Debates of April 24th, 1995

Born To Read Day

[Eugène Bellemare, Liberal, Carleton—Gloucester, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my thanks to Ben Wicks, one of our great Canadian cartoonists, whose book entitled "Born to Read", was distributed today in over 10,000 schools across Canada.

His book was officially released this morning in a ceremony he attended on Parliament Hill in the presence of Governor General Roméo LeBlanc and Senator Joyce Fairbairn, the minister responsible for literacy.

As an amateur caricaturist and former teacher, I am very proud of the tool Ben Wicks is offering to parents of young children. It will make their first reading lessons interesting as well as educational.

As well, I am convinced that this book will be a great help in the fight against illiteracy.

Thank you, Ben Wicks and congratulations.

National Junior/Juvenile Judo Championships

[Roger Simmons, Liberal, Burin—St. George's, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the National Junior/Juvenile Judo Championships were held in Newfoundland this past weekend for the first time in 20 years. The town of Stephenville, in my riding, played host and did an absolutely bang-up job. I was there to help them celebrate the spirit of this tremendous sporting event.

Three hundred competitors from all 10 provinces took part, including Jeremy Delaney, Eric Hynes, Gary Lasaga and Jeff Pollard, all from Stephenville.

Newfoundlanders take great pride in their team, which captured its very first gold medal in a national judo competition. Congratulations to everyone, including Aden White, William MacNeil, Della McIsaac, Rodger Farrell, the athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers. For Aden White especially, it was a dream come true. Well done all.

Security Services

[Len Hopkins, Liberal, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to the House of Commons Security Services which celebrate their 75th anniversary this year.

It was in 1920, following an act of Parliament, that the House of Commons protective staff was created to protect the parliamentary institution, its members and the precinct. This force has since grown into the efficient, effective and professional force we know today. Both proactive and reactive, the House of Commons Security Service has continuously aimed to provide the excellent service to which we have become accustomed.

The men and women of the security staff are continuously faced with the almost impossible task of providing security in such a way as not to limit or impede public access into the buildings, while ensuring on the other hand that sufficient security is present to adequately protect members of Parliament, employees, visitors and tourists in a period when crime and terrorism are on the increase.

As an honorary member of the security services I invite all members to join with me in wishing them a happy 75th anniversary as well as many more years of success.

Quebec Referendum

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, not only has the "No" side nothing to offer Quebecers in the upcoming referendum, but more importantly, the Liberal Party in Quebec has begun to shun Quebec's traditional claims.

Federalists have offhandedly dismissed four of the five conditions set during the Meech Lake negotiations, at the time considered to be a bare minimum by the Liberal Party, and now propose to promote Quebec's development and to define its place in the Canadian federation through obscure administrative agreements.

Administrative agreements have never been used to acknowledge a people's existence or to grant them the powers they need to develop. The Liberal Party is not proposing "quiet affirmation" but more a strategy of "quiet resignation".

Rwanda

[Jack Frazer, Reform, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, ethnic dissension again erupted in Rwanda on Saturday as the world witnessed yet another massacre of thousands of Hutu refugees by Tutsi government soldiers.

Previous, smaller group killings of Rwandan refugees have given clear notice that it was only a matter of time before Saturday's massacre would occur. Yet once again, the world and the United Nations stood by, only able to watch helplessly as these events unfolded before our eyes.

In this 50th anniversary year of the United Nations, events such as this make it critically vital that international communities work together to agree to reform United Nations structure and procedures to enable the UN to respond effectively at short notice so that atrocities such as the tragic massacre witnessed this weekend will become a thing of the past.

In the meantime, the international community should ensure that those responsible for perpetrating this horror are identified and punished. Only in this way can it be made clear that the world cannot and will not accept such behaviour.

Violence

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

Mr. Speaker, the week that just drew to a close was

tarnished with acts of unprecedented violence which must be categorically condemned by all.

Our so-called industrialized societies seem to have become the preferred targets of hatemongers and assassins. Whatever the motives of the perpetrators of such savage and senseless acts, their murderous rampages can never be considered justifiable.

I am calling on all of the members of this House and all Canadians to join in the fight against intolerance and hatred in our society.

Rwanda

[John Godfrey, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, following on the remarks of the previous member, like all Canadians I am sure that all members of the House join me in their condemnation of the continuing atrocities in Rwanda. This weekend we learned of yet another attack on innocent civilians and the death of several thousand Rwandan citizens.

There comes a time when the long accepted international principle of the absolute right of national sovereignty to take priority over all other rights must be put aside in the name of international human rights and common decency.

I suggest that the citizens of Rwanda, like those of Somalia or the former Yugoslavia possess inalienable rights of freedom and life. Quite clearly these rights no longer exist. The Rwandan government must be held accountable for the actions of its army and justice must be served.

I believe that Canadians have a role to play in achieving peace in this region. We have been and continue to be a world leader in the fight for peace. There is no place in this world for mass murder and ethnic cleansing. The voice of peace and freedom must be heard.

Smuggling

[Ed Harper, Reform, Simcoe Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Ontario are a caring people. Throughout the history of this province they have contributed generously to confederation.

