Debates of April 20th, 1994

Ethanol Industry

[Jerry Pickard, Liberal, Essex—Kent, ON]

Mr. Speaker, job creation, economic growth and environmental improvement are the challenges that face the government.

The development of an ethanol industry in Canada will help us tackle these challenges. The proposed ethanol plant in Chatham, Ontario, will create 1,100 construction jobs, employ 90 people permanently, generate another 400 indirect jobs, contribute $125 million annually to our economy, provide a market for Ontario corn, and manufacture a renewable fuel which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

I urge our government today to commit to this development. This industry is important for our future.

The Armenian People

[Michel Daviault, Bloc, Ahuntsic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on April 24, Armenians will commemorate the 79th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in which 1.5 million people lost their lives. This is a people that, despite its ordeals, has always shown its determination to survive. Tragedy struck again in 1988, when nearly 25,000 Armenians died in an earthquake.

I wish to salute the Armenian community in North Montreal which is working to provide humanitarian support in Armenia.

The Quebec National Assembly recognized the Armenian genocide in 1980, but the Government of Canada has yet to do so. I therefore wish to ask the Canadian government to recognize the historic truth of this tragedy.

We wish to extend our sympathy to our fellow citizens of Armenian origin and wish them every hope for a better future.

Rick Folk

[Werner Schmidt, Reform, Okanagan Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, over this past weekend in Oberstdorf, Germany, Rick Folk of Kelowna, British Columbia, led his rink to a second World Curling Championship.

There is also a decidedly human side to the story. Just days before Rick and his teammates left for Germany, Rick's father passed away. After his victory Rick told reporters:

Definitely I was thinking of my dad. When I finished throwing my last shot, and I knew I had it, that was the first thing that went through my mind. I wondered where he was watching. I promised I would do my best and for my dad my best is always the best.

Canadians appreciate Rick's victory all the more because he was able to demonstrate that quality of triumph through adversity that all Canadians find so inspiring.

I invite all members of this House to extend congratulations to our new men's world curling champion, Rick Folk, his team and his family.

Gun Control

[Ben Serré, Liberal, Timiskaming—French-River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Timiskaming-French River is a rural, northern Ontario riding, and our way of life differs greatly from that of urban centres. Solutions that work in Toronto will not necessarily work in the north. The majority of gun owners in my riding are law abiding and safe users of firearms for hunting and sport. It is part of our way of life.

In the interests of public security it is important to maintain a certain level of gun control in Canada. However, since 70 per cent of all criminal acts involving guns are committed with smuggled, illegal firearms, we need to have and enforce stricter laws and penalties for criminal users of firearms. We do not need more complicated regulations for law-abiding citizens.

I will forcefully oppose any new legislation that will impose further controls on law-abiding firearm owners.

Canadian Citizenship

[Dianne Brushett, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the hon. member for Don Valley North on his initiative in organizing the first citizenship day for members of Parliament and senators to publicly reaffirm their allegiance to Canada.

Yesterday the hon. member for Don Valley North brought us together in the Hall of Honour because of his appreciation as an immigrant to hold Canadian citizenship and because of his love and commitment to this great country.

It was a moving experience and for many of us it was the first time we experienced the joy of enunciating the words aloud, declaring our allegiance for Canada. At a time when many nations are being torn apart by civil insurrection and war, it is imperative that we Canadians show the world through our leadership and policy how people with many diversities live in harmony as one nation.

Let this ceremony be the beginning for all members in the House to publicly serve and pledge allegiance to one great country, one Canada, our beloved country.

Canada Health Auxiliary Week

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that the Canadian Association of Health Care Auxiliaries has declared this week of April 17 to April 25 Canada Health Auxiliary Week.

This year's theme is the challenge of choices. Health care auxiliaries across the country will be celebrating this week with the goal of increasing public awareness of the tremendous contribution made by volunteers to the health care system in Canada.

