Debates of March 8th, 1994

International Women's Day

[Beryl Gaffney, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Madam Speaker, today is International Women's Day. I would like my colleagues to join with me in giving special prominence to the dedicated work carried out by stay at home mothers.

Women at home with children must deal not only with the isolation and stress of 24-hour a day child care responsibility, but also with the invisibility of their work.

Stay at home mothers are dismissed by employment experts as persons with no employment record, no history of promotion and no record of job skills. They have no set hours, no holidays, no sick leave, no pensions, no safety regulations and no rights to negotiation.

Census statistics provide the data used by all levels of government to develop policies and programs for society. Yet unpaid work in the home and in the community is not included in the national census.

As a result few community resources have been available for women caring for children because such caring is neither recognized nor understood as work.

Mothers at home clearly have rights and these rights must be recognized.

[Pierrette Ringuette-Maltais, Liberal, Madawaska—Victoria, NB]

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to salute all women and young girls who choose to fulfil their potential.

I want to mention the presence in our gallery of my daughter, Andrée-Julie, who, even at her young age, sees the future from a different perspective than I or my mother did.

In 1994, we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the right to vote for women in New Brunswick, a right they acquired on April 17, 1919. Forty-eight years later, a woman was elected for the first time in our province and 68 years later, two francophone women were elected members of the New Brunswick legislature.

I encourage women to participate in politics. There are no women's issues, as there are no issues concerning only men; there are only collective problems which must be addressed collectively.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Madam Speaker, on this International Women's Day, the Bloc Quebecois members want to acknowledge the exceptional work of all those who decided to

help women and children victims of violence by establishing a great network of shelters.

These women have given our society an absolutely essential kind of resource and they continue to give generously of their time and energy so that this network may really play its role in supporting women and children who are victims of violence.

What a marvellous thing to devote one's talents and resources to justice and human dignity. Hats off to all the women who give of themselves to establish and operate these shelters for victims of violence.

The members of the Bloc Quebecois want to assure you of their total support in your efforts to reach your goals.

[Diane Ablonczy, Reform, Calgary North, AB]

Madam Speaker, I rise on the occasion of International Women's Day to express my personal appreciation for the opportunity to live and work in Canada, a country in which citizens have the freedom to pursue personal and professional goals with few systemic barriers based on distinctions such as gender or racial and linguistic background.

Where our laws and the actions of our governments discriminate against anyone today, let us change those laws and actions and pursue the goal of equal treatment for all Canadians.

Our pursuit of fairness and open opportunities for all Canadians should command our strong support and commitment, not because we are women or men or happen to have any other identifying characteristic, but because we are Canadians.

I urge all members of our society to continue to work together to move away from an emphasis on difference and special status. It is my belief that our proudest moment will be when we as Canadians can truly celebrate equality of citizens day.

[Audrey McLaughlin, NDP, Yukon, YT]

Madam Speaker, today on International Women's Day I ask the House whether women are truly advancing in our society.

I use three key measures through which we might decide the answer to that question. The first one is with regard to poverty and women. Latest statistics demonstrate that over 58 per cent of female led single parent families live in poverty and over 45 per cent of unattached elderly women continue to live in poverty.

The second measurement is violence against women. Every 17 minutes there is a sexual assault committed in Canada, 90 per cent of those victims are women, the rest are children. That means three assaults during the time of question period.

Finally turning to employment and women, women in full time work still earn less than 70 per cent per hour of what men earn. We must have, and I challenge the government to bring in, a full national child care program to assist women and men in our society and to put special emphasis on visible minority, aboriginal and immigrant women who suffer double discrimination in our society.

Sheila Genaille

[Anna Terrana, Liberal, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, today on the occasion of International Women's Day we have in the House Ms. Sheila Genaille, president of the Métis National Council of Women.

Ms. Genaille is sixth generation Métis and a strong advocate of Canada and aboriginal peoples. She has a long experience in federal, provincial and Métis government processes.

The research director of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Ms. Genaille has been instrumental in helping the Métis find their proper place in history by managing the Métis Cultural Centre and developing and collecting historical and cultural information pertaining to the Métis.

