Mr. Speaker, I would like to join with the member for Brant in drawing to the House's attention the issue of land mines.
The International Red Cross estimates that every 15 minutes someone is killed or maimed by a land mine. Before question period ends today three more people will become innocent victims.
In our world there is no place for such indiscriminate, anti-personnel weapons. Every year some 10,000 people are killed by these devices and many more are injured. There are an estimated 65 million to 110 million uncleared land mines in the world and an additional 10 million to 30 million new land mines being produced every year.
I am proud to say that Canada does not take part in the deployment of these devices and that the government has endorsed the UN's convention on inhumane weapons.
I sincerely hope that during the United Nations review conference in June the government will strengthen Canada's position and place a complete moratorium on the deployment of these weapons.
Let us not forget that today's theatre of conflict is tomorrow's farmland or refugee camp. Innocent men, women and children
are dying. Since 1975 land mines have claimed an estimated one million victims, mostly in the developing world.
Let us help bring an end to this war on the world's poor.