Last year health auxiliaries across Canada worked to raise in excess of $33 million for their respective health care facilities. One hundred and thirteen thousand volunteers gave 8.5 million hours to patient services, community health care, public relations and fund raising.

I am sure all members will join with me in congratulating the Canadian Association of Health Care Auxiliaries on its work and in urging Canadians to support their local auxiliaries.

Premier Of Quebec

[Gaston Péloquin, Bloc, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there will soon be an general election in Quebec, and the federalist troops, terrified at the prospect of being swept from the Quebec political scene, are using underhanded tactics to convince Quebecers that their option is the right one.

Premier Daniel Johnson, with the hounds of sovereignty nipping at his heels, went before foreign investors with a message of gloom and doom, predicting political instability in Quebec if the Parti Quebecois came to power.

These desperate and highly irresponsible tactics are unworthy of someone who is supposed to defend Quebec's best interests, especially when he is in another country. Now that die-hard federalists can no longer scare Quebecers, they are trying to scare foreign investors.

National Volunteer Week

[Jim Hart, Reform, Okanagan—Similkameen—Merritt, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in Okanagan-Similkameen-Merritt we are particularly proud of the efforts of our local volunteers. Lynn and John Bremmer of the town of Oliver in my riding recently returned from the Slovak republic where they worked with CESO on a development project, helping a producer of agricultural products with their expertise. Perhaps more than money their volunteer efforts will help those people stand proudly on their feet as their country emerges from the dark ages of communism.

Volunteers have made a personal choice to make all our communities better places to live, whether it be through working with a service club, organizing a community event, helping the disadvantaged or leading a youth group.

I call on all hon. members and all Canadians to join me in honouring volunteers during National Volunteer Week.

Anti-Violence Campaign

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Mississauga East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Canadian Heritage launched "Speak out Against Violence", a campaign of public service announcements by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.

The Government of Canada is a very committed partner in this initiative which is another fine example of what can be achieved on an important social issue through co-operation between the public and private sectors.

To accommodate our federal contribution, Canada's private broadcasters are committing $10 million in free air time to broadcast these announcements.

The government is aware that the media heavily influence our attitudes, and we think this campaign is an excellent way to make all Canadians think about the questions raised by violence in our society.

I invite all Canadians to join us in this bold initiative to help build the Canada of the future, a Canada where men, women and children can be safe in their homes and can walk the streets without fear of harm.

Ryan White Bill

[Glen McKinnon, Liberal, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the day that the United States of America adopts the Ryan White bill, a bill that was endorsed by President Bush but is being enacted by President Clinton. It is a law that mandates hospitals to notify emergency response personnel about the infectious status of a patient who was treated by the emergency worker.

This law prohibits involuntary testing of patients and only requires the hospital to share any such information in its possession. The program is also structured in a way that protects the confidentiality of patients.

I would encourage all members of the House to co-operate in establishing such legislation in Canada.

Economic Development

[Patrick Gagnon, Liberal, Bonaventure—Îles-De-La-Madeleine, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to call the attention of the hon. members of this House to a recent initiative from our government to promote the economic development of Quebec.

On April 14, we announced, in conjunction with the Government of Quebec, a first set of projects to be implemented under the Canada-Quebec agreement on infrastructure projects. This program is being initiated a mere two months after the agreement was signed. This is palpable proof that we do meet the demands of the Canadian people. It also demonstrates clearly that we are intent on putting Canada back to work as soon as possible.

This first stage will see nearly $35 million invested in 50 projects involving 43 municipalities in Quebec. These projects will result in the creation of 400 direct jobs over the weeks to come because, as you know, this government was elected last fall to put Canadians back to work, and this program is being put into place to do just that.

Premier Of Quebec

[Benoît Sauvageau, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to call the attention of this House to the statement Senator Kennedy made yesterday, within the context of the Quebec Premier's pre-election visit to the United States.

