House of Commons Hansard #255 of the 35th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was federal.
Lloyd Axworthy Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB
They just do not like to listen to good news; that is their problem. They are just the Bad News Bears.
I will simply conclude by saying that the figures show there is still a lot of work to do. There are still far too many unemployed people in Canada. We have now shown that the foundation has been laid and the next two years will be even better.
Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Terrebonne, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
In about 40 per cent of international competitive sports, national coaching certification training programs are given in English only. It is obvious that, in amateur sports, there is discrimination against francophones even in elite coaching training.
How does the minister explain that a mere 14 per cent of all Canadian coaches trained for international competition are from Quebec and that coaching training courses for 40 per cent of competitive sports, including biathlon, hot dog skiing and synchronized swimming, are offered exclusively in English?
Michel Dupuy LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, responsibility for the training of coaches as well as athletes rests with specialized agencies and not with the heritage department. However, if my colleague cares to provide me with details, I will, of course, be delighted to take a look at them.
Ian McClelland Reform Edmonton Southwest, AB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development.
The minister would know that as an unintended result of the block transfers for the Canada health and social transfer many of the Canadians who are most vulnerable or who feel most vulnerable are Canadians with disabilities.
To date Canadians with disabilities have not yet been assured that there will be consultation with the provinces to ensure that persons with disabilities will not be financially affected by the Canada Health and Social Transfer Act. Would the minister make those assurances today?
Canada Health And Social TransferOral Question Period
Winnipeg South Centre Manitoba
Liberal
Lloyd Axworthy LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development and Minister of Western Economic Diversification
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question.
I know the hon. member would be interested that on Thursday I will be appearing before of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and the Status of Disabled Persons. At that time I will be setting out a series of principles and directions for a disability strategy which the federal government would like to retain.
In particular, the inauguration of the Canada health and social transfer gives us a real opportunity to sit down with the provinces to work out a mutually satisfactory strategy to deal with the very important issue of disability. It gives us the opportunity to collectively work together, to share resources and to come up with a common approach we think will be beneficial to over two million disabled Canadians who are without work.
I hope the hon. member will be in attendance at the committee because I would welcome his remarks.
Elijah Harper Liberal Churchill, MB
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.
Recently the Transport Safety Board released its report on the tragic crash of a Keewatin Air flight at Thompson airport in June 1994. Two people died in this crash and one was seriously injured. In light of this tragedy, can the Minister of Transport reassure northern air travellers by telling us what action he will take in response to the board's recommendations?
Joe Fontana LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his great interest in this matter concerning northern air travellers.
As he has indicated, the Transportation Safety Board has tabled its report. Transport Canada officials are reviewing the recommendations. Within 90 days, in the middle of January, the Transport Canada minister will make those recommendations known.
I can assure the member that Transport Canada and the minister will do everything possible to ensure safety in our airlines and ensure that northern air travellers have nothing to fear.
Air SafetyOral Question Period
The Speaker
My colleagues, this would bring to a close the question period.
Don Boudria Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Mr. Speaker, I wish to ask the House for consent. Tonight there is a vote scheduled for 6 p.m. and another one for 6.30 p.m., which now will likely be held at 6.45 p.m. or so. In order to permit the House to save on overtime costs and in order to permit members to attend vigils tonight, would the House consent to taking both votes at 6 p.m.?
Business Of The HouseOral Question Period
The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)
Is there unanimous consent?
Sheila Copps LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment
Mr. Speaker, humanity has lost a peacemaker of extraordinary courage. Israel has lost a leader of extraordinary devotion. Mrs. Rabin and her family have lost a husband, father, and grandfather.
On behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada, I wish to pay tribute to Yitzhak Rabin.
A man of great bravery was struck down by an act of cowardice. Through their prayers all Canadians are with Mr. Rabin's family and the people of Israel. Let us hope that these prayers will bring peace to the souls of all of us who are mourning today.
