Beryl Gaffney

[Disabled Persons, March 7th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I have been very fortunate to work closely with several Nepean residents who, as disabled persons, face real barriers in their everyday lives.

I have always been especially concerned with the challenges faced by people with disabilities and I had the privilege to work on their behalf when I chaired the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Persons with Disabilities.

I am very pleased to see that the budget has allocated $230 million for Canadians with disabilities, including more eligible expenses for medical expense tax credits, duty free entry into Canada for goods designated for persons with disabilities, the elimination of a limit on attending care expenses for disabled workers and the opportunities fund which provides $30 million a

year in partnership with service organizations to help disabled workers.

The two key thrusts of the task force on disabilities are increasing tax recognition on the cost of disability and reducing barriers to employment. I am pleased to see these as well in the budget.

Through these initiatives persons with disabilities who want to work can do so and, as such, can become financially-

[Youth Employment, March 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister for International Co-operation.

All Canadians, and certainly young people in Nepean, are worried about getting a good education and then facing the prospect of not getting a good job.

Could the minister let the House know what is going on? What is he doing to create international opportunities for young Canadians?

[Excise Tax Act, February 11th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the statement of the member from the Bloc with regard to the GST and the harmonized sales tax in particular. He seemed to have a great deal of difficulty dealing with the business portion and how businesses in Canada would be far better off under the HST than what they presently are under the GST.

It would almost lead one to assume that the member is anti-business. How can you say that when businesses will have to deal with only one sales tax? There will be one sales tax rather a federal and a provincial tax? How can you be against that? Is that not to the benefit of businesses? Of course it is. It will reduce the costs of

businesses. Their costs today are far higher than what they will be under the HST.

If you look at the participating provinces that have already agreed to the HST, these businesses we already know are far better off under this system than the provinces that have not signed up.

What does the member have against businesses and trying to help businesses in every province in this Canada, not just in Quebec? Quebec is a province in Canada.

[Computing Devices Canada, February 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, Nepean has once again distinguished itself as a home to leading edge technology. On Friday, Computing Devices Canada was awarded a high profile defence contract to develop integrated protective clothing and equipment for soldiers.

A trailblazer in the Nepean high tech community, CDC has nearly 50 years of experience as a defence supplier to over 20 nations. CDC will lead an industrial team of companies from across Canada. Their task is the design, development, integration and manufacture of enough prototypes for an infantry platoon to extensively test the clothing and equipment in the field.

The project will draw from emerging technologies and systems integration such as a satellite navigation system and a wearable computer with a helmet mounted display.

I applaud CDC and other members of the industrial team. This contract enhances CDC's already strong international reputation. It is because of companies like CDC that Nepean and Canada are so well respected in the high tech sector.

[International Development Week, February 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this is international development week. It brings together a wide range of partners, co-operatives and corporations, non-governmental organizations, universities and colleges and Canadian international development agencies.

Participants come from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds. I want to acknowledge three constituents from the Nepean riding who have recently volunteered overseas with CESO: Roy Walker in Russia; Jivan Shah in Lima, Peru; and Tadeusz Cienski in Lubin, Poland.

By sharing their expertise with disadvantaged economies, they epitomize the values and ideals we celebrate during international development week.

This week is a week when Canadians come together and renew commitment to a common future, one that is shared with the rest of the world.

The need for international co-operation has never been greater. Messrs. Walker, Shah and Cienski have proven that all races and cultures, joined by common cause, can work together in peace.

[Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act, December 12th, 1996]

And that is why we allowed you to speak in debate too.

[Transit Strike, December 9th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Labour. For two weeks a bus strike has been in effect in this region. Students, seniors, the poor and the business community have been seriously affected.

Rather than taking the side of either labour or the transit commission, will the government take the side of the transit user? Will the minister legislate an end to the OC transit strike before this House rises?

[Petitions, December 6th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition has signatures from 25 people. These people are concerned that there continue to exist over 30,000 nuclear weapons on the earth and that the continuing existence of nuclear weapons poses a threat to the health and survival of human civilization and the global environment.

They ask that Parliament support the immediate initiation, by the year 2000, of an international convention which will set out a binding timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

[Petitions, December 6th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present. The first one has 313 signatures and the other has 250, most from the city of Nepean.

The petitioners believe that there are profound inadequacies in the sentencing practices concerning individuals convicted of impaired driving charges and that Canada must embrace the philosophy of zero tolerance toward individuals who drive while impaired by alcohol.

The petitioners request that Parliament proceed immediately with amendments to the Criminal Code that will ensure that the sentence given to anyone convicted of causing death by driving

while impaired carries a minimum sentence of 7 years and a maximum of 14 years.

[Violence Against Women, December 6th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, 7 years ago 14 bright, promising young women experienced hell on earth. Their crime? They were women. Their sentence was death. As I speak, other Canadian women are experiencing the horror of violence and intimidation.

The only fitting tribute to the slain women of l'École Polytechnique and to all victims of violence is to stop the violence and to say never again. Much is being done and I applaud those working with abused women and children. Services like those offered by the Nepean Community Resource Centre in my Ontario riding are providing counselling, outreach and services for children who witness violence. Those services strive to undo the damage.

Eliminating violence requires a commitment from all individuals. We must reject the stereotyping of women. The media must stop its glorification of violence and legislators at every level must enact laws to better protect our citizens. Canadians must unite against those who wreak death and terror. We must stand up and say never again.