Senator Kennedy said that as far as the Americans were concerned, whatever the outcome of the decision, they respect the right of Quebecers' to self-determination.

Now, Mr. Speaker, here at last is a level-headed statement reflecting profound respect for democratic values. Unfortunately, you are more likely to hear that kind of remark abroad than within this chamber.

The universal standard for democracy is respect for other people, respect for the decisions made by the people.

I urge the members from the other political parties represented in this House to follow the example of Senator Kennedy and show the same open-mindedness, the same democratic regard, the same respect for political diversity.

Gun Control

[Allan Kerpan, Reform, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre, SK]

Mr. Speaker, last week in my constituency we held two townhall meetings to discuss gun control.

The message that I received from the people attending these two meetings was loud and clear: do not handcuff together what are two separate issues, gun control and criminal justice reform; do not attempt to control the criminal abuse of firearms by punishing the innocent, legitimate gun owners in the country.

This message has been supported by over 300 phone calls and faxes to our "let the people speak" lines here in Ottawa. These come from all across the country. The people of Moose Jaw-Lake Centre say we need to get tough with violence and violent criminals. We need to do it now, but let us leave law-abiding citizens alone.

Iraq

[Carolyn Parrish, Liberal, Mississauga West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn the savage, inhumane and ruthless actions of dictator Saddam Hussein in the southern Iraq marshes perpetrated on the one million marsh Arabs who live there.

As Canadians we advocate and uphold human rights and must protest both a human and an environmental catastrophe which has been well documented and recently aired on CBC.

Water is being diverted from the historic wetland where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet. The delicate ecostructure is being destroyed to provide a huge military base. The native marsh Arabs, Shia Muslims, are being harassed, arbitrarily arrested and detained, tortured, killed and systematically starved to death. Women, children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable.

We as Canadians of conscience must uphold the human rights of the Shia Muslims and express our outrage and indignation to the Iraqi government and to the United Nations, immediately addressing this matter of genocide and ecological disaster.

National Volunteer Week

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the other day I helped launch National Volunteer Week by attending a celebration breakfast of the Association of Managers of Volunteer Services in Peterborough.

During this week in Peterborough riding and across Canada recognition events are being held to honour volunteers who do so much to maintain our standard and quality of life.

Volunteerism is one of the unwritten secrets of democracy. Healthy democracy demands the full and free participation of all citizens. That is why during in this particular volunteer week, while remembering all Canadian volunteers, we should save a special thought for Canadians helping with the election in South Africa. These people, including members of the House, people from my riding and many others, are a special reminder to us all of the importance of volunteerism in 1994. They are an example to us all.

International Association Of Firefighters

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, over the last few days many MPs have met with representatives of the International Association of Firefighters.

The firefighters are asking for a number of things, all of which I support, but today I would urge the government to act as soon as possible on a number of them.

There is no good reason for delay on setting up the system for tracking hazardous materials and right to know legislation. Likewise there is no good reason to delay on setting up a notification protocol for infectious diseases.

I call on the government to act swiftly on these two requests of the firefighters. They serve our communities well in an already dangerous job. It does not need to be made unnecessarily more dangerous by government failure on these two particularly responsible requests.

Foreign Affairs

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Despite yesterday's ceasefire, Serb forces are continuing their assault on Gorazde. They have even shelled the hospital. The emergency room was hit this morning by rocket fire and 10 people were killed and 15 wounded. According to a wire report just in, even the wounded cannot be rescued because Serb fire is preventing would-be rescuers from reaching them. At noon, we learned that following a request from the UN, NATO countries agreed today in Brussels to proceed with new air strikes in retaliation for Serb atrocities.

Can the minister confirm to us if Canada has endorsed the NATO resolution to proceed with new air strikes and can he also confirm whether Canada has in fact expressed some reservations about the effectiveness of such strikes?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we are extremely concerned about the deteriorating situation in Bosnia. The decision by the UN Secretary General to ask NATO to order offensive, rather than purely defensive, air strikes is obviously one fraught with implications.