Prime Minister Rabin dedicated and finally gave his life to the service of his country and his people. As a soldier and war hero, Yitzhak Rabin fought for the survival of Israel.
As Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin pursued a future of peace and prosperity for Israelis and for all people in the Middle East. The pursuit of peace became Yitzhak Rabin's mission.
When Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated on Saturday, he had just spoken with a great sense of joy and accomplishment. What he accomplished is truly remarkable. Will any of us ever forget when Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shook hands-a simple act of reconciliation, a profound act of destiny.
As Prime Minister Rabin said, "Our land of milk and honey has flowed with blood and tears for too long. Enough, enough." With incredible dignity and enthusiasm, Yitzhak Rabin has allowed the world to dream of the day when Israel will be at peace with all of its neighbours.
The history of Israel stretches back to the beginnings of humanity. In that struggle, we have witnessed both the barbaric acts in the history of humanity and some of the most noble aspirations of which we are capable as human beings. Prime Minister Rabin died pushing all of us to speak and to act for the better side of human nature.
The death of Prime Minister Rabin should be an inspiration to us to let our thoughts, words and actions reflect the best in our human nature. As we emphatically reject the act of cowardice that took his life away, we also have an obligation to embrace the cause to which Yitzhak Rabin was dedicated.
As we act today, let us remember the history of time as Yitzhak Rabin understood that history. Let us reflect Prime Minister Rabin's understanding that it is up to us as individual human beings to shape the forces of destiny.
As we grieve for the man, let us pursue his dream. As we pay tribute to Prime Minister Rabin with our words, let us pay tribute to him with our actions.
Canadians continue to extend the hand of friendship to the people of Israel. We shed our tears of condolence for Mrs. Rabin and her family and we pay honour to Yitzahk Rabin for the nobility of his spirit and his actions.
Shalom, Yitzahk Rabin. Shalom, Israel.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, we were all astonished and deeply saddened by the news of the assassination on Saturday of the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Yitzhak Rabin. Today, we want to pay tribute to a man who dedicated his life to the defence of his people and his ideals.
A joint recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, Yitzhak Rabin believed in the reconciliation of the Israeli and Palestinian people and struggled to find ways to bring them closer together. The peace accord signed by both nations shows that his efforts have borne fruit and brought hope to this part of the world. We are convinced that he did not sacrifice his life in vain and that the road to reconciliation now taken by his people and the people of Palestine will lead to a better future for all who believe in peace in the Middle East.
We earnestly hope that his violent death will not halt the diplomatic negotiations he initiated with Yasser Arafat to establish a plan for peace in the region. We firmly believe that the process started by these two leaders will prevail over radical movements that are oblivious to democratic values and condone violence.
On behalf of my colleagues in the Bloc Quebecois, I wish to express our condolences to the family and relatives of Mr. Rabin, the Jewish people, the international Jewish community including that in Quebec, and to show that we share the grief of losing a unique human being. Shalom Yitzhak Rabin!
Deborah Grey Reform Beaver River, AB
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my leader and our party I rise this afternoon to pay tribute to the late Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzahk Rabin.
Rabin earned his reputation with Israelis as a soldier and then as a politician. His first hand knowledge of the military and his deep commitment to preserving Israel's security, first through arms and later through peace, made him undeniably one of the world's greatest statesmen.
It is well known that Mr. Rabin earned his credibility on the battlefield. However, Rabin's greatest honour and truest victory came through his pursuit of a lasting peace with his former enemies.
He sought peace not through fear but through courage, seeing it as the only hope for the future. He understood that true peace is not the absence of all differences, but genuine goodwill and the putting aside of those differences for the common good. Of the necessity for peace, Rabin said: "We should not let the land flowing with milk and honey become the land flowing with blood and tears".
Yitzahk Rabin truly believed that "the majority of people want peace and are ready to take a chance for peace". He himself took that chance and paid recently with his life.
