Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the members of the House for giving me this opportunity of closing the debate.
I do wish to thank the member for Cape Breton Highlands-Canso for being a seconder, in that way allowing the motion to be introduced today and allowing the debate. Since there was no member of my party here, his gracious action in allowing his name to be used to second the motion is greatly appreciated. I recognize as well that when he did that, he did not necessarily endorse everything in the motion, nor all the comments I would make.
Despite what some hon. members say, we cannot rectify the past. We cannot mend broken bones nor can we raise up the dead, but I think it is important that in some instances we say that what was done back then was wrong. We should do it in an official way by extending an apology.
To me it then becomes a signpost in the evolution of our civilization. A formal act of this Parliament, for example apologizing and stating that what occurred in the Regina riot was wrong, becomes a signpost in our evolution.
I hope as well that what some of the hon. members particularly from the government side have stated is true, that there is a great difference between conditions then and now. Indeed, there are many differences. but the fear of many of us is that we are sliding into situations quite similar to the last depression.
That was one of the reasons I also wished to bring this item up. While there are differences, unfortunately there are also growing similarities, particularly the sense of hopelessness many of our young people feel, the lack of jobs, the lack of a future, the lack of opportunity. Surely those young men in those camps must also have felt a sense of hopelessness for the future which motivated them to start the trek to Ottawa to bring to the attention of Parliament the conditions which existed.
I hope those conditions will never return again. The reality is however that many of our young Canadian citizens face the future not with hope and aspirations, but with dejection and unemployment.
I hope the government and this Parliament will remember what the Bennett government did back then and will reject it as a solution to the problems we face. I hope that we will work together toward a new solution to the problem.