House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 35% of the vote.
Military Police Complaints Commission April 26th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Military Police Complaints Commission's investigation of the detainee torture scandal started years ago in 2007 with no end in sight because the government has obstructed it every step of the way. Its lawyers have acted like dictators, insulted the commission, intimidated the witnesses and bullied the journalists. The Conservative culture of deceit must end.
Why can the government not be honest with Canadians and call a public inquiry?
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns April 23rd, 2010
With regard to the Department of National Defence and the purchase of CH-148 Cyclone helicopters: (a) when was the government notified that Sikorsky could not deliver the helicopters according to the agreed-upon schedule in November of 2007; (b) what were the “additional capabilities” that were added in the contract amendments and, if these capabilities were necessary for the Canadian operating environment, why were they not included in the original contract; (c) why did the government not impose late penalties in 2007 as agreed to in the original contract; (d) will the government impose late penalties now that Sikorsky has indicated that it will not be able to meet even the amended schedule; (e) what is the revised schedule for the commencement of delivery, and the end of delivery of both the interim and enhanced helicopters; and (f) how will this delay affect the cost of this procurement project?
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns April 23rd, 2010
With regard to the announced purchase of Close Combat Vehicles (CCV) and Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicles (TAPV): (a) why was the solicitation of interest and qualifications (SOIQ) postponed to 2010; (b) what industry feedback contributed to non-issuance of the SOIQ; (c) what changes to the government requirements contributed to this decision; (d) what impact did the Department of National Defence (DND) internal reviews have on the CCV procurement process, including whether resources that had been allotted to the CCV procurement process were reallocated and, if applicable, what was the value of those resources and to where were they reallocated; (e) what are the key procurement priorities of DND; (f) what impact does the end of the military mission in Afghanistan have on the decision to not issue the SOIQ as scheduled; (g) what is the timeframe for issuing the SOIQ for the TAPV project and is this on schedule; and (h) if applicable, what are the details of the revised schedule for either project?
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns April 23rd, 2010
With regard to the Department of National Defence, what is the list of all equipment procurement projects with a value of over $25 million that are either currently in progress or have been announced publicly, including: (a) the piece of equipment being purchased and the quantity; (b) the date the project was announced; (c) the total value (or expected value) of the project and of any related contracts such as maintenance or repair; (d) the date the project received Treasury Board approval; (e) the date the contract was awarded and to whom; (f) the dates of commencement of delivery and end of delivery; and (g) for each project, what is the breakdown of the original and most recent schedule, including all project phases and costing, and a detailed explanation for each case where the original and most recent schedule are not the same?
Afghanistan April 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it is not the so-called safeguards; it is the Conservative culture of deceit that continues to impede and obstruct the work of the commission. As I said, the commission has only received 460 pages of documents, while there are thousands of documents to be delivered. The government is even hiding documents from its censors which will never see the light of day. Only in the Conservative culture of deceit would the censors ever be censored by the government.
Afghanistan April 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative culture of deceit is hard at work. In the last two months, only 460 pages have been delivered to the Military Police Complaints Commission. The government is hiding the documents from the commission and the commission may have to suspend its hearings.
The Conservatives are absolutely engaged in wholesale obstruction.
Why would the government allow the Conservative culture of deceit to prevent the commission from finding the truth for Canadians?
Criminal Code April 21st, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I was rather distracted in the process of voting and voted yes, while I intended to actually vote no. Therefore, I request that my vote be changed.
Afghanistan April 20th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it is not about the mandate of the commission, it is about the arrogance of the government. Let me read some quotations. There are “allegations of beatings, electrocution...and whipping with rubber cables”, “torture...is endemic”, the government is “accused of complicity in the torture of Taliban suspects”, and “government's denials of such abuse were the result of a ‘head in the sand’ attitude”. These came from the British press this morning about a British court case.
These allegations are exactly identical to the allegations that are being made by Colvin and others in this country. It is a damning indictment of Canada on the world stage. When is the government going to call a public inquiry and clear Canada's name internationally?
Afghanistan April 20th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Justice told the House that the government would continue to provide all necessary documents to the Military Police Complaints Commission. Today, the government would not even give a date for the disclosure of the documents to the commission. Instead, the government told the commission it will be done when it is good and ready.
The MPCC chair called that close to being offensive to the commission and to the public. Yes, it is contemptible. It is absolutely in contempt of the House. The government should be accountable to the House. Why would the government not call a public inquiry and end the charade?
Afghanistan April 19th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, nobody is asking the government to accept any evidence. There are allegations and there are counter-allegations. They say these allegations are true; others say other allegations are true. The fact is nobody can determine the truth, least of all that government.
We need a public inquiry. We need a judicial inquiry. We need the scrutiny of a sitting judge. The government does not have the courage. It is a cowardly government. It does not want to face the facts. It should stand and be clear with Canadians and call a public inquiry.