Just six weeks ago, King Hussein of Jordan, President Mubarak of Egypt, Chairman Arafat, and Prime Minister Rabin signed a peace agreement on the White House lawn. In words that seem almost prophetic today, Prime Minister Rabin said: "Only poets have dreamt of this moment, and to our great pain soldier and civilian went to their deaths to make this moment possible".
He was soldier and civilian both, as well as one of Israel's greatest leaders. We hope and pray that his death, although tragic and untimely, will leave a legacy for lasting Middle East peace, for which he sought so valiantly.
Our sympathy and prayers are with Mrs. Rabin and her family. Shalom, Prime Minister Rabin.
Svend Robinson NDP Burnaby—Kingsway, BC
Mr. Speaker, Yitzahk Rabin was a soldier in war who became a soldier in peace. He fought as hard to achieve peace as he did in war. His greatest victory will unfortunately come only after his death.
The proof of the strength and durability of the move toward peace that Prime Minister Rabin created is that there can be no doubt this peace process will continue. It will continue until we reach the comprehensive peace that Mr. Rabin so eloquently lauded in the speech he gave before hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrating for peace last weekend, just shortly before his tragic death. There remains much to be done, but Mr. Rabin has made a start possible.
Together with two other New Democrat members of Parliament, Howard McCurdy and Ian Deans, I had the privilege and opportunity to meet with our Labour Party colleague, Yitzhak Rabin, in the mid-1980s. We had a vigorous exchange of views and certainly some profound disagreements, but there was a sense of openness and mutual respect.
Since his election as Prime Minister in 1992, I have been enormously impressed by his courage and determination to bring a just and lasting peace to the Middle East. As others have noted, we were all profoundly moved to see Mr. Rabin and Yasser Arafat shake hands on the White House lawn. That handshake symbolized the partnership in peace that has been forged between Israel and the Palestinians.
The member for Beaver River and the Deputy Prime Minister both quoted some of the words spoken that historic day. I would like to quote some others. He said in prophetic words: "We the soldiers who have returned from battles stained with blood, we who have seen our relatives and friends killed before our eyes, we who have come from a land where parents bury their children, we say today in a loud and clear voice: Enough of blood and tears. Enough."
On the evening of his death, Mr. Rabin made a passionate plea against violence. "Violence, he said, undermines the foundations of democracy in Israel. It cannot be condoned and must be condemned." During the weeks and months that preceded the tragedy on Saturday night, statements made by certain politicians and citizens of Israel in the course of the debate on the peace accords were not only filled with anger but showed undercurrents of violence. Yitzhak Rabin has proven that in a civilized society,
political debate, however deep its roots, must be based on respect for every individual.
In closing, I would like to extend condolences on behalf of myself and my colleagues in the New Democratic Party of Canada to Mr. Rabin's family, the people of Israel, and the Jewish community in Canada and around the world. We share your profound sense of anguish and loss. Remember that the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, is an affirmation of the power of faith and hope in the midst of despair.
Herb Gray LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, like millions of people in Israel and around the world, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of Yitzhak Rabin Saturday afternoon.
I was shocked because his death came just after he had spoken and sung for peace at a rally of 100,000 Israelis. I was shocked because his murder was completely inconsistent with the way of life in Israel, where this kind of violence has not been a means of dealing with political differences. It has not been a part of the life of that democratic country. I was shocked and also saddened that Prime Minister Rabin's own life, so filled with achievement and service, had been cruelly ended before his main work could be completed: the work of making peace between Israel and all its neighbours.
Yitzhak Rabin proved he could be successful as a leader in making war. He was proving he could be equally successful as a leader in achieving peace. He had made war to protect his country, but he wanted and preferred peace for Israel and all the peoples of the Middle East.
It has been said that Yitzhak Rabin was a martyr for peace. Therefore, the best way to honour his life and his memory is to make sure that his work for peace continues and is successfully concluded.
Just after this government took office, two years ago last week, its first official visitors were Yitzhak Rabin and his wife. I, together with my wife, had the honour of officially welcoming them to our country. At that time, in talking with him all too briefly, I was struck and impressed by his mixture of firmness, resolve, personal modesty, and his commitment to achieving his goal of peace for Israel with its neighbours.
