Madam Speaker, I listened with great interest to my colleague, the Secretary of State for Training and Youth, and my friend, the member for Chambly, who is sitting behind me, said that sometimes the governing party's right hand does not know what its left hand is doing.
Violence against women will never stop unless and until we have complete and total equality. The Canadian government must start by setting an example. Complete and total equality begins in the cradle, of course, at school, in day care, in college, in university and finally reaches the work place.
When the government here can say that it pays its staff the same regardless of sex, we will say thanks. It will be a step in the right direction when our children will be completely safe everywhere.
For example, in Sherbrooke, in my region, there were three rapes in six weeks. My daughter, who is studying police science in college, was walking in the vulnerable area with a female friend. They were stopped by the police, who told them not to walk there. They asked why. He said that as good-looking girls, they were in danger of being raped.
You see, because they were girls, they were not allowed to walk on the sidewalk in a part of the city. That is equality.
Another girl told me that she was also walking, alone, it is true, and was harassed by two people in a car. She had time to take down the licence number. A few seconds later, a policeman passed. She signaled him and gave him the message. He told her: "You should not be walking here. It is a bad area. You are in the red-light district. Go and walk somewhere else." That is the kind of freedom we offer our women and girls.
The Secretary of State for Training and Youth said that she had raised three children. I too have three children, including two girls. I would not be proud if my two daughters were not able to find as good a job as my son, because of unequal treatment. I would not be proud of the government of my country, be it Quebec or Canada, where my children would not have access to equality.
Earlier, when the hon. member for Chambly alluded to double talk, I was reminded of the famous but tragic Thibaudeau case. Who is appealing Ms. Thibaudeau's case to the Supreme Court? The government opposite.
The social program reform will primarily hit spouses, because from now on the family income, that is the salaries of both spouses, will be taken into account. Double talk indeed. I cannot
wait to see a government which will not resort to this double talk, a government which will act and act swiftly.
Here is the best example. Today marks the fifth anniversary of the tragedy at the École polytechnique, where 14 young women were killed in cold blood. The government started talking about firearms control. Some statement was made last week in the House, but things will drag on until 2002 or 2003 before the issue is settled. Tragedies such as the one which occurred at the École polytechnique could be repeated several times before tight and strict legislation is in place.
I was told last week that in some Montreal clubs, bars or taverns, it is easy to get very dangerous offensive weapons for a few thousand dollars. It is as easy to buy a firearm as a good used car.
I would like to hear the Secretary of State for Training and Youth, because she sounded really sincere earlier. I want to ask her if she is ready to stick her neck out by asking her government and cabinet to stop using this double talk once and for all and to do everything it can to ensure that women of all ages can truly enjoy gender equality.