Debates of June 22nd, 1995

Criminal Code

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)]

It being 5.43 p.m. the House will now proceed to the consideration of Private Members' Business as listed in today's Order Paper.

National Grandparents Day

[Daphne Jennings, Reform, Mission—Coquitlam, BC]

moved that Bill C-259, an act respecting a national grandparent's day, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Mr. Speaker, in today's times the family seems to be under constant attack and so it is that those of us who are chosen to represent Canadians and make decisions for Canadians must also protect the Canadian way of life.

The family is the basic unit for all society, yet it seems to have its adversaries, those who seem intent on belittling the importance of family in today's world. I am sorry to hear from those who do not respect the family for it is our heritage. It is mankind's heritage and mankind must protect it if the world is to remain strong.

From strong families we have strong communities. From strong communities we have strong provinces or states, and from strong provinces and states we have strong countries. One unit builds upon the other.

Why is it so important to remain respectful of the family unit? When we are born, each of us learns from our parents. We are taught who we are and learn the values of living within a family, of treating each other with love and respect.

Our future behaviour, one of being responsible, carrying one's weight and respecting others and our way of life begins in a family setting. Later, as we continue to grow and get an education, our relationships with others and our treatment of others reflect our early family teachings. We are what we are taught. We are what we experience.

If we are part of the working world and go into business, our business reflects our attitudes. If we take a position in the

workforce our treatment of others and our ability to work with others forms our reputations, that which we become known by or judged by and hopefully loved by.

The most common reference to the life of mankind is a tree. If the roots are strong and well fed, so grows the tree. If families teach strong values, good citizenship, respect for others, children as they grow will carry out this practice in their every day lives. As we know, acorns never fall far from the tree. So it goes that our basic teachers who become grandparents are of great value to our society.

If a country is to remain strong, its people must be strong, for a country reflects the values of its people. In Canada we have many cultures and we are made aware of this when we travel or walk through our large cities, whether we are in a market square or a restaurant or a school. If we look closer when we meet our fellow Canadians I know we will see the attitude within each of these cultures toward their families.

We can learn from each other. Whether we watch our aboriginal peoples or new cultures that come to Canada from other countries, they clearly show respect for their elders in each of our many family groupings in Canada.

It appears to me to be the underlying theme in most cases, the elders in each of our families, the grandparents and the great grandparents, those who are wise in the ways of the world. The best way to be wise is through life experience and through hardships.

Let us look at who our grandparents and our great grandparents are today. First, I want to point out that this group in Canadian society is the very one who gave us many of the plans we have today, such as the basic UIC program, workmen's compensation, old age security and the health care plan. These citizens have paid their way in society. Now we should support the intent of my Bill C-259 and help them by recognizing the second Sunday in September as grandparent's day, the same as we have a father's day and a mother's day.

At this time, in this House, it would be a very special thing to do. At the end of debate in this session on Private Members' Business, we should finish the session by recognizing our grandparents in this way.

Grandparents and all seniors today are very active. Many are still in the workforce. Many are in volunteer organizations. I want to take a moment to point out that right now in Ontario we have grandparents who are in the volunteer organization Many Hands. As a volunteer one does not get paid for one's services. There are many grandparents in this program called "School Volunteers Add Life to Their Years".

These are the types of things this group of grandparents and seniors do in our communities throughout Ontario: volunteer activities and general classroom assistance. These volunteers carry out various tasks such as assisting with learning activities, oral reading, creating displays, helping young children with their clothing. They might also form part of the class grandparents which is the intergenerational program in which a senior becomes a grandparent to one classroom. They might take on remedial education. Volunteers are needed to assist students with reading, language and math skills.

They might also do special education. Volunteers work with developmentally challenged students, either one to one or within an integrated classroom. They might be in mentoring where they are working one on one with a student to provide friendly support, increase motivation, encourage attendance and help prevent dropouts. They might work with languages.

Volunteers with fluency in languages could assist in French immersion programs or in English as a second language, RESL programs. Grandparents might work in the electives. Students benefit from hands on learning when volunteers introduce and demonstrate their skills in art, drama, music, computers and more. They might be resource speakers. How often in my classroom did I have seniors speaking to students about various skills they have. Volunteers speak on topics of interest to the class which include careers, travel, hobbies and special projects. They might be part of school clubs. School clubs and science fairs all benefit from the involvement of volunteers with specialized experience.