This generosity, however, is being put to the test by the government. Despite electing 98 Liberal MPs in the last election, issues that concern Ontario are not being addressed. Nothing exemplifies this lack of representation more than the growing smuggling problem.

The Liberal solution to smuggling announced last February has failed to stem the tide of guns, alcohol, drugs and tobacco streaming into Ontario. Smuggling accounts for the vast majority of cases involving the criminal use of firearms in Ontario and it facilitates the illegal use of drugs. It has cost thousands of jobs in the distilling industry and the government has lost billions of dollars in revenue.

The old saying about safety in numbers obviously does not apply to Ontario's voice in Ottawa.

National Volunteer Week

[Jean Payne, Liberal, St. John's West, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the week of April 23 to April 29 is National Volunteer Week in Canada. This week communities all across our great nation pay tribute to those people who volunteer their time and skills to help their fellow Canadians.

National Volunteer Week was first proclaimed in 1943. Now, over 50 years later, we take this week to recognize the contributions that volunteers make to our way of life. From the people who sit on the boards of community support organizations such as St. John Ambulance to hockey coaches who give up their Saturday mornings to show children the joy and value of team work volunteers give the most valuable gift of all: their time.

In particular I take this opportunity to recognize the contributions of a constituent of mine, Mr. John O'Regan, who was named volunteer of the year by the Newfoundland and Labrador Chamber of Commerce for his many years of outstanding and dedicated community service.

I invite all members of the House to join with me in paying tribute today to all Canadians who volunteer their time and skills to make Canada the great nation it is.

G-7 Summit

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday when he visited the Valcartier military base, the Prime Minister said that Quebec City lost the G-7 Summit because the Canadian flag is not flown from the city hall.

My question is directed to the Prime Minister. I want to ask him whether he does not think it was rather petty to disqualify Quebec City just because of a flag?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Halifax was selected on the merits of its location. The first economic summit was held in Quebec at Montebello. The second summit was held in Toronto, and we decided to have the third one in Halifax, in the Maritimes where occasions like this one are few and far between. At the time, we received representations from a number of people from Quebec City and, as I said at the time, it is not very pleasant when the mayor of a city in

Quebec comes to ask favours from the Canadian government and refuses to show the flag of his country, the Canadian flag. When the Prime Minister of Canada was about to invite international leaders to Quebec City, the mayor was not prepared to show that he himself was a Canadian.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, no one in Quebec is asking favours from anyone, and especially not the mayor of Quebec City in his capacity as mayor. We pay taxes here. We pay taxes. This is our money you are spending, and we want our fair share. And we are certainly not seen as begging favours from the federal government.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

It costs us $30 billion in taxes.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, are we to understand that this petty and mean decision on the part of the Prime Minister to disqualify Quebec from hosting the G-7 summit was inspired by the same desire to get even that permeated the government's actions on MIL Davie, manpower training and cuts in transfer payments for social programs, to punish Quebeckers for supporting the Parti Quebecois and the Bloc Quebecois?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I see the Leader of the Opposition is easily upset, but despite the lack of courtesy shown by the mayor of Quebec, we support the interests of Quebec City, which is borne out by the fact that throughout the world at this very moment, Canadian ambassadors are trying to get the 2002 winter games for Quebec City, in spite of the mayor of Quebec City.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister thinks all sovereignist mayors in Quebec are discourteous, since there are quite a few of them, that means there are quite a few discourteous mayors in Quebec. There are quite a few people in Quebec who are discourteous, in that case, and they will show it when all sovereignists join in making the referendum this fall a victory for sovereignty.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

We will win that one.

[Lucien Bouchard, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Are we to conclude from what the Prime Minister said in Valcartier that his only strategy now is to scare Quebeckers before the referendum that will be held shortly?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition wants a referendum as soon as possible. That is not what he told Parizeau last week. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to win the referendum, the question should be very simple and very clear. Ask Quebeckers: Do you want to stay in Canada? And we will all vote yes, including the Péquistes.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service

[Michel Bellehumeur, Bloc, Berthier—Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General.

Last September, Michel Robert, spokesperson for the Security Intelligence Review Committee told the Sub-committee on National Security that he did not know what had become of Grant Bristow. The Toronto Star has uncovered him in Edmonton, complete with a new identity, a new house, two cars and an income of $3,000 a month, compliments of the Government of Canada and Canadian taxpayers.

Before providing Mr. Bristow with a new identity and sending him into hiding once again, would the Solicitor General acknowledge that Mr. Bristow must appear before the Sub-committee on National Security in order to fully clarify his role in the racist group Heritage Front and his infiltration into the entourage of the leader of the Reform Party.

[Herb Gray, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, it has never been confirmed that Grant Bristow is a CSIS source or was a CSIS source. As a result I do not think there is anything further I can add in reply to the hon. member's question.

[Michel Bellehumeur, Bloc, Berthier—Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, how can the Solicitor General abdicate his responsibilities with regard to Grant Bristow's role as a CSIS source, when a report by the review committee considers that Mr. Bristow exceeded the mandate of a CSIS source.

Why is the Solicitor General making such an effort to hide Grant Bristow?