Mar 10, 2010 | During the prorogation, I had the opportunity to spend some time with junior high and high school students in schools in and around Edmonton.
At one school, a very successful Christian high school, the subject of constituency representation came up. The young man who raised it is clearly intelligent and very interested in politics. In response to something I said, he reacted with absolute surprise and said something like “You mean that a MP should not have to always do what constituents tell him (or her) to do?” Well, in fact, that is what I meant.
Mar 9, 2010 | Honourable senators, there appear to be some contradictions in the government's statements and policies. The International Planned Parenthood Federation provides programs designed to improve maternal health. The Government of Canada has been supporting it since the 1980s. Yet the foundation is still waiting for its funding of $18 million for the next three years to be renewed. Why is the government no longer renewing those funds?
Mar 9, 2010 | Perhaps, to clear the air, the Leader of the Government in the Senate could inform this house of those gender-based analysis protocols, how they were applied and to what effect on the current budget. Perhaps the leader could table something in the house.
Mar 9, 2010 | Can the Leader of the Government tell us what plans the government has, other than changing one word in the national anthem, to help Canadian women take their place in society and exercise their influence, especially in economic and financial circles, where the mindset really needs to be changed?
Mar 9, 2010 | Can the Leader of the Government in the Senate tell this house if the government has any concrete plans to help women scientists overcome persistent barriers and encourage their participation in science, engineering and technology research, or will women once again be ignored in these non-traditional science and technology fields?
Mar 9, 2010 | Does the federal government plan to rectify this injustice, which has a negative impact on many Canadian women returning from maternity leave?
Mar 9, 2010 | Honourable senators, I rise today to recognize International Women's Week, which began on Sunday and continues until March 13. The Government of Canada's theme for 2010 is, "Strong Women. Strong Canada. Strong World."
Mar 9, 2010 | Honourable senators, later today, in Room 200 in West Block, a celebration is set to take place. The celebration, "100 on the Hill," will commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of Girl Guides in Canada and around the world.
Mar 9, 2010 | Honourable senators, I rise today to pay homage to the Honourable Marcel Prud'homme for 46 years of public service to Canada. If you will indulge for me a few moments, I will use iambic pentameter and the theme from Dr. Seuss. It is called "An Ode to Marcel."
Mar 9, 2010 | Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to what is surely the end of an era in the Canadian horse breeding industry. That is, of course, the recent closure of Windfields Farm.