Debates of Nov. 4th, 1996

Dr. Ronald Bayne

[Beth Phinney, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Ronald Bayne of McMaster University in Hamilton who has a vision of a safe, violent free city.

To implement his vision Dr. Bayne took the initiative to organize a conference on violence prevention in Hamilton-Wentworth. The event held last Thursday and Friday brought together many groups concerned with violence prevention, including schools, women's groups, neighbourhood associations, the police, the medical community and the media.

Conference participants worked together to identify the major issues in violence prevention. They developed an action plan. They committed their own time and their organization's resources to the implementation of the plans.

This is a true community effort. By working together the participants in the conference will raise awareness of the potential of violence and thereby reduce the incidence of violence throughout the community.

I am sure all members will join me in congratulating Dr. Bayne and all who took part in this worthwhile event.

Crime Prevention Week

[Jay Hill, Reform, Prince George—Peace River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this week is Crime Prevention Week. How does this case help prevent crime?

In April 1995, 58-year-old James Baldwin was viciously kicked to death by six youths in Dawson Creek who were aged 15 to 17 at the time. All of these young offenders were known to local police. Only the 15-year-old was raised to adult court.

Their malicious murder of Baldwin as he lay sleeping in his tent was plea bargained down from second degree murder to manslaughter.

On Friday three of the youths were sentenced. Two have been in jail since the crime. They got another six months in jail, plus one year's probation. The third youth got one year in jail, plus two year's probation and 180 hours of community service.

This is justice? How does this deter crime? Why was this cold blooded murder plea bargained to manslaughter?

An 80-year-old constituent walked into my office just a matter of an hour ago and said it best: "This sentence is a disgrace".

French Speaking Communities

[Jean-Paul Marchand, Bloc, Québec-Est, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the coalition for the development and growth for the Franco-Ontarian community and French speaking minorities of Ontario is accusing the Department of Canadian Heritage of acting in bad faith in the ongoing negotiations about the agreement between Canada and the communities.

The coalition is accusing the Department of, among other things, trying to blackmail groups by unduly delaying the payment of their subsidy until the full payment of the money due on tabling of a final offer which is definitely lower than what is required.

The coalition also condemns the fact that, under pretence of improving the deal, the government includes in it certain sums having no relation to the community, such as the salary of the federal public servant in charge of managing the agreement. The agreements between Canada and the communities do not fool anybody, except the Liberals.

Everybody knows that this government has decided to reduce his support to French speaking communities. The Canadian francophonie is being assimilated and the Liberal government is closing its eyes to the fact.

Adisq Gala

[Gilles Bernier, Independent, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, five young people from the Beauce region were incredibly successful at last night's ADISQ Gala held in Montreal and broadcasted by the CBC. Their band won three Felix trophies as discovery of the year, band of the year, and for best rock album.

Noir Silence is a band the entire Beauce region is proud of. These young people are models for our youth. They come from a very humble background. Through their tenacity, determination and hard work, they have achieved this level of recognition within the artistic community.

I would like to pay tribute to their parents, their teachers and all the others who believed in them for their steadfast support. Our young people can be tremendously successful when they are encouraged and supported.

Again, to the members of Noir Silence from the Beauce region, congratulations on your achievement and thank you for who you are.

New Democratic Party

[Morris Bodnar, Liberal, Saskatoon—Dundurn, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP member for Regina-Lumsden has, in this House on prior occasions, referred to corporate donations made to the Liberal Party. It is interesting that such references are made without the hon. member looking into his own backyard.

For the period ending December 31, 1995 it is interesting to note that the NDP has received donations from such corporations as ScotiaMcLeod, $13,207; Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, $10,800; KPMG (Peat Marwick), $10,000; Weyerhauser Canada, $9,000; Cargill Limited, $6,500; Deloitte Touche, $6,200. The corporate list goes on and on.

Task Force On Disabilities

[Andy Scott, Liberal, Fredericton—York—Sunbury, NB]

Mr. Speaker, last week the report of the ministerial task force on disabilities issues was presented to the Ministers of Human Resources Development, Finance, Justice, and National Revenue.

