Christine Stewart

[Turkey, March 24th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, this issue is of great concern to the Government of Canada. At this very moment we are meeting with the ambassador of Turkey and requesting that Turkey respect the human rights of the minority group being targeted in this situation. We are asking Turkey to take a moderate stand by trying to dialogue with the group and respect their cultural rights.

At the same time, we understand the difficulties in dealing with acts of terrorism. However we are officially asking the Government of Turkey to take a moderate stand and to try to come to some form of agreement with the Kurds.

[Cuba, March 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to respond to my colleague's important question. The United States has draft legislation in place right now which would have a negative effect, especially on the principals and families of some Canadian companies investing in Cuba.

We hope there will be amendments to this legislation before it is pursued in the United States. However, we have made it very clear that Canada will be pursuing and will continue to pursue an independent foreign policy. This is very well respected world wide.

This week we are very pleased to be celebrating 50 years of friendly relations with Cuba and we expect to have many more such years in the future.

[Commonwealth Day, March 13th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, today is Commonwealth Day, observed every year on the second Monday in March by all its member countries to celebrate the Commonwealth, its value and principles.

Built on common traditions, the Commonwealth successfully demonstrates the continuing importance of multilateral co-operation. Its strength is unity with diversity.

The Commonwealth now consists of 51 countries and 1.5 billion people of different languages, races, faiths and traditions. It serves as a forum for both governmental and non-governmental dialogue on a vast array of subjects from health and justice to youth, education and development.

Last year Canada hosted the very successful Commonwealth Games in Victoria, celebrating sport, art, culture and friendship.

Canada has been part of the Commonwealth since its inception in 1931 and takes pride in its many accomplishments. The first secretary general, Arnold Smith, a Canadian, helped strengthen the foundations on which the Commonwealth continues to stand.

Last year was a momentous year for the Commonwealth with the return of South Africa following its first free elections. The Commonwealth had pushed hard for an end to apartheid and Canada believes it should continue to act as an instrument to promote democracy and human rights.

Later this year the Commonwealth heads of government will meet in New Zealand, giving the leaders an opportunity to discuss world issues in an informal, unstructured manner. We value this opportunity to renew our relationship with other Commonwealth nations and to elaborate on Canadian foreign policy objectives.

I urge all members to join me today in saluting the Commonwealth.

[India, March 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government is very concerned about the detention of some Sikh Canadians who have been travelling to India.

To be more specific, recently there was a case in which a Canadian was held for about a week and others recently for shorter periods of time.

Our high commissioner in New Delhi has followed up on every case of detention that he has been aware of and through him and other officials here in Ottawa we have relayed to the government in India our concern about this issue and hope that it will be dealt with.

[Human Rights, February 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is very pleased, as is my colleague, that the appeal court overturned the conviction and execution of Salam Masih and his uncle in Pakistan. We believe it was in part due to our government's representations to the Government of Pakistan, along with representations by other members of the international community.

We remain very concerned about the human rights abuses particularly as they are brought against religious minorities in Pakistan. We will continue to work with the Government of Pakistan along with the NGO community to correct this.

[Nuclear Weapons, December 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, it was in the General Assembly that Canada abstained on the resolution to which my colleague refers.

It is very important to stress that Canada's goal as a nation is the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide. We are trying to develop incrementally a consensus around the world on this issue. In the meantime, we will work very actively internationally to try to enhance a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and a comprehensive test ban treaty.

We consider this is very important for all the same reasons but including the protection of the environment and humanity.

[China, November 16th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister was in China and did speak of the Three Gorges dam project with the president of China. China has decided to go ahead with the development of the Three Gorges dam project despite what any of our views were with regard to environmental and human rights issues. We will remain concerned about those issues whether they are in China or anywhere else we are involved.

However, the Chinese government is asking for Canadian co-operation in the development and we hope that in providing our management and technical expertise we can have an influence on those potential negative impacts.

I think it is also important to recognize that the Yangtze River is a very important resource to China and it poses both a threat and an opportunity. The river has caused thousands of deaths but there is great potential in that river for electrical energy formation and the possibility of navigating, allowing ships to get to interior cities, which is important.

[Law Of The Sea, November 3rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to answer this question of my colleague on an issue of importance to Canada.

