David Kilgour

[Trade, April 20th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Nepean—Carleton.

For the last two weeks or so, business groups, the hon. member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore and I were in six countries in western and southern Africa to try to increase investment flows and trade. The member will know already that Canada's trade with sub-Saharan Africa last year was about three quarters of a billion dollars, up one hundred over the year before.

[Budget Implementation Act, 1998, March 24th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the hon. member would tell us how he would allocate the fiscal dividend. On $100, how much would he put to the debt, how much to investments in education and health and how much to tax reduction?

[Foreign Affairs, February 23rd, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately my colleague, the hon. member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore, is correct.

I am certain that all of us in the House would join in expressing sympathy for the profound misfortune of the Gravelle family from Edmonton. The Bahamian ministry of tourism has already provided consular assistance to the Gravelle family.

The preliminary for the two people charged with the murder will begin on May 2.

[Sierra Leone, February 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Nepean—Carleton for his question.

On the humanitarian aid I am very pleased to announce that Canada is going to send $600,000 to the international committee of the Red Cross to alleviate the horrible suffering in Sierra Leone.

With respect to Dr. Tectonidis, our high commissioner to Sierra Leone indicates that an Ecomog force has now been sent to Bo and Kenema to try to rescue the two men the hon. member just referred to. We wish them well in that voyage.

[Supply, February 10th, 1998]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Berthier—Montcalm. His comments are very eloquent. I certainly hope judges will read them and people will reflect on them. The hon. member is well aware that, in West Germany, there is a constitutional court made up of eight judges. Four of them are appointed by the Länders, and four by the federal government.

In a federal system, I personally think we should have a court whose members are appointed by both sides. I am convinced the hon. member and the people in my region gave some thought to this issue. We hope that, in the near future, the provinces, including Quebec of course, will have the right to appoint half of the judges. It could be that the people appointed by the two sides might be perceived as being, shall we say, less neutral. I was very interested in the hon. member's comments.

[Supply, February 10th, 1998]

Madam Speaker, as I was saying before, the government would oppose this motion but not because of its terms. It reads:

That this House recognize the consensus in Quebec that it is for Quebeckers to decide their own future.

This is fine. It is because of the fact that the Bloc Quebecois refused to give unanimous consent this morning to our proposed subamendment which would roughly translate as being that Quebeckers should decide their future but with respect for the rule of law and of democracy for all.

As Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa I have had the opportunity to meet with people in places as diverse as Peru, Honduras, Brazil, Uganda and Rwanda. Visiting places like those has made me even more aware of how fortunate we are in Canada with our high standard of living and our comprehensive social safety net.

In some cases my visits have shown me just how important respect for individual rights and democratic values are and the crucial role that the rule of law and an independent judiciary play in upholding both. These travels have already driven the message home. If Canadians, with our virtually unparalleled good fortune, are not capable of settling our differences and building our future together, it does not bode well for many other people around the world. A member of parliament from a southern African country said to me a year ago that if this country could not stay together how could his own country stay together.

Having written extensively on relations between western Canada and central Canada I know that learning to live together will remain a constant challenge for Canadians.

It is certainly an ongoing task but respect for differences is a hallmark of the country. In my own province of Alberta, first nations, British and French settlers have learned to live side by side. They were joined by Ukrainians, Poles, Germans and people of many other nationalities, many of whom were fleeing persecution or economic deprivation in their own homelands. We have welcomed a new generation of immigrants who are often from the Pacific Rim and more recently from Latin America and the Caribbean.

This history has made Canadians more open to cultural diversity than perhaps anywhere else on the face of the earth. It is part of who we are. I strongly believe that we can overcome the difficulties of today and build a Canada for tomorrow that is even stronger, more united and entirely secure in its diversity because it is part of who we are as a nation.

I have been reminded that I am sharing my time.

My current portfolio makes me keenly aware of Canada's presence on the international scene. This presence reflects our commitment to democratic values and the lessons our country's true diversity has taught us.

It was a Canadian, John Humphrey, who 50 years ago drafted the initial Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which, as predicted by Eleanor Roosevelt, was to become humanity's Magna Carta. The Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs stated recently before an American audience, and I quote:

Our democratic tradition, our commitment to the rule of law and our bilingual, multicultural society have prepared us well to help Eastern European countries and the former Soviet Union make the transition to democracy.

As a matter of fact, we are doing our very best around the world to convince governments to support human rights and the values inherent in a democratic regime.

