Madam Speaker, this is a question that we as parliamentarians get. I get it in my own riding and it is a very fair and honest question, knowing the deficit and the public debt we have. The comments I get are that charity begins at home.
We have to point out to Canadians that we are all brothers and sisters on the same planet. When someone says charity begins at home, Somalia, Ethiopia, Cambodia are also home for Canadians.
I was in Cambodia observing its elections. I learned that only one in five children reaches the age of five and the lifespan is only around 50 for adults. How can we say no?
Those are our neighbours. When we hear charity begins at home I have to remind myself that is part of my home as well and I have to help those children so that they can live past the age of five.
The other answer that we can give our constituents is that if we had global security we would spend less money on defence, we would spend less money in humanitarian aid. That money could go toward helping these countries develop their economies rather than looking for handouts.
I concentrated on central and eastern Europe because I believe very strongly that with a little help there it is more an investment for the entire world. These countries that I have mentioned will and some are already helping the developing countries. Poland,
Hungary, the republics of Czechoslovakia and others are already helping third world countries.
That will ease the burden on Canadians. Canada cannot do it alone, whether it is in peacekeeping, whether it is in humanitarian aid. That is why we have to look for partners around the globe.
It is a tough question. We will get this as the committee travels across Canada. We have to look at it as investment for the future. We have to look at it as global security.
When I was in Honduras recently with our overseas assistance, we brought in a water system to a rural community fed by gravitational force, no motors, no engines.
I was there talking to the barefoot children and to the local inhabitants surrounding me and I said that we were pleased that Canada could help in a small way. I said I was sure that if disaster struck Canada those people would be the first to come to our help and they all applauded.
I saw the coffee and the bananas growing in the fields. I am sure these same countries we are helping, should a disaster strike Canada tomorrow, we do not know, would be the first to come to our assistance.