Ms. Genaille has been the president of several organizations, including the Louis Riel Historical Society and the Edmonton branch of the Alberta Geological Society. Currently Ms. Genaille is the Minister of the Status of Women and Minister of Culture for the Métis Nation Provisional Government.

On International Women's Day it is an honour and a privilege for me to pay tribute to a woman who has performed in an outstanding manner not only for her peoples but for all Canadians.

On behalf of all my colleagues in the House I wish to congratulate and thank Ms. Genaille for her efforts and commitment.

Women In Sport

[Georgette Sheridan, Liberal, Saskatoon—Humboldt, SK]

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to address the House on International Women's Day on behalf of women in sport.

Saskatchewan's Sandra Peterson served as my inspiration. This past weekend Sandra's rink won the national women's curling championship, the Scott Tournament of Hearts, for the second consecutive year.

As the only female MP from Saskatchewan, it gives me great pleasure to extend my congratulations to Sandra Peterson, Jan Betker, Joan McCusker and Marcia Gudereit.

The Peterson victory made the front page of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix sports section in colour. Public recognition is crucial to the advancement of women in sport to provide self-validation for the individual and role models for our young girls, to enhance public funding and economic opportunities for women in professional sports.

International Women's Day

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Madam Speaker, today I would like to join my colleagues in stressing the invaluable role women play in society and in our private lives. Far from being a day to give men a clear conscience, March 8 must go beyond symbols and remind us of how much remains to be done for the women's cause.

It is fitting to stress achievements, but it is even more important to renew our commitment to bring about this long-awaited sex equality. Democracy, justice and humanism require the implementation of economic and social conditions which will enable women to reach their full potential and reconcile their many roles.

This new awareness is even more important for us, MPs and party leaders, in a House where only 18 per cent of seats are held by women. Let us recognize in that figure a deficiency of our democratic system and a serious political failure that must be addressed urgently.

Sarajevo

[Jan Brown, Reform, Calgary Southeast, AB]

Madam Speaker, this is written to acknowledge our collective responsibility to the human good.

It is called:

And Sarajevo Makes Me Cry

Hatred is not a contradiction

But a gruesome paradox

Cultures squeezed together no longer benign but malignant

Enmeshed in the bloodied pulp of accusation,

The living and the dead.

After-burner eyes that hold such surprise

A brief shock of pain

The sweet breath of fire

Savage passions, indecent, finally expelled

Like torched paper

To blow apart in the wind

And emerge as blood-pools

This withered generation

Small sad voices.

Our world sits on its haunches

Watching Evil's root

Envelop the thin veneer of civilization

And the deadly seeds of war scatter our history

Conflict becomes a relationship of severed parts

choking on its grief.

Our world of relevance gone mad

Where even the onlookers

Fully misunderstand.

International Women's Week

[Judy Bethel, Liberal, Edmonton East, AB]

Madam Speaker, during International Women's Week it is important to recognize the achievements of women who have come to Canada from different parts of the world. The story of immigration in Canada is the story of Changing Together, a centre for immigrant women in Edmonton.

This year the centre will celebrate 10 years of service. It is a place where immigrant women come together to help each other realize their full potential through active participation in Canadian life. It is women helping women through English language classes, job training and search skills, information and referral services and cross-cultural friendship.

International Women's Day

[Paddy Torsney, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Speaker, Canada is on the cusp of change.

Increasingly Canadians are aware that our country must evolve to the point where women are recognized and accepted as full and equal partners. Raising awareness is the first step but concrete action must follow for Canada to progress.

As a woman member of Parliament I encourage all of my colleagues to recall the positive changes taking place as the participation of women in this Chamber has increased.

I am awestruck when I think of our foremothers, Nellie McClung, Agnes Macphail, Therese Casgrain, their work and their sacrifices as they struggled to acquire the vote for all Canadians, to have us recognized as persons within the Consti-

tution and the challenges they faced as solitary women of Parliament.

What has been achieved to date must not be forgotten. While women are present at every level of government, I must remind everyone that only 120 of the 3,771 MPs who have been elected since Confederation have been women and 53 of us are here today.

Today is International Women's Day and as members of Parliament from every region let us work together for equality for all Canadians.

