Agriculture  Mr. Chair, as this is my first opportunity to speak in the House, I would ask your indulgence as I direct a number of comments to my constituents, the people of Abbotsford. They have given me the privilege of serving them and representing them in the House, and I am deeply gratef

Agriculture  Mr. Chair, I preface my comments and my question to outline the significant concerns my community has and also the investment that my community has in agriculture. Before anyone can ask questions, we have to understand the context in which that question is asked, particularly whe

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I commend the member for her vigorous defence of children in Canada who are in day care. I think we can all agree and come to a consensus that children are among the most vulnerable of individuals in our society. However, the member may not be aware of the fact that

RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON ADDRESS IN REPLY  Mr. Speaker, I want to affirm my colleague's comments. I have heard the members opposite taking the position that they are responsible for solving the country's financial woes. I believe that position is quite disingenuous. When we look back I think the record will show that the

Federal Accountability Act  Mr. Speaker, my belated congratulations to you on your election as Deputy Speaker of the House. As you are the senior statesman in this House, it is a well-deserved honour. As this is my first formal speech in the House and I want to direct a significant portion of my time to th

Federal Accountability Act  Mr. Speaker, we are discussing the federal accountability act. It is difficult to get into all the different problems that beset communities across this nation. I do know that we, as a party, support our civil servants. What Canadians judged on January 23 was not the civil serva

Federal Accountability Act  Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, there are a number of different views on the issue of floor crossing. Some believe an elected official's first responsibility is to their party and to the flag that they carry. Others believe the first responsibility is to the people who elected

Norad  Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate the hon. member for supporting the agreement. My concern is with the confusion that we have had coming from across the floor. Earlier this evening, we heard the member's colleague indicate that somehow the agreement should not be here in the ch

Pacific Gateway  Mr. Speaker, the federal budget tabled this week is great news for Canadians and great news for British Columbians. For 13 long years, B.C.'s needs were ignored as the previous government wallowed in scandal and corruption. During the recent election, we promised to address B.C

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, it is a great opportunity to speak to a budget that serves the needs of Canadians. The budget addresses the critical needs in my province that were ignored for too many years. The budget will be remembered most for one of the largest tax cuts and broadest tax relief

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I would never suggest that the hon. member is dishonest as he has to me. It is very clear, however, that over the years that the previous government was in power, it accumulated $46 billion worth of EI premiums that did not have to be paid out. The Chief Actuary conf

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the member is suggesting that somehow we should prejudge the process that the Prime Minister and this government are going through right now to address the fiscal imbalance. Our number one focus in this budget was to return money to taxpayers' pockets and we have don

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, that is the beauty of our universal child care credit program. It gives money. It puts cash into the pockets of Canadian families. It goes directly to the families that are affected. It is not going to the provinces to develop additional bureaucracies. This is money

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the member railed on and on about corporate tax cuts. I am somewhat confused because 90% of the $20 billion of tax cuts, which Canadians will receive over the next two years, will go to families and individuals, not to corporations. However, I would like to focus in

Criminal Code  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-277, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (luring a child). Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to table a bill, which would amend the Criminal Code of Canada to provide tougher penalties for persons who use the Internet to lure children for sexual