National Defence  Mr. Speaker, what is unfortunate is that the minister decided to attack instead of explain. Corporal Steve Stoesz has defied orders and is courageously speaking out about the terrible state of mental health care services in the Canadian Forces. He said: “The country I fought

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act  Madam Speaker, I want to pick up on a couple of themes mentioned by the hon. member. In his speech, he trumpeted how good the budget is for Ontario. I am from Prince Edward Island, and we are not feeling the love. The public service has been gutted. The head office of the Depar

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, today the Veterans Ombudsman released a report in which we learn that 60% of Veterans Review and Appeal Board decisions reviewed by the Federal Court contained reversible errors of fact and law. He suggests that veterans are not getting the benefit of the doubt in th

Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity Act  Madam Speaker, I was interested to hear my friend say that this is a Canadian budget. I come from Prince Edward Island, the cradle of Confederation, and I might remind the hon. member we are part of Canada but we certainly feel left out in the budget. There are provinces where p

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, today the Federal Court ruled in favour of Dennis Manuge and other veterans who have been waging a court battle with the Conservatives over pension clawbacks. The government was wrong to litigate in the first instance, and now the court has ruled. Will the Minister

Citizen's Arrest and Self-defence Act  Madam Speaker, of course it is important. I touched on that in my speech. I hope we can count on judges and the courts to act judiciously when they consider this legislation. My response to my colleague is that, with the expansion of the rights with respect to defence of propert

Citizen's Arrest and Self-defence Act  Madam Speaker, that is a difficult question because here we stand as legislators expanding the rights of citizen's arrest. We as legislators debate the bill and express our concerns over it, but what enters the public psyche is what it reads through the media. We as legislators

Citizen's Arrest and Self-defence Act  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to Bill C-26. This particular piece of legislation would amend the Criminal Code to allow an individual who owns or has lawful possession of property, or persons authorized by them, to arrest, within a reasonable time,

Citizen's Arrest and Self-defence Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his speech. He stated a few concerns regarding clause 2, which contains exceptions and relevant considerations. My question for the member relates to the list of factors enumerated in the new bill with respect to when self-defe

Protecting Canada's Seniors Act  Mr. Speaker, here we are debating yet another bill to expand the provisions of the Criminal Code. It seems as though the answer from the Conservative side to all that ails society is to expand the provisions of the Criminal Code to focus on the offender, to focus on retribution.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the government recently announced changes to the veterans independence program to provide for upfront grants for grass cuttings, snow removal, and housekeeping services. My question for the minister is this: will these payments be subject to income tax?

Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, earlier today in question period we heard the government House leader claim that the Minister of International Cooperation had repaid all inappropriate expenses. I have a simple question. Could the government House leader tell us if he believes that wasting $1,000 a

Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act  Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that creating this third class will absolutely have an impact on refugees. There is no doubt that there will be a dramatic impact on those seeking refuge and asylum with the creation of this third class. I should point out that a court decision det

Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act  Mr. Speaker, I do not accept for a minute that I have mischaracterized the bill. The bill would provide broad-reaching powers to the minister to designate foreign nationals based on their mode of entry. That gives the right to the minister to have the 12 month detention without r

Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act  Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday some of us in the House—certainly the members of the Liberal caucus—celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This will be the theme of my remarks today, for it really does provide a context for what is happening with the bil