Members Not Seeking Re-Election to the 43rd Parliament  Mr. Speaker, being a Canadian is a privilege almost without equal in the world. To be selected by our fellow Canadians as a representative in the House of Commons is as high an honour as there is. Thanks to the incredible people of Simcoe—Grey, who put their faith in me, I have b

Health Care Delivery in Rural Canada  Mr. Speaker, I will be supporting this motion by the member for Kenora. It is a study that is long overdue. I, like the member opposite, represent a rural riding, but I will also say as a physician that patients who live in rural communities have substantive and challenging issu

Canada Health Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-450, An Act to amend the Canada Health Act. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this bill. I recently held nationwide consultations on the state of health care in Canada. I met elderly people waiting for hip replacements and parents with k

Children's Health Commissioner of Canada Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-451, An Act to establish a Children’s Health Commissioner of Canada. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce this private member's bill today. In 2007, I authored a report called “Reaching for the Top: A Report by the Advisor on Healthy Childre

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present in the House with respect to increasing concerns about the international trafficking of human organs removed from victims without consent and the not yet legal prohibition against Canadians travelling abroad to acquire or receive such org

National Physicians’ Day  Mr. Speaker, after spending eight years in elected politics, including serving in cabinet and running for the Conservative leadership, I will say that I first and foremost always define myself as a physician, a role that I will be returning to full time at the end of this year wh

Children's Fitness  Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was proud to announce my private member's bill, the new children's fitness tax credit. In 2006, I chaired the panel that recommended the children's fitness tax credit, and when I joined the Conservative government in 2011, 1.4 million families received th

Income Tax Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-428, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (child fitness tax credit). Mr. Speaker, like others here, the member for Kings—Hants is someone I have known for actually over 22 years. I had the good fortune of meeting him in 1995. I wish him, Rose,

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his speech, albeit I do find it a little rich that he is claiming that the leader of the Conservative Party is misleading Canadians when that is exactly what is is doing. The fact of the matter is that Canadians actually do not have more mone

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I asked the veterans minister about Mario Bonafacio, a 79-year-old veteran suffering from a debilitating neck injury. Incredibly, the minister said that I should bring this to his “further attention.” On June 4, I wrote the minister and last week, in the

Veterans  Mr. Speaker, Mario Bonafacio is a 79-year-old veteran who served Canada for 35 years. He suffered from a debilitating neck injury incurred during his military service. He has asked for support from Veterans Affairs. His claim was rejected. He appealed. The department has been fig

Breast Cancer  Mr. Speaker, this weekend was Run for the Cure for breast cancer. Every year, over 26,000 Canadian women are diagnosed with breast cancer. One in 31 women in our country will die from it, 5,000 of them this year alone. My mother Lynne was one of those women. She was a strong, p

National Defence Act  Mr. Speaker, I think all members of the House look forward to a fulsome debate in committee with respect to the specifics of the bill. I am looking forward to seeing the results from the committee. I think we will go forward. Paramount for myself is that all Canadian, no matter

National Defence Act  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, I am supportive of this bill going to second reading, in particular because of the work, as I mentioned, done by a government I served in, a Conservative government that put forward Bill C-71, a bill that truly looked at making sure that the victim ca

National Defence Act  Mr. Speaker, obviously I am hopeful the Liberals will stick true to their word on Bill C-77 about ensuring that victims rights are front and centre. The member is correct. We have seen over the last two weeks in the House conversations around the challenges when victims voices