2Drive campaign, these women posted videos to YouTube of themselves simply driving around town. The result? Fourteen women were arrested and detained by Saudi authorities for violating the decades-long ban against women drivers.

Today, Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that does not allow women to drive. Fourteen women must now wait in fear of punishment for exercising a right that is afforded almost universally.

This must change. The Saudi Kingdom must recognize the rights of its citizens. It is unconscionable that such double standards continue to exist in our world today.

I salute the bravery of these women and condemn their arrests. Our government is proud to stand beside these women in their fight for basic rights.