House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 1993, with 52% of the vote.
Bosnia June 19th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, this proposal is of course a positive sign. Unfortunately, to be effective, all parties involved in the conflict must agree, not just the Bosnian government but also the Bosnian Serbs. In this connection, summit participants asked Mr. Yeltsin to use all his influence to intervene with the Serb authorities so that an agreement can be reached that will involve all parties involved in the conflict.
Bosnia June 19th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, clearly, the Bosnian crisis which has been going on for several years could not be settled in a matter of hours at the Halifax summit. I am sure the Leader of the Opposition realizes that.
However, summit participants have reiterated their confidence in the diplomatic process as opposed to a military solution. They renewed their unconditional support for the peace plan proposed by the contact group and, more specifically, gave a very clear mandate to Mr. Bildt and Mr. Stoltenberg to continue their efforts to bring all parties towards a lasting peace in the former Yugoslavia.
Law Of The Sea Convention June 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the hon. member that this fall we will table a bill which I hope will allow us to ratify the treaty.
Indonesia June 12th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, it is regrettable that the hon. member is trying to compare apples and oranges. The responsibilities that Canada has taken on regarding education are not only acknowledged but actually sought by a considerable number of stakeholders. The programs which for the most part are run in collaboration with Canadian universities and colleges have considerable spin-offs in the countries where these programs are in operation as well as in Canada itself.
Auditor General's Report May 16th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I would have appreciated it if the hon. member had at least listened to the answer I gave him. He refers to a situation that no longer exists. I cannot understand why he continues to claim that we give preferential treatment to some public officials when this practice has stopped.
Auditor General's Report May 16th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should understand that the auditor general's criticisms had to do with a former procedure that has since been completely corrected.
Foreign Affairs May 15th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, it is quite clear that in some cases, through the United Nations, when all countries accept the imposition of trade sanctions as happened in South Africa, Canada has certainly joined others and supported the measures.
To try to be a boy scout on our own, to impose our own rules on others when nobody else is following, is absolutely counterproductive and does not lead to any successful future. Therefore it is quite clear that our approach, the multiplicity of objectives we are pursuing, is certainly much more conducive to obtaining the end result.
Foreign Affairs May 15th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I assure the hon. member that whenever we have trade relations in countries where we have established good rapport and created a climate of confidence, we will certainly use the good rapport to promote human rights and influence governments to change their policies and to accept our values and our own objectives.
Foreign Affairs May 15th, 1995
Mr. Speaker, I absolutely refute the allegations of the hon. member. We have not changed our foreign policy. We have not flip-flopped on the red book. It is quite the contrary. We are delivering on our promises.
One of the main promises we made to Canadians-and the Prime Minister has said it all along-is to create jobs and sustain the Canadian economy. We are doing it. Despite the view of the hon. member we will work vigorously to promote employment and growth in Canada and create jobs. That is one aspect of our foreign policy.
By doing that it does not mean we are abdicating other objectives we have, particularly to promote and sustain those who are fighting for democracy and human rights in the world. They are not contradictory. Quite the contrary, the two objectives could go hand in hand and be promoted worldwide.
Foreign Affairs May 15th, 1995
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I can confirm for the hon. member that we will continue to act very vigorously to support respect for human rights and democracy throughout the world.
There has been no change of policy. In response to the very thorough review of the parliamentary committee we have expressed in our presentations the various goals we want to pursue in foreign policy.
One goal is trade. Another goal is to promote our values, what we believe in. Certainly we believe in respect for human beings and respect for democracy. This is one of many features of our foreign policy.