I want to thank all the people who participated, from colleagues to the operation centre at HRDC, the Library of Parliament, the reference group members, officials from minister's offices and observers who placed their trust in the process. Most important, I want to thank the thousands from across the country who came out to the public forums.

The essence of our report is simply that we believe that wherever you live in Canada as a citizen who happens to have a disability, you have the right to expect of your government the necessary interventions to make opportunities available to you as equal as possible.

I look forward with optimism to the government's response to the task force's recommendations.

Terry Fox Runs

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it has been 16 years since Terry Fox undertook his Marathon of Hope. This year Terry Fox runs across Canada and abroad carried on his great tradition and raised more money for cancer research.

In the riding of Peterborough there were runs in the city of Peterborough and in the village of Havelock where Terry stayed overnight during his run. Both these events did very well.

However, the spotlight was stolen again this year by our high schools, St. Peter's, Crestwood, Kenner, PCVS, Thomas A. Stewart, Adam Scott, Lakefield and Norwood.

More than 5,000 students raised more than $100,000 to exceed last year's amazing total of $99,000. Once again a record for Canada.

Peterborough students proudly continue to carry on the tradition of Terry Fox, providing money for research which will beat cancer.

Adisq Gala

[Pierre De Savoye, Bloc, Portneuf, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the 18th annual ADISQ gala was held yesterday in Montreal, showing once again the excellence of the Quebec video, recording and entertainment industry.

Between the two of them, the Dion-Angelil team took home no less than seven Felix trophies. Kevin Parent won four trophies, not to mention the one awarded to François Leclerc for producing his video clip. Noir Silence, the discovery of the year, had received three trophies by the time the evening was over. As for Daniel Bélanger, he earned the awards for singer-songwriter and best pop rock album of the year.

We too would like to congratulate not only the winners but also everyone in the Quebec recording, entertainment and video industry, and thank them for this world of imagination they open up to us, making our lives more enjoyable.

This annual gathering has shown once again the vitality and dynamism of our creators and interpreters. Quebec's culture is a beautiful and vibrant culture that reaches out beyond its borders.

Justice

[Jack Ramsay, Reform, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we do not have a justice system in this country. What we have is a soft on crime legal system, a legal bureaucracy which is growing by leaps and bounds at tremendous cost to victims and taxpayers of this country, a legal system where, as characterized by Ottawa Sun columnist Ron Corbett, dodging justice is now the norm.

Mr. Corbett's commentary was the result of the application last week by the lawyer for Brian Raymond to prevent him from being transferred to an adult facility. Raymond was sentenced to just four and a half years for his part in the murder of Nicholas Battersby.

In accordance with the YOA, Raymond was to be transferred to an adult penitentiary as soon as he turned 20. Now 20, Raymond remains in a youth detention centre, dodging justice until his lawyers exhaust all legal manoeuvres while the parents of Nicholas Battersby are still unable to put their lives back together.

While lawyers joust with legal ploys, victims are left in utter despair. Reform's fresh start promises to put victims of crime first by ensuring that criminals do not dodge justice.

Pharmacists

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, November 4 to 10 is Pharmacy Awareness Week in recognition of the contribution that pharmacists make to the good health of all Canadians.

Tragically, 12,500 lives are lost each year because they did not take their medications properly. In fact, it is estimated that 50 per cent of Canadians do not take their prescription medications exactly as prescribed.

The cost to Canada's health care system is $7 billion to $9 billion a year, and we can and should do better.

During this week pharmacists are organizing and participating in a range of activities to encourage all Canadians to seek the advice and information they need to avoid potential problems.

I commend the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association, its related organizations and pharmacists for their efforts to identify, prevent and resolve drug related problems in the best interests of the good health of all Canadians.

Native Veterans

[Nelson Riis, NDP, Kamloops, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I commend today's announcement to build a national monument to recognize the heroism and valour of aboriginal peoples who fought bravely for Canada in the first and second world wars, the Korean war and in peacekeeping missions.