Status Of Women

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC]

Madam Speaker, my question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister.

Liberal unemployment insurance reforms will set us back 20 years, because to establish benefit levels, public servants will have to determine the number of dependent children. This means that women on low incomes will be the first to suffer as a result of these reforms.

Would the Deputy Prime Minister agree that these changes aggravate the injustice to women by putting the onus on them to prove they have dependent children?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Madam Speaker, the reason why we are increasing unemployment insurance benefits by 3 per cent for low-income individuals is that many women who are single parents should be getting more unemployment insurance benefits. That is why the Minister of Human Resources has increased disposable income for women, and especially for single parents whose responsibilities are considerable.

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC]

Madam Speaker, does the Deputy Prime Minister realize that her reforms will reduce to 55 per cent, not raise to 60 per cent, the level of benefits for unemployed women, since their incomes are often the family's second income?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Madam Speaker, most women who are single parents have only one income. That is why they are single parents. And these women will receive 60 per cent.

Before the election, they were getting only 57 per cent. However, thanks to the Liberal Party's reforms, people on low incomes will get an increase, and this is being done to help women who are single parents and carry a considerable financial burden because they are raising their children on their own.

[Suzanne Tremblay, Bloc, Rimouski—Témiscouata, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister will agree there are women in Canadian society who are not single parents. There are also women on low incomes, or who are unemployed, in households where the man is the sole bread winner. With this reform, the government perpetuates the myth that a woman is financially dependent on her spouse. Will the Deputy Prime Minister admit it and say so, once and for all: yes or no?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member seems to be talking out of both sides of her mouth. We have introduced reforms that will increase amounts paid to people on low incomes. People who have a second family income will get 55 per cent. But all individuals who are below the average, in other words, most women now receiving unemployment insurance benefits, will get an increase, thanks to Liberal reforms that reflect the recognition that those who are less well off should get more.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.

Not only does his budget attack the Unemployment Insurance Program, but it is completely insensitive to unemployment and job instability affecting women in particular. In March of 1993, the actual rate of unemployment among women was over 20 per cent.

Does the Minister of Finance not agree that his budget not only reduces UI benefits to women but also contains no job creation strategy to give them a glimmer of hope?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Québec]

I want to take this opportunity, on International Women's Day, to congratulate you, Madam Speaker.

First of all, this budget does foresee job creation, and women are certainly included. When you look at all the funds going to training, the pilot projects often referred to by the minister and the rollback of UI premium rate, which will foster job creation, you can really see this budget truly creating employment, and employment for women, Madam Speaker.

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Madam Speaker, will the minister stop burying his head in the sand and admit that his infrastructure program, which is creating mostly temporary employment, gives absolutely no hope to women seeking employment?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Federal Office of Regional Development-Québec]

On the contrary, Madam Speaker. First of all, many women do find work in so-called conventional infrastructure. And within the broader definition given by the President of Treasury Board, if you think of the much broader definition of

infrastructure used with regard to Atlantic Canada for example, there are many jobs open to women, in tourism for instance.

On the other hand, we must not forget that the majority of businesses starting up, the small and medium-sized businesses, are run by women and that they are more successful. So, basically, in our budget, the emphasis is on small business creating jobs for women.

Members Of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Madam Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Yesterday my colleague from Calgary Centre asked the Prime Minister about the gold-plated pension plans for MPs. In his response when the Prime Minister talked about salaries for MPs and NHL hockey players, he failed to mention one important difference: NHL hockey players do not have five-year no-cut contracts.

The question was about pensions, not salaries. Does the Deputy Prime Minister believe that after just six years of service MPs deserve a pension for life?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment]

Madam Speaker, I am really happy to receive the question, in particular on International Women's Day.

One of the things that makes the presence of women in the House so unique this time is that we can use lots of analogies. Hockey may be one we want to stay away from because many hockey players get no-cut contracts.

[Deborah Grey, Reform, Beaver River, AB]

Madam Speaker, we have noticed that pension payments for members of Parliament who served in the last Parliament have increased dramatically. We need to come to terms with this regardless of how amusing it may seem.

The Prime Minister often boasts of the swift action he took on the EH-101 helicopters and the Pearson airport deal.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.