Madam Speaker, I am not sure my question is that desperately important. However I do appreciate the opportunity put a question and make a comment with respect to the comments of the member for Red Deer as the official spokesperson for the Reform Party.
Certainly I share the deep concern that has been raised, particularly by the Leader of the Opposition with respect to this issue. In fact earlier during question period I spoke myself-
I pointed out that Sunday night's agreement between an illegitimate president, a straw man, Mr. Jonassaint, and Mr. Carter, an agreement made without consulting President Aristide or the United Nations, was in fact a tragic betrayal of the Haitian people.
I pointed out as well that President Carter just last week referred to General Cedras and his armed thugs as conducting a reign of terror, executing children, raping women, killing priests. As the dictators have grown more desperate the atrocities have grown ever more brutal.
Certainly many of us are deeply disturbed and angered by this deal which in effect refers to the great honour and integrity of these same people. There is talk of mutual respect. There is talk of a general amnesty, of honourable retirement and appealing to their sense of honour.
I want to ask the member for Red Deer for clarification. As I understand it, the position of his leader, the member for Calgary Southwest, was that Canada should be joining in the military invasion with the United States. In fact the member for Calgary Southwest said, and I quote that member from yesterday: "We can only play this game so long. We do not get our hands dirty at the front end. But we come in after". He suggested we should be going in with the Americans.
I have listened with care to the comments of the member for Red Deer who suggested that we should not be going in at all and
that the OAS was the body that should have accepted responsibility here.
I would like the member for Red Deer to clarify the position of the Reform Party. Who speaks for the Reform Party? Is it the leader of the Reform Party or is it the member for Red Deer?
Finally, I wonder if the member could clarify as well his position with respect to the issue of prevention. Certainly in the context of Rwanda, many of us believe that had the world acted earlier to prevent the genocide that much of the subsequent tragedy could have been averted.