Would it not be an enormous shame if Canada, which has served as an inspiration for so many countries, were to crumble? I do not believe it will. The vast majority of Quebec, the Québécois and Québécoises, will remain committed to building their future within Canada; but if they should decide otherwise, it must be with all the facts before them.

Nothing would be more sad for the country than if a quarter of our population were to leave “in confusion without a legal framework to overcome our divisions in a dangerous ambiguity that is unacceptable in democracy”, to quote my ministerial colleague.

I come from a province which is one of the engines of economic growth and innovation in Western Canada. However, Alberta is also the cradle of pioneer spirit in Canada.

Therefore, in Alberta, we appreciate the kind of determination needed to overcome difficult situations. So I do appreciate the efforts required of French speaking Quebeckers not only to protect a mainly francophone society on this continent, but also to allow it to prosper.

This is no small achievement. Now is the first time in the history of humanity that almost an entire continent, North America excluding Mexico, is more or less unilingual and more or less unilingual in what has become a major international lingua franca, the language of business, the language of the Internet.

In spite of this, since the beginning of Confederation, Quebec has never been as francophone as it is today. In 1997 no less than 94% of Quebeckers can express themselves in French. This is a triumph for Quebec and it is an enrichment for the whole of Canada.

I know solidarity is a value dear to Quebeckers. It is also important to Albertans. Those of you who believe that Alberta is a bastion of rough-edged individualists might be surprised to learn that it has the highest percentage of volunteers of all provinces.

On a larger scale, Canadians from sea to sea feel they belong to the same community. It could be said that it is when tragedy strikes that our belief in solidarity shines through; such was the case during the recent ice storm, the floods in Manitoba and in the Saguenay in Quebec, and the tornado which ripped through my home town of Edmonton in 1987.

Every time it was obvious that Canadians care for one another and love their fellow citizens. Is there a more telling sign of the links uniting the prairies to Quebec than the decision by the head of the Saguenay relief fund to send $1.5 million to flood victims in the Red River area in Manitoba?

Do we really want to see these ties broken by the secession of Quebec? At an international level this solidarity is of vital importance as well. Our two official languages give us an edge when it comes to competing internationally. They are two of the various official languages of the European Union, a market into which we are seeking to expand. Both are recognized languages at the United Nations.

English is the official language of 56 countries, and French of 33. Our country benefits for membership in both la francophonie and the Commonwealth. It should be noted that our image abroad is strengthened by the important role that Canada plays in international peacekeeping.

It was a Canadian, former prime minister Lester B. Pearson, who came up with the idea of an international peacekeeping force for which he won the Nobel peace prize.

Since that time, thousands of our fellow Canadians have served on international peacekeeping missions. Our bilingual capacity has been invaluable in countries like Haiti, Cameroon and Rwanda and in helping our troops to work with peacekeepers from other nations.

Our peacekeeping is good for Canada's international image. The fact that we are a united country gives us more economic weight. Together we are strong enough to be a member of the G-7.

All provinces benefit from this membership. Domestically, all employees benefit from being part of a large internal market. The importance of international trade was underlined recently by an economic who estimates that when adjustments are made for distance and size of market, Canada's provincial trade is some 14 times more with each than with American states.

Quebec, for example, imports about $33 billion worth of goods and services from other provinces. Our economic union, our international strengths are important building blocks for the future of this country.

To position Canada optimally for the challenges of the coming millennium, we must draw on the strengths and diversity it brings all of us.

I was delighted when the premiers met last September in Alberta. They stressed the importance of diversity in drawing upon statements and principles that can serve as well for the 21st century.

As the premier of our smallest province, P.E.I., put it, the Calgary declaration sends a positive signal to Quebec by recognizing the province's unique character but it does so within a framework that mirrors the ideals of a great many Canadians from coast to coast.

It is a celebration of Canadian diversity with an emphasis on the importance of provincial and individual equality. The declaration of Calgary and the broad public relations it has engendered can also be positive steps toward national reconciliation and a stronger future together.

[Supply, February 10th, 1998]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak against the motion of the Bloc Quebecois. The motion is that the House recognize a consensus—

[Criminal Code, December 10th, 1997]

I so move.

[Finance, December 10th, 1997]

moved:

That this House take note of the second report of the Standing Committee on Finance presented on Monday, December 1, 1997.

[Algeria, December 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are very concerned by the situation in Algeria. The minister mentioned to me yesterday that there will be a delegation of Canadian parliamentarians. As yet undetermined is who will be part of that delegation and under what terms.

I thank the hon. member for his question.