There is a word in Hebrew that is used as a greeting. It is also used to say goodbye and at the same time it signifies peace, that most sublime of human conditions. Unfortunately we cannot extend a greeting to Yitzhak Rabin on this earth again, but we can say goodbye by using that word which had come to mean more to him than almost anything else. We can say shalom. Shalom Yitzhak.
The Kaddish prayer said by Jewish mourners concludes with these words: "He who maketh peace in his high places, may he make peace for us and for all Israel".
I want to express my since condolences to Mrs. Rabin and the family of Yitzhak Rabin.
To Mrs. Rabin, to her family, to the people of Israel and to all people of goodwill everywhere, I conclude with the traditional Hebrew words of sympathy and condolence:
Hamakom y'nahaim etkhem b'tokh sh'ar availai tziyon veeyerushalayim.
May the Lord comfort you with all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Bob Mills Reform Red Deer, AB
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to send our deepest condolences to the family of Yitzhak Rabin and the people of Israel.
Although Mr. Rabin has fallen, he leaves behind a tremendous legacy of peace and a lifetime of work for the people of Israel.
As a soldier, Mr. Rabin learned to meet adversity with courage and determination, and as a statesman this courage continued as he dared to make peace with the Palestinians and with Jordan, even in the face of bitter criticism from the opponents of peace.
In a world filled with conflict and strife, Mr. Rabin did not despair or allow anger to move him. He chose instead to dedicate his life to laying the groundwork for a peace that will be enjoyed by his children and grandchildren and by all the children of the Middle East.
On this sad day, though the torch must be passed, Mr. Rabin is gone but the need for hard work in the name of peace endures. As Mr. Rabin said, we will continue the peace process. There is no alternative to that regardless of what the enemies of peace might do.
We must remember these words. In so doing I join with all Canadians in hoping that others will step forward to finish the peaceful battle so well fought by Mr. Yitzhak Rabin, an example for us all.
Government Response To PetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Kingston and the Islands Ontario
Liberal
Peter Milliken LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to three petitions.
Charles Caccia Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Environment has completed its consideration of Bill C-83 and is now ready to table its report. Bill C-83, an act to amend the Auditor General Act, establishes the position of Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. I have the honour to table this report.
Ray Speaker ReformLethbridge
Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present.
The petitioners on the first, out of respect and concern for the sanctity of human life, pray and request that Parliament continue to prohibit euthanasia and assisted suicide. The petition bears 135 signatures.
Ray Speaker ReformLethbridge
Mr. Speaker, the second petition, which bears 56 signatures, prays and requests that Parliament act immediately to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings.
Ray Speaker ReformLethbridge
Mr. Speaker, the third petition, which bears 208 signatures, requests that Parliament not amend the human rights code, the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships or homosexuality.
Val Meredith Reform Surrey—White Rock—South Langley, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present 209 signatures of my constituents asking that Parliament urge the government to review the Young Offenders Act in an open and accountable process which addresses the following principles: deterrence of the offender, the accountability of the offender, and the rights of the victim.
Paul Szabo Liberal Mississauga South, ON
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I present a petition which has been circulating all across Canada. This petition has been signed by a number of Canadians from Ancaster, Ontario.
The petitioners draw to the attention of the House that managing the family home and caring for preschool children is an honourable profession which has not been recognized for its value to our society. They also state the Income Tax Act discriminates against families that make the choice to provide care in the home to preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill or the aged.
The petitioners therefore pray and call on Parliament to pursue initiatives to eliminate tax discrimination against families that decide to provide care in the home for preschool children, the disabled, the chronically ill or the aged.
Questions On The Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
November 6th, 1995 / 3:20 p.m.
Kingston and the Islands Ontario
Liberal
Peter Milliken LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, Question No. 195 will be answered today.
Question No.195-