John Richardson

[Arthur Meighen, April 19th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise in the House today to announce that on June 16, 1999 the city of St. Mary's will be commemorating the gravesite of the Right Hon. Arthur Meighen, 125 years after his birth.

Arthur Meighen's political career began as a member of parliament for Portage La Prairie, Manitoba in 1908 culminating with his becoming leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. He went on to become Prime Minister in the years 1920-21 and again in 1926. He is best remembered in the House as one of its most brilliant orators.

Other major achievements include the participation and the creation of the Canadian National Railway, prominence in ending the Winnipeg general strike and passage of the Armistice Day Act.

He was a good Manitoban.

His legacy on Parliament Hill lives on through his grandson, Senator Michael Meighen.

[Supply, April 19th, 1999]

I question my position to speak being given to the Bloc Quebecois.

[Supply, April 19th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, the government stands against the motion on the floor for pretty solid reasons. It breaks with Canadian parliamentary practice. It deals with a hypothetical question which is clearly stated in hypothetical terms. It would set an unworkable precedent in tying the hands of the government when it comes to the timeliness and effectiveness of future deployments of Canadian forces whether in a combat or peacekeeping role such as in the Balkans or anywhere in the world.

In the Canadian parliamentary system the responsibility for deploying Canadian forces lies with the government. For example, there was no formal parliamentary resolution in our entry into the Korean war. Even in 1939 there was no specific resolution declaring war on Nazi Germany. Parliamentary approval for the government's policy was shown through support for the Speech from the Throne and the defence estimates. There was no vote at all in the declaration of war against imperial Japan.

Since 1950 there have been over 50 peacekeeping support operations of varying sizes. In many of these cases parliament was not consulted at all. In the case of roughly 20 major missions which were debated in the House, there were only five recorded votes and three motions were agreed to without a recorded vote. Only three of these occurred prior to deployment: the Congo in 1960, Cyprus in 1964 and the Middle East in 1973.

If the opposition party really disagrees with deployment it should not hide behind procedural motions. It should have the courage to introduce a motion of non-confidence in the government. Our government has delivered on its—

[St. Mary's Children's Choir, March 24th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise in the House today to congratulate the St. Mary's children's choir on its continued fine performance at regional, national and international competitions.

In 1998 the choir won its seventh provincial title in eight years, and the 10 and under category won both the provincial championship and the national trophy, first place award, receiving the Margaret Wharton Memorial Choral Trophy for outstanding choir work.

The choristers are divided into two choirs: the brio, the junior division, and the presto, the senior and touring division.

The choir has recently finished recording its second professional CD. In addition, the choir also travels extensively throughout Canada and the U.S.A. and as far as Scandinavia and Great Britain.

My congratulations, once again, to the St. Mary's children's choir and its outstanding director, Eileen Baldwin, for the standard of excellence they achieve year after year.

[Division No. 354, March 23rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, to get this straight, the strike is across Canada. It could put a lot more people in jeopardy if we allow the strike to continue. It could slow down the economy as it has in the hon. member's riding, which is unfortunate.

Simple knee-jerk reactions are running against the grain on this issue. As a consequence, if we come up with some measures that are balanced, well thought out and put into place to get the PSAC union back to work, we will then have a smooth flow across the country.

[Division No. 354, March 23rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I am on my feet to speak for a short moment.

It was nice to hear the member give the usual knee-jerk reaction to complex problems that we have been getting from the Reform Party for the last five years. Then the Reform Party members go back home and say how badly they have been treated.

[Nato, March 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise in the House today to salute 40 Canadian forces engineers and other Canadian forces personnel who have just returned from Kumanovo in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

They were a part of NATO's deployment to that region and recently received NATO medals for their important contribution.

The Canadian forces engineers and other Canadian forces support personnel worked closely with French engineers to construct and renovate infrastructure such as medical facilities, showers and meal areas in order to enable the members of NATO's extraction force to perform their task.

The conditions in which they were working were very difficult and have been subject to consideration in the House. Once again members of the Canadian forces have shown their determination and professionalism.

Canadians can be proud of the job they have done. Their accomplishments in that region are an eloquent illustration of Canada's commitment to peace efforts in that troubled region.

[National Defence, March 5th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence. We have heard that Canadian forces personnel are well trained to meet a variety of situations. Does the minister have any information about a flight crew in the Canary Islands who saved a woman's life?

[Stratford Festival, February 16th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Perth—Middlesex is the home of the world famous Stratford Festival. As many members of the House can attest, the festival is live theatre at its absolute best.

I invite all parliamentarians, indeed all Canadians, to visit the 47th edition of the Stratford Festival.

Come and enjoy the magic of Shakespeare's

The Tempest , sing along with West Side Story or risk your mortal soul with Bram Stoker's Dracula

. The festival has these and many other plays to delight and enchant theatre buffs.

I will soon be sending Stratford Festival programs to offices on Parliament Hill. All Canadians can get information on the festival by visiting its website or calling 1-800-567-1600.

I hope to see everyone at this year's Stratford Festival.

[Perth—Middlesex, February 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my pride in the riding of Perth—Middlesex. My riding has one of the best unemployment rates in the country, standing at 3.6%. This rate has been constant for quite some time but hides an interesting fact.

Thousands of new jobs have been created in the area through private and public sector initiatives. The unemployment rate remains the same only because thousands of people have renewed hope and have returned to the work market.

Perth—Middlesex is a microcosm of all Canada. Government policies and the private sector initiative have given Canadians a renewed hope and a bright outlook for the future.