In light of this change of policy, forces serving under the auspices of the UN will no longer be in the field solely to maintain peace and provide safe passage for humanitarian aid convoys. They could be called upon to take action to impose peace. Ambassadors to NATO are currently meeting to discuss this request and once a final decision has been made, I will be happy to convey it to the House.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the minister that the situation has reached a critical stage beyond which major decisions will have to be made. Must Canadian and other peacekeeping forces be content to stand by, powerless to stop a disaster of inhumane proportions, almost as if they were sanctioning what was happening by doing nothing, or should they take more concrete actions and intervene, as the minister said, to impose peace? The other option is withdrawal. I think that the conscience of the western world will lean more toward intervention. The fact that the

Russian security council convened a meeting this morning is a sign that the conflict is getting worse.

My question to the Minister of Foreign Affairs is this: Can he tell us if Russia has agreed to back the UN resolution calling for more air strikes?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, all I can say to the House today is that talks are continuing between government leaders in an effort to thrash out a unified policy. A short while ago, the Prime Minister of Canada spoke with the President of the United States who himself was scheduled to speak with the Russian president. These talks will continue during the next few hours, the objective being to devise a plan of action, one that has the widest possible support, to bring an end to the conflict raging in the former Yugoslavia.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we have learned that the Russians could decide to retire the kind of support, at least the sympathy they had for the Serb movement. Now we hear that the conflict might expand to Iran because the last dispatch is to the effect that the Ayatollah Khamenei has just ordered Iranian troops to intervene in Bosnia to defend the Muslims.

Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs agree that the situation could deteriorate very rapidly?

[André Ouellet, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think we should be very cautious about all these rumours. One thing is certain, and that is that members of NATO are trying to put forward a unanimous position and to bring along other important players in this area of the world to draft a common approach to the current situation.

I can confirm that there have been discussions at the highest levels. It is quite clear that the involvement and the co-operation of Russia with the European Union, the United States and Canada could be very decisive in making sure we take steps that will stop this conflict in the ex-Yugoslavia.

Our purpose is to arrive at a united front and to ensure that all the parties in ex-Yugoslavia come to the table and respect a peace initiative.

Action Plan For Young People

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs claims that his government consulted the provinces before announcing its youth strategy.

Yesterday, Quebec's Minister of Education categorically denied having been consulted by Ottawa.

How can the minister continue to claim that the provinces were consulted, when Quebec's Minister of Education denies that he was consulted? Will the minister now withdraw his allegations and admit that Quebec's Minister of Education was not consulted?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, on February 28 I met with the ministers of education who compose the Council of Ministers of Education. The federal government was invited by the council to develop a co-operative approach to a broad range of matters affecting young people.

At that time we gave a full briefing to all the ministers of education concerning the various youth initiatives: the internship program, the youth services corps, the student loans and the learning initiatives which were discussed at the request of the provincial ministers themselves.

As the hon. member probably knows, they had issued a declaration over a year ago asking that there be full co-operation between the federal and the provincial governments to undertake a common approach to the problems facing education.

After the meeting, at which we outlined the approach we were taking, we offered to establish a number of meetings with officials to go over the specific parts of the program. There were a series of meetings on the student loans program.

Specifically last Friday a meeting was held in Quebec between federal and provincial officials to discuss the internship program.

That is a fair description of the kind of consultation, collaboration and co-operation we want to have with the provinces. We outlined the approach and certainly in response to any request by the provincial ministers we are very open to continuing the dialogue to look at the specific implementation of that program so we can once again work together to help young people.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Roberval, QC]

How can the minister seriously say that he made every effort to avoid further duplication of responsibility between Quebec's programs and his youth action plan, since this plan has three components that directly overlap similar Quebec programs and are in no way complementary?