Grandparents might coach team sports. Many school teams need help in activities such as coaching, training and managing. Grandparents might be library assistants. A busy library needs volunteers to assist students to locate materials, prepare library cards, repair books, help with circulation tasks and reshelve books or work as an office assistant. The school office frequently needs help in general clerical assistance, filing, copying and telephoning.

I have demonstrated that when it comes to volunteering, our seniors, our grandparents are invaluable. At least in Ontario we already realize what a wonderful resource they are.

I wonder how many of us realize that we have something called seniors games in our provinces. I know Ontario has seniors games because I have in front of me a very beautiful, very large magazine that goes out to 160,000 grandparents throughout the province.

I want to point out that the Ontario senior games have many qualifications within them. One must qualify for various programs to take part in them. Just some of them are: cribbage, contract bridge, carpet bowling, darts, five-pin bowling, golf, horseshoes, lawn bowling, shuffle board, tennis, ten-pin bowling walking, and it goes on.

These activities for grandparents, for seniors are all organized and all paid for by volunteers. I know these seniors have a very good time. I know this because I partake in the seniors program in British Columbia. I competed last year and I will be competing again this fall in the same program.

All of these seniors give their time but they still enjoy life. I want us to remember that our grandparents are not too old to enjoy life, not too old to take responsibility, not too old to work, as many of them still do.

In the seniors programs we see a demonstration of sport and sports abilities that are second to none. Last year I watched an 87-year-old senior in British Columbia win the badminton finals. A very excellent sports athlete.

I also want to point out, as this book does, that seniors are in volunteer programs here in Ontario. It says: "Volunteers make a difference; $93.3 million gift to society". That is what the seniors in Ontario have managed to help raise. In 1994 in metro Toronto seniors donated an average of four hours a week to charities and community work which translates into a whopping $93.3 million. Think about all those volunteer hours that are not paid for, that are given freely.

Seniors have experienced maturity and commitment. They are looking for an opportunity to learn new skills, be challenged, makes friends and have fun. We should take the time to realize that our seniors are very special people.

I would like to point out that in my grandparent's Bill C-232, I stated something very firmly. It was my opinion of the value of grandparents in the home. In this country and in the United States grandparents sometimes raise their grandchildren. In that case they are attending to needs I am going to talk about. In the United States there are over three million grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.

In Canada we have no records on that. The reason we have no record is that we have nothing in legislation yet, even though Bill C-232 did get the unanimous support of the House and I hope it makes it into legislation shortly.

My idea of literacy and crime prevention, which incidentally I have been speaking about for over six months, is something I feel could start with grandparents and with our senior volunteers because literacy begins at birth, it begins in the home. What a wonderful opportunity. Grandparents are there. They drop in. They visit regularly. They look after their grandchildren. It is an opportunity for them to read to them, take time to talk with them, to listen to them, to encourage them in that they are doing.

This literacy program which I have been talking about for six months automatically has a positive result.

I believe that positive result would be crime prevention. I have spoken of this in every every group I have spoken to during the last six months, whether in British Columbia, here or in the maritimes.

I strongly support literacy and crime prevention. I strongly support the program as it is outlined by the government, literacy and crime prevention. However, I have to take issue with one booklet which I am holding in my hand. I know my grandparents would agree with me that the language in this booklet is not acceptable for use. I know the grandparents that are in the gallery and the grandparents that are watching at home would agree that perhaps we could take a second at this booklet. We agree 100 per cent with literacy and crime prevention but we know our children have to read good language in books.

I also have a few talking points which relate to Bill C-259, an act respecting national grandparent's day. I want to stress it is important to recognize even in a symbolic way the contribution of our ancestors. They can be recognized, if the House agrees that the second Sunday in September would be a great day to recognize grandparents on grandparent's day.

It is through grandparents and great grandparents, if one is fortunate enough to know them, that the oral tradition of family history is passed on. How many times did we listen to our grandparents telling us stories about their lives?

These traditions that go back to our roots are necessary in times of great change. It is always encouraging to have a touchstone to mark one's activity against and it is important this touchstone never change.

This is what grandparents do for us: for our children they provide a solid base of support and advice. How many times do we in the House remember asking for our grandparent's help when we were younger?

Recognition of grandparent's day is really a recognition of grandchildren and their relationship to the future of the country. I cannot stress that enough. When we talk about grandparents we are reinforcing the rights of our grandchildren. Lifting up the role of grandparents gives recognition to the interests of our grandchildren, it provides a bridge between the age gaps of young and old. When you see seniors working with young children, you realize there really are no age gaps. They converse very well together and they understand each other very well.

