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Dear Constituents, I hope you and your family had a safe and enjoyable summer. It was very eventful for me as the summer is the best time to catch up with family and friends. On August 14th, Canadians joined with Veterans across the country to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. In the words of one veteran, “we are a richer nation because of what the soldiers did for us in the past”. This is why we should never forget the contributions of our war heroes. August 14th was also the same day on which the ashes of Canada’s last Victoria Cross “For Valour” recipient Ernest “Smokey” Smith were scattered in the Pacific Ocean. I have provided a tribute to Smokey in this report. Also in this report are a number of articles which may be of interest including:
Just prior to the summer, Parliament went through a very controversial period which almost lead to an election being called last May. Despite the challenges of being in a minority government, significant legislation was passed and a large number of Bills are still in various stages of the legislative process. There were 69 Bills introduced of which 30 have become law and 2 were defeated. That leaves 37 Bills in process. There are far too many Bills to report on in this brief Householder but if you would like to know more about the details and status of legislation, there are two ways to get it. A current report is on the WEB site of the Government House Leader at www.pco-bcp.gc.ca or you can request a copy of the latest report from my office. Parliament reconvenes on September 26th and in addition to the outstanding legislation, there are number of other issues which will certainly come up for discussion. These include gasoline prices and taxation, the Canadian Medical Association support for a private parallel health system, bank mergers, the trade dispute with the US over softwood lumber, the rising incidence of gun crime, our military involvement in the middle east, National Security initiatives, an economic update and the Sponsorship enquiry. Needless to say, the Fall will be a very busy session. As you know, the Prime Minister addressed the sponsorship enquiry on National TV and promised that an election would be called within 30 days of receiving the final report from Justice Gomery. That means that there will be a General Election likely in March 2006. I hope that
you find this report to be informative and as always I welcome your
feedback on its content and your suggestions for future reports. Paul Szabo
Marijuana Grow Houses have become a significant problem in residential communities including Mississauga. Following various discussions with police and with provincial and municipal officials, it is evident that we have a serious public safety risk. The following is some basic information which you may find helpful. Marijuana Grow Houses are often larger houses where significant changes are made to the home's structure including wall demolition and modifications for water and ventilation. High intensity lighting is needed to grow the plants, so many marijuana grow operations by-pass the electricity illegally. The house is also modified and fortified to restrict access or a view inside. These houses usually have links to criminal elements and organized crime such as The Hells Angels. The money they make is subsequently used to finance other criminal activity such as prostitution, distribution of other hard drugs and money laundering. Those associated with grow operations often carry weapons and should be considered dangerous. There are many other associated dangers to the public. These include: poisonous fumes; fires; electrocution; violence often with weapons; increased crime; life threatening booby traps; chemical contamination to land and water systems and hazards to children. Other impacts include reduced property values; higher utility costs and power outages; and safety risks to police officers and firefighters who respond to emergencies on our behalf. There are a number of factors that may indicate the presence of a Marijuana Home Grow Operation in your neighbourhood. These include:
If you have good reason to be suspicious about any locations in our community, you should inform the police and let them take the appropriate action. I have been working on developing a broad strategy to recommend to the Minister of Justice which would help to identify locations, to close down operations and to prosecute those responsible for this criminal activity. Recently I conducted a survey of 1,000 homes to seek their views on the following questions:
Although there
was clear support for addressing the problem, I received a number
of responses which expressed concern about giving the police too
much power and some reservation about mandatory jail time. If you
would like to share your views or if you have any information or
suggestions to assist me in this work, I would welcome your input.
In the last Parliament, I was part of a Committee that investigated allegations of mismanagement and financial wrongdoing by the then Privacy Commissioner, George Radwanski. He was subsequently found in contempt of Parliament and is under prosecution. This action was due in large part to employees coming forward with information and blowing the whistle, hence the name whistleblower. This case lead to the formation of a special Committee on whistleblowing and a Bill to provide for the protection of those coming forward from reprisals such as losing their job. In this Parliament, the Bill, C-11, was reintroduced and has been under review by the Standing Committee of Government Operations and Estimates of which I am the Vice Chair. The highlights of the bill are that it:
As a result of our public hearings, it became evident that the protection of whistleblowers would be enhanced if the anonymity of the employee were better protected and that the person responsible for investigations would be independent from the Public Service and report to Parliament. As a consequence, it was recommended to the President of the Treasury Board that a new Officer of Parliament be established as the Integrity Commissioner. This proposal was a very significant change to the Bill and required Cabinet approval. That approval was received and the Bill was passed unanimously by the all-Party Committee. When the House of Commons resumes this Fall, the Bill will be tabled in the House. The appropriate amendments to the Bill will be moved by the Government and the Bill will be debated at the final stages of the legislative process. Having worked
on this matter for over three years, I am very pleased with the
success of the Committee in making this Bill more effective. Bill
C-11 is a very important piece of legislation which provides protection
to civil servants who blow the whistle on wrongdoers and provides
an independent process which will ensure a thorough investigation
of all allegations. One can only speculate on how many allegations
will surface but the existence of this Bill will put everybody on
notice that wrongdoings will be reported and investigated. I will
be playing a lead role in the Parliamentary debate and I am confident
that the Bill will continue to enjoy the support of all Parties
and become law very soon.
The Victoria Cross “For Valour,” instituted by Queen Victoria in 1857, is awarded for conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy. Since its inception, only 94 Canadians have received this most prestigious honour. Smokey single-handedly defeated a German armoured counter-attack on the vulnerable Savio River bridgehead, during the Italian campaign, on the night of October 21 to 22, 1944. During his defence of the position, Smokey saved the life of his wounded comrade, Jimmy Tennant. His dogged determination, devotion to duty, and superb gallantry inspired his comrades in The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada to hold firm against further enemy attacks. Smokey later received his Victoria Cross from the hand of King George VI. Smokey was the only Canadian Private soldier to win the Victoria Cross during the Second World War. After the war, Smokey supported various organizations and causes— championing the affairs of veterans and the Canadian Forces, and inspiring students and young people in the values of citizenship and service. “LEST
WE FORGET”
The Parliamentary WEB site (www.parl.gc.ca) has an enormous amount of information on virtually everything that happens in the House of Commons and the Senate going back to 1993. The proceedings in the Chamber are added to the WEB sit over night and therefore you can see the latest debates and votes very easily. There is also a link to committees which allows you to access activities of any committee. You can see the schedule of meetings, read the latest transcripts of their meetings and access any reports issued by a committee. The Parliamentary site also has a link to all the Bills that have been tabled by the government. You can see the actual text of each Bill and read a legislative summary which highlights what the Bill does. Finally it will show you information about where the Bill is in the legislative process. Members of Parliament can also develop their own Bills and all the information that you need is also accessible. You will also find links to information on MPs and Senators, general information about Parliament and virtual library which gives access to historic information and statistics related to Parliament. In short, the Parliamentary WEB site is well worth checking out. For example if you go Chamber Business and click on Indexes you can access a list of every time I have spoken by subject. There is another
WEB site (www.howdtheyvote.ca)
which provides some interesting statistics on such things as ranking
the MPs on the number of words spoken and the number of votes missed
etc. You will be fascinated to see how MPs compare.
Telemarketing fraud has become one of the most pervasive and problematic forms of white-collar crime in Canada. Here are a few tips to protect yourself by learning how to detect fraud:
Phonebusters is a national antifraud call centre initiative of the Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP. You can call them toll free at 1-888-495-8501 to report incidents of telemarketing fraud, advance fee fraud or identity theft. You can also visit their web site at www.phonebusters.com to learn more about how to protect yourself against fraud.
Can you imagine the distress you would feel if you were forced out of a job that you needed or enjoyed merely because you had reached you 65th birthday? One of my private members’ initiatives which I proposed last October was to eliminate mandatory retirement at age 65. This is still widespread in Canada and although it primarily falls under Provincial jurisdiction, it is also a Human Rights issue. That is why I feel we need a national policy and why Labour and Human Rights codes should be amended to protect the older worker who is willing and able to work. With our aging society, Canada is projecting a labour shortage. As much as 25% of the labour force will retire over the next 5 years. Many will have been fortunate to adequately provide for their retirement but what about those who need to continue to work just to make ends meet. This is not just a matter of wanting to work. For many it is a necessity since we live much longer than ever. Today the world of work relies as much on brainpower as it does on labour. Given the value of experience earned over a lifetime, age is in a sense an asset rather than the liability it used to be seen as. The age of 65 was first set as the point at which people were no longer useful, around the time of Hitler. Those over 65 were actually referred to as “the unnecessary eaters”. Those who support
mandatory retirement tend to be employers or unions. Employers argue
that the health and vibrancy of their businesses rely on a continuous
infusion of new blood who bring creativity and innovation which
help to improve competitiveness. On the other hand unions fear that
ending mandatory retirement will weaken pension plans which would
enable employers to pressure employees to put in more years on the
job. The debate is still ongoing and I welcome your input on this
emerging issue.
Do you know how your home rates when it comes to energy efficiency? With the rising costs of hydro and natural gas, it makes sense to find out what improvements you could make where the savings can justify the costs. Natural Resources Canada has also introduced a number of grants and subsidies to promote energy efficiency and to reduce green house gas emissions. This year I decided to have my home rated by a qualified inspection service company. The Natural Resources WEB site provides a list of qualified firms and they subsidize the cost by 50%. The cost to me was $150 and the inspection took about 2 hours. We also received a 9 page detailed report on the rating of our home and recommendations for improvement of the rating. The inspector did a full examination of both the interior and exterior of the house noting the condition of the roof, windows, furnace, air conditioner, water heater, insulation levels in the attic and the basement areas. He also depressurized the house and then we toured the entire house to identify significant air leaks. You could easily find doors, windows and outer wall electrical outlets that were letting in too much air. The major savings
on heating costs usually comes from installing a high efficiency
furnace but depending on the age of your house, improving the insulation
and the windows can also yield significant savings. Knowing where
your energy efficiency problems are, make the inspection itself
well worthwhile. Some of the improvements you can do yourself. You
can also identify the costs, subsidies and savings related to other
recommended energy efficiency improvements. All the information
you need about inspections, subsidies and energy efficiency can
be found on the Natural Resources Canada WEB site at www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
Visit us on the Internet: www.paulszabo.com
Constituents may write to any Member of Parliament or Cabinet Minister postage free. Simply address your envelope to the particular Member, c/o House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6. Your views and suggestions are important.
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The
last survivor of Canada’s Second World War Victoria Cross
recipients, Sergeant (Retired) Ernest Alvia “Smokey”
Smith, aged 91, died peacefully at home in Vancouver surrounded
by family and friends on August 3, 2005.