Canada did sign the law of the sea convention in 1982 but we did have some concerns about some provisions in that convention with regard to the exploitation of the deep seabed. After long negotiations we were able to sign the agreement in the United Nations this year on July 29. Because of that we are now looking through all of our laws to make sure they are consistent with the convention.

The convention will come into force in November of this year and we hope to be able to ratify it ourselves soon thereafter.

[South Africa, November 3rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, six months after historic elections in South Africa, I am taking this moment to speak about the government's interim and new program which Canada is beginning to implement in South Africa.

As members know, Canada has a long and honourable tradition of support to the people of South Africa. What a joy it was for those of us Canadians who were privileged to participate in the election process of April and May.

However, South Africa needs constant support if it is to successfully emerge as a democratic society, prosper economically, and develop the potential of its population as a whole.

The transition from apartheid and conflicts to reconciliation and rebuilding will bring new challenges.

I am presenting to the House today an outline of Canada's new three-year bilateral program with an allocation of up to $20 million for the next fiscal year.

In the past resources from the Canadian International Development Agency as well as from Canadian NGOs, churches, academia, businesses, professional groups and unions have been critical in facilitating the heroic strides of the South African people toward a more democratic society.

For a number of years we have worked with South African groups disadvantaged by apartheid to lay the basis for their involvement in their country's affairs.

CIDA has extended its special South Africa fund. This fund will next year make available $2.5 million to Canadian organizations which have already established strong linkages with partners in South Africa.

With the end of apartheid and the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president, the Canadian government has acted promptly to re-establish bilateral relations in a number of areas. We have extended the general preferential tariff to South Africa. A Canadian trade office was opened in Johannesburg in February 1994 during a visit by the Minister for International Trade.

Subsequently Canadian exports to South Africa for the first six months of the year were about 75 per cent higher than they were for the same period last year. A significant portion of these exports is in the form of manufactured and high technology Canadian products.

Throughout the transition period there has been a strong level of interest in Canadian models of government and experiences. This interest continues.

In July of this year the South African minister of constitutional development led a high level delegation of ministers, MPs and academics to study our system. This week another group of South African public servants is visiting Canada to acquaint themselves with how we develop our foreign policy.

Moreover, South Africa asked for and was given advice on various issues, especially on the refugee status claims processing system it is setting up. Canada offered to help South Africa become an active member of several multilateral organizations.

For our efforts and our expertise Canada has been singled out. On September 1 South Africa's minister of arts, culture, science and technology, Dr. B.S. Ngubane, speaking in his country's Parliament acknowledged the contribution through Canada's International Development Research Centre to the creation of a science and technology initiative.

The government has made a commitment to open the process of foreign policy making to all Canadians. In May of this year we held a major consultation in Ottawa and invited representatives of academia, the business community, church groups, unions and developmental non-government organizations to discuss priorities for the new South Africa. Their input has been vital in establishing the four key priorities for the next three years in South Africa.

The first priority is governance. We will continue with our $10 million public service policy project funded by CIDA and managed by the International Development Research Centre. In addition we will begin more intensive training of senior civil servants and government officials from among groups previously excluded from top government positions.

The second priority is human resource training to improve the education sector and correct the past injustices of apartheid. As we all know, it is critical to raise the general skill level of the population. To work efficiently, a society needs a more open and tolerant political culture.

Third, we will have strengthened civil society. With the transition to a new government many of the old organizations which were organized around resistance now need to transform themselves into bodies which can represent their constituents in a more peaceful but effective manner. We will support them in making this transition.

The fourth priority will emphasize economic growth in South Africa with a particular focus on the participation of black business people in various sectors of the economy as well as the consolidation of Canadian linkages.

We believe that linking our four priorities with the help of all our Canadian partners is the only way Canada can ensure coherent, broad based development which will promote enduring peace and security in South Africa. We need to protect and nourish the South African beacon of hope on the African continent for the sake of all on that continent.

I thank all Canadians for their collaboration in this process.

[Chemical Weapons, October 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for raising this important item.

At the present moment an interdepartmental and industry consultation process is taking place. We expect that at the beginning of the year a required bill will be presented to the House of Commons for debate.

In the meantime, the Hague is putting in place a provisional technical secretariat before the ratification of the convention. Canada has submitted names to that. When the convention is ratified we will again present names to the organization in order to take our proper role in making sure that the convention is complied with.