We are all aware of the breakdown in the family unit and in family values in this last decade of the 20th century. This is our opportunity at least as parliamentarians to say that we do not want that to happen. We want to support our grandparents.

This breakdown is attributable to many causes: the stress of modern day living, monetary worries and lack of job opportunities. In many cases these stresses have led to the break up of families. In a family breakdown most children who are involved believe they are at least partially to blame for the divorce of their parents. Only grandparents who are not immediately involved can act to console the children of divorce, to reassure them the divorce is not their fault. Grandparents are there in

good times and in bad to lend a hand. They make the grandchildren whole again.

Those in their later years have contributed greatly to the development of this country. It was they who fought in the last world war, it was they who have attempted to prevent global war since 1945.

We do not as a country spend enough time in reflection on our past. We have been caught up in the struggle to personally succeed, to live our personal success story. Grandparents can contribute a quiet assurance to the development of children that parents because of jobs and other pressures cannot now give.

Bill C-232 dealing with grandparents rights of access to grandchildren during a divorce hearing has been debated on three occasions in the House and sent to the justice committee for study. As I mentioned earlier I would like to see it come back in the House.

It follows from this heightened awareness of the rights of grandparents that one day per year should be set aside to honour them. I hope we can agree with this.

Finally I want to mention an article I happened to run across which contains the words of Pope John Paul. Regardless of our religion or absence of religion, we might all realize this is a world leader to whom we should listen. He is talking of problems of the elderly:

-as the years pass and their strength fails and illness comes to debilitate them further, they are made to feel increasingly conscious of their physical fragility, and, above all, of the burden of life.

The only way to solve this problem is for our seniors to be taken to heart by everybody and accepted as a matter with which the whole of humanity must concern itself, for all humanity is called upon to support our seniors.

The experiences of our elders are a treasure the young married folk who, in the difficulties of early married life, can find in aged parents agreeable counsellors-and confidants, while the children will find in the example and affectionate care of their grandparents something that will compensate for the absences of their parents, which, for various reasons, are so frequent today.

The fact is that modern cultural patterns in which an unbalanced emphasis is often given to economic productivity, efficiency, physical strength and beauty, personal comfort, can have the effect of making the elderly seem burdensome, superfluous and useless, and of putting them on the margins of family and social life-

The elderly often have the charisma to bridge generation gaps before they are made. How many children have found understanding and love in the eyes, words and caresses of the aging. And how many old people have willingly subscribed to the inspired word that the crown of the aged is their children's children?

It is my hope today that members who are still in the House at the end of the time set aside to debate my private member's bill will join with me in agreeing that the second Sunday in September would be an excellent day to recognize grandparents.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. Kilger)]

I remind the House that we can expect an interruption very shortly for royal assent on some bills.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of creating a grandparents day for Canada to honour grandparents for their significant contributions to both our individual and collective lives. We have a mother's day, a father's day and a year of the child, yet we have been reluctant to similarly recognize and honour grandparents who have contributed so much to our attitudes and values as citizens.

Grandparents would have been invented if nature had not already seen to create them in the hierarchial structure. Grandparents come in various sizes and shapes, not to mention ages. In fact traditionally one had to be a senior to be a grandparent. Today grandparents may be in their forties or fifties. In fact I have a friend who is a 35-year old grandmother. Even though I am no longer so young, I confess the thought of being a grandparent has begun to enter my fantasy and beckon seductively. Alas my sons have no wish to comply just yet.

My only grandparent who I can remember-all others died before I was born-was my grandmother. She was my mentor and she was my heroine. She taught me early about advocacy, feminism and politics. She had a more profound effect on the path I chose in life than my parents. She taught me to be strong and to be outspoken, to be independent and to tilt at windmills. She taught me more by her example than by dictum. I am the woman I am today mostly because of my grandmother.

Grandparents are not only mentors. They are nurturers. They come to the rescue of their grandchildren. They spoil them. They do things for them they would never have done for their own children, and so it should be. The grandparent is a grandchild's greatest defender and advocate, caretaker, surrogate babysitter, money lender, chauffeur and cookie baker. Grandparents are so important to our society that where nature did not provide them humans have indeed invented them.

In B.C. there is an organization of volunteer grandparents who take the place of grandparents especially in urban settings. This association adopts children the same way as the Big Sister and Big Brother organizations, bringing a new and important relationship into the lives of lonely young children and young people. They become part of the extended family, eventually creating mutually beneficial lifelong bonds.

My own sons, born in a land far away from their own biological grandparents, were deprived of that special relationship with a grandparent, and they recognize that loss even now that they are men.

As late 20th century family trends continue and global travel creates distances between natural families, grandparents will live lonely existences separated from their biological families either by divorce or distance, as too will their grandchildren. For many children, grandparents may be the only stable caregiver they know.

True, the new blended family may create new opportunities for multiple grandparents and that is a plus. But whatever the scenarios, for those of us who remember or still have grandparents, we know that their work is indisputable, their wisdom invaluable, and their experience as story tellers unmatchable. They link the past to the future, bringing a sense of continuity, tradition and belonging to this fragmented world of ours.

Grandparents have built and shaped our world of today and with our gratitude and will as parliamentarians we can make them an integral part of the world of tomorrow. I suggest we honour the immeasurable contribution of grandparents to our lives by creating a grandparent's day.

[Maurice Dumas, Bloc, Argenteuil—Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is my second speech in this House about a bill to declare a national grandparent's day throughout Canada. Like my colleague from Mission-Coquitlam, I also wish to salute the seniors, the grandparents sitting in the public gallery upstairs.

Bill C-259 tabled by my colleague says this:

Whereas it is recognized that grandparents have laid the foundation of our family structure and future well-being;

And Whereas it is desirable to encourage all Canadians, and particularly children and grandchildren, to remember and appreciate their grandparents;

And Whereas the people of Canada wish to honour all grandparents in acknowledgement of their contribution to Canadian society;

The bill proposes that throughout Canada, in each year, the second Sunday in September of each year shall be known as "National Grandparent's Day".

As the official opposition's representative for seniors' organizations, I noticed that my previous comments in support of a very similar bill declaring a national grandparent's day touched many seniors in my riding of Argenteuil-Papineau and across Canada, including the British Columbia seniors' group of which my colleague is a member.

It is essential to recognize the place of grandparents in our society, when we see how many organizations, groups or simply themes are entitled to their own days underlining their existence and importance. Bill C-259 at last gives seniors a prominent place in keeping with the very important role they play in their grandchildren's lives.

However, to help them play this role properly, the government must provide seniors with a minimum level of financial security, thus preserving their autonomy. Our seniors' financial situation shows that we must not reduce the deficit on the backs of the most vulnerable. I refer you once again to the report by the National Advisory Council on Aging, which reveals that seniors do not enjoy high income levels.

As representative for seniors' organizations, I have always sought to ensure that the government does not penalize seniors. Incidentally, I recently participated in the debate on Bill C-54, which specifically affects seniors' pensions either through the Canada pension plan or through old age security. We in the Bloc Quebecois proposed a series of amendments aimed at protecting seniors who would otherwise be penalized by Bill C-54. Unfortunately, the government rejected them.

I suggested, for instance, that Canada Post should not have access to personal information provided to the government by beneficiaries. I also proposed an amendment that would oblige the minister to remit overpayments due to an administrative error.

Furthermore, the Bloc Quebecois presented an amendment that would reinstate the one-year statute of limitation on overpayments by the government on old age security pensions that were not due to fraudulent intent.

The present statute is five years, which means that the government has five years to claim amounts paid in excess. In fact I spoke yesterday in the House on the subject of Bill C-54, to explain the series of amendments proposed by the Bloc Quebecois. The bill was passed but the amendments proposed by the Bloc Quebecois, the official opposition, were defeated.

I support Bill C-259 because it takes into account the contribution made by grandparents to our society. However, the economic situation of seniors is something we should be mindful of every day of the year, so that they can play their role as grandparents.

We should recognize, even symbolically, the contribution of our seniors. Bill C-259 also gives us a chance to recognize their relationship with their grandchildren. We are, of course, all aware of the breakup of the traditional family.

I also spoke in the House not long ago on the subject of Bill C-232, an Act to amend the Divorce Act. The purpose of this bill is to provide that grandparents will not be required to obtain

leave of the court to apply for a temporary, permanent or amending order regarding custody of or access to the children.

Divorce always leave a bitter aftertaste, and I see it as my duty to ensure that seniors continue to enjoy the place that is theirs in our society. Personally, I am very concerned about the old age pension reform announced by the government, which will come into force in 1997.

In 1994, the government announced that a document would be produced and tabled. Production was delayed, however, and the government preferred to wait until after the referendum in Quebec. In fact, seniors in Quebec had an opportunity to discuss their future at hearings held by the Commission des aînés sur l'avenir du Québec. In the course of these consultations, we found that seniors' concerns are similar across the country. They are concerned about their social and economic situation.

Practically everywhere, people argued in favour of letting senior citizens use their experience for the benefit of the society they will pass on to their grandchildren. Bill C-259 gives seniors a decisive role and reflects our recognition of the role of seniors in our society.

In concluding, I want to say that the official opposition supports Bill C-59 standing in the name of the hon. member for Mission-Coquitlam. I want to thank the hon. member on behalf of all seniors' organizations and also on behalf of all grandparents, the young and not so young, in this country for drawing attention to their role in our society.

[Charlie Penson, Reform, Peace River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to be asked to speak in support of Bill C-259, an act respecting national grandparent's day.

I am sure that my colleague from Mission-Coquitlam asked me to speak on the bill because despite my youthful appearance she knows that I am a grandfather. So today, to my grandson, Marcel I say: "If you are watching the parliamentary channel on TV, Pop says hello". I am a grandparent and I am proud of it. All together my wife and I have four grandchildren. Marcel is five going on 16. We also have Alannah, Carson and Brock who are quite a bit younger.

We have a national mother's day and a national father's day. Grandparents are either mothers or fathers and I can see the logic in setting aside a day to recognize the importance of grandparents.

Parents are often so caught up in the task of earning a living, keeping the house organized and keeping the children on the straight and narrow they do not have the energy or the patience to enjoy their children in the same way grandparents do.

My wife Bernice says she has more fun with our grandchildren than she did with our own children. When she was a young mother getting the house tidy usually took priority over reading to our children and other things. Now she spends time with our grandchildren, in particular our grandson Marcel, and she says he claims he loves his grandmother more than pancakes. I can assure members pancakes are my grandson's favourite food.

Grandparents have a big influence on their grandchildren. They provide their grandchildren with deeper roots and a sense of connection with the past. They can teach them different things because they have a different perspective. They can be more tolerant because discipline is not their responsibility any more. They can enjoy their grandchildren for who they really are.

Our grandson Marcel has already learned a few things from watching me in the role of politician. The other day at the dinner table he told a story which his mother knew was a little white lie. She gave him one of her looks and without even skipping a beat our five-year-old grandson said to his mother: "Mom, I would like to rephrase that". He is watching television and he is smooth for a five-year-old.

In today's society grandparents can be of enormous help to their children. With so many families breaking up and with so many families stressed out from making ends meet, an extra pair of loving hands is always welcome.

If we were to have a national grandparents day it would be set aside to honour the role of grandparents and the role they can play. It would recognize the wisdom which grandparents can bring. It would give grandparents a sense of importance and worth. It would be a powerful reminder to those grandparents who are not as involved with their grandchildren as perhaps they could be that the more time they spend with their grandchildren, the longer the memory of their influence will survive.

The House should give serious consideration to the bill. It will be an important signal to the nation of our ongoing commitment to the family. It will strengthen the resolve of those involved in taking their roles more seriously and, most important, it will not cost a dime.

[Karen Kraft Sloan, Liberal, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, sometimes I think grandparents are wasted on the young because it is not until later in life when we can look back that we really appreciate what our grandparents have given to us.

I had the great pleasure of knowing three of my grandparents very well. One grandmother, who has been gone from us for almost 40 years, is still revered by her family as a strong, principled woman who worked hard to provide a life for her family in the new country.

My grandfather impressed on me the importance of my responsibility as a citizen, as a new Canadian, ensuring his

children took great care in participating in and supporting the democracy of Canada. I am here today because of him.

My other grandmother provided me with another strong role model, a woman with her own special brand of humour, intelligence and tenacity.

While we discuss a grandparent's day for Canada I would like to introduce the idea of reciprocity. The trend from single to dual earner families has restructured the family as we know it. This has required substantial lifestyle changes within households. The trend has produced uncertainties in role expectations for spouses, their children and grandparents.

Family members or friends provide most of the support for seniors needing care. In return, seniors are active contributors to their families. They provide financial assistance, care for their grandchildren, do housework, they bake and they undertake household repairs. More important, they provide emotional support and continuity for the younger members of their families.

Grandparents donate their time as volunteers, they share their experience-