Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the great member for British Columbia Southern Interior. I stand to speak today in favour of the New Democrat motion calling for a referendum to abolish the Senate and for proportional representation. The Senate was created in 186

Health  Mr. Speaker, it is obvious the Conservatives just do not get it. Yesterday, the lack of emergency resources took an absurd turn. Overcrowding in the Royal Columbian Hospital resulted in patients being treated at Tim Hortons. The Conservative government needs to order a double-do

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition to urge hearings on the purchase of Joint Strike Fighters. This petition is with regard to the 65 F-35 JSF for a cost of roughly $30 billion over 30 years. The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to hold public hearings to en

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to table. First, I have a petition urging hearings on the Joint Strike Fighter purchase. The petitioners say that the Government of Canada is proposing the purchase of 65 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for a cost of roughly $30 billion over 30 year

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, my second petition is in support of Bill C-544, which was introduced by my hon. colleague from British Columbia Southern Interior. The petitioners say that as Canadian horse meat products currently being sold for human consumption in domestic and international mark

Eco-Energy Retrofit Program  Madam Speaker, during the town hall meetings I recently held in my riding, many constituents called for the reinstatement of the eco-energy retrofit program that the government suddenly cancelled in March 2010. This program helped thousands of Canadians renovate their homes, cut

Disposition of Abolition of Early Parole Act  Madam Speaker, all Canadians want to feel safe in their communities. I think all members of this House want to ensure that all communities are in fact safe. We may differ from time to time on how that gets done, but it is times like these that we need to have debate, not closure

Seeds Regulation Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Bill C-474, An Act respecting the Seeds Regulations (analysis of potential harm). I would like to commend my colleague, the member for British Columbia Southern Interior, for bringing this legislation forward. The bill calls for an amendme

Fisheries and Oceans  Mr. Speaker, the federal court ruled that the government must protect orca whales and their critical habitat on the Pacific coast. Because these majestic whales are in danger, they are protected under the Species at Risk Act. Now we learn the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans pla

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to support Bill C-544. This deals with horse meat products that are currently being sold for human consumption in domestic and international markets and are likely to contain prohibited substances. The petitioners, who are from the Lower Mainland of

National Philanthropy Day Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the National Philanthropy Day act. My riding of New Westminster—Coquitlam and Port Moody had benefited greatly from all forms of philanthropy. Lester M. Salaman, a leading author and professor on civil society says philanthropy is “the priv

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, as a new member of Parliament, I introduced bills to protect Pacific wild salmon, ban dangerous oil tanker traffic off B.C.'s north coast, improve child safety by strengthening the Criminal Code and help workers who suffer from cancer by increasing medical EI. I brou

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I know the hard work that my colleague does as environment critic for the New Democrats, raising issues such as this on a constant basis in the House, and I do appreciate the question. On the issue of whether it is a single hull or a double hull, whether it the most

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the question here has to do with energy security. What we need to focus on is our domestic situation, Canada's energy security, and we need to move to protect our environment, which we so depend on, the environment that provides us with clean water, clean air, health

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the motion to ban the transportation of oil by supertankers off British Columbia's north coast. We must take action now to protect British Columbia's magnificent coastline and coastal waters, its diversity of fish species, abundan