While this commemoration is fitting, it does not address the outstanding grievances of many native veterans. Thousands were treated as equals on the battlefield but suffered neglect and unfair treatment at the hands of the federal government when they returned to Canada. They were not allowed to vote until the late 1950s. Benefits such as pensions, health care and educational training were available, but many native veterans were never informed that they were available.

They suffered discrimination. For example, to collect normal benefits, a returning native veteran from the second world war was asked to renounce his or her status under the Indian Act and live off reserve. If they chose to stay on the reserve they were no longer under the administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs. They were not offered the $6,000 loan available for land to non-Indians under the Veterans Land Act but received only $2,330 at the discretion of the Department of Indian Affairs.

Such stories of unfair treatment and other difficulties were told to a 1994-95 Senate committee. Yet many of the committee's recommendations remain in limbo, including instructions that the Department of Veterans Affairs-

Veterans

[Francis Leblanc, Liberal, Cape Breton Highlands—Canso, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the events that marked World War I are quickly receding into the past. On Remembrance Day, it will be 78 years since the armistice was signed. Yet, there are still Canadian veterans who clearly remember these events. They are very lucid, and they still have the energy and the strength to tell us what they went through.

However, as the years pass, there are fewer and fewer World War I veterans who can tell younger generations about their experience as citizens of a young country who left to fight in Europe.

World War I was a defining moment in the evolution of our country. Our story is that of an inexperienced country engaging in a war, a country that still relied on the British Empire to guide it. At the end of that war, Canada was a still a young country but it had gained confidence and was able to take its place at international negotiating tables.

During Veterans Week, from November 3 to 11, I invite Canadians to make a special effort to listen to veterans.

[The Speaker]

I am sorry to interrupt.

The hon. member for Perth, Wellington-Waterloo.

[John Richardson, Liberal, Perth—Wellington—Waterloo, ON]

Mr. Speaker, each year on November 11 Canadians honour the memory of those who gave their lives in the Boer war, two world wars, the Korean war and under the UN for the cause of peacemaking and peacekeeping.

We also pay tribute to veterans who returned after these wars, after serving their country with such courage and self-sacrifice.

The Prime Minister has dedicated the week of November 3 to 11 Veterans Week. I encourage all members of the House to help bring together veterans organizations and schools so that veterans can tell their stories to people too young to have firsthand knowledge of wars.

Today Canadians live in a land untouched by war. We enjoy a quality of life that has been built on the dedication and sacrifice of those who fought oppression and tyranny in decades past.

Let us use Veterans Week to rededicate ourselves to the cause of serving Canada, freedom and democracy.

Yitzhak Rabin

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

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Quebecois, I want to mark a sad event, namely the assassination a year ago of Israel's Prime Minister, Mr. Rabin, who was killed on November 4, 1995.

A winner of the Nobel peace prize, Mr. Rabin believed in the reconciliation of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and he worked hard to find ways to bring them closer to each other.

Despite his violent death, everyone hoped that the efforts to implement the peace plan in that region would be pursued. Unfortunately, we now fear the worse. Indeed, the behaviour of Mr. Rabin's successor at the head of the state of Israeli makes us wonder.

Today, on this sad anniversary, we can only hope that the values promoted through the peace process put forth by Messrs. Rabin and Arafat will prevail over the radicals that scorn democratic values and condone violence.

Today, the hope for a lasting peace must be revived by Mr. Rabin's memory.

Africa

[Keith Martin, Reform, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the situation in central Africa is approaching chaos; not like two years ago, it is worse.

Inaction by the international community will result in the collapse of Zaire, Burundi and Rwanda and the deaths of millions of innocent people.

There are some solutions. First, our UN rapid reaction force should be put in urgently to ensure the safe evacuation of the civilian populations. Second, humanitarian assistance must be organized to ensure that the basic needs of the evacuees are met. Third, all arms shipments to the region should be blocked. Fourth, the three nation states should be put under temporary UN management and a ceasefire brokered. Last, they should consider redrawing the boundaries according to the precolonial tribal boundaries.

Inaction will produce one of the worst cases of genocide of this century. We must not let that happen again.

The Liberal Government

[Ben Serré, Liberal, Timiskaming—French-River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, we are celebrating the third anniversary of our government's taking office.

The people of Canada realize that the Liberal government they have elected is fulfilling its election commitments. As our Prime Minister stated last week, we have already fulfilled 78 per cent of our campaign promises. And we still have a year left in our mandate.

To achieve these results, our government has opted for rigour and integrity and ignored the blanket solutions that help no one and unfairly upset everyone. Our government has chosen to redefine the role of the federal government instead of undermining the whole machinery of government.

We appreciate the confidence Canadian voters have shown us in the last election and we will continue to rely on hard work and honestly to maintain their confidence in us.

Fresh Start

[Alex Shepherd, Liberal, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I was surprised when I heard that the leader of the opposition announced his fresh start theme as if it were something new, something innovative.

My own election theme in 1993 was the fresh start team.

Voters were met at the door and on the phone with a fresh start theme. Buttons and literature stated this theme. It was a time for change and the people got their fresh start.

Trickle down economics and tearing down the central government are not new or fresh ideas. Borrowing the themes of other campaigns shows us just how bankrupt of ideas the Reform Party has become.

The fresh start team of Durham says, as per usual, the leader of the Reform Party is too late and it is a false start, not a fresh start.

Family

[Garry Breitkreuz, Reform, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this is National Crime Prevention Week. The direct and indirect costs of crime are likely $35 billion to $46 billion annually, with government expenditures on criminal justice almost $10 billion a year. Crime costs us more than education.

Why has this national disaster come about? A main contributing factor is the decline in the foundational role the family plays in child development and the transmitting of spiritual and social values. Mothers and fathers in the home foster the necessary emotional development during a child's formative years.

Governments over the past 30 years have undermined secure families and healthy homes.

A Globe and Mail writer said of Reform's fresh start that tax changes would take 1 million low income families off the tax roles and increase child tax benefits a whopping 80 per cent. Families under $30,000 income would see nearly all federal taxes erased.

Reformers believe strong and secure families are our real crime prevention program. It is the family, stupid, I say.

Lieutenant-Governor Of Quebec

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has made a disastrous decision in deciding to appoint Jean-Louis Roux as Quebec's lieutenant-governor. We have just learned that not only did Mr. Roux proudly wear the swastika in the second world war, but that he also engaged in anti-Semitic behaviour by vandalizing businesses belonging to members of Montreal's Jewish community. These troubling revelations have just been made by the lieutenant-governor himself to a journalist writing for L'Actualité .

My question is for the Prime Minister. When he appointed Jean-Louis Roux to this position, because it was the Prime Minister who appointed him, was he aware of Mr. Roux's openly anti-Semitic behaviour?

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the claims made by the Leader of the Opposition regarding vandalism are not true.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I know that the Deputy Prime Minister is not accustomed to giving answers that stand up, but I would like her to make an effort, just this once.

Quebec's lieutenant-governor himself, in case she is unaware, stated that he had taken part in demonstrations and set out to vandalize businesses belonging to the Jewish community. He came right out and said so and is now trying to downplay his remarks.

My question to the Deputy Prime Minister, who is here to reply on behalf of the government, is this: Did the Prime Minister know, when he appointed Jean-Louis Roux, that Mr. Roux had behaved in such a reprehensible manner? That is the question.

[Sheila Copps, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the lieutenant-governor said that he had taken part in anti-conscription demonstrations, as most people were doing. He denied having taken part in any vandalism, and I think that when the Leader of the Opposition makes statements in this House, they should at least be true.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Dear colleagues, it must be assumed that when we rise in the House the truth is never in question. I now recognize the hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Michel Gauthier, Bloc, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, all those watching today, members of the public, voted for members in this House, for members of the Bloc Quebecois as well, a stronger majority in Quebec, I might add, and that is why we are asking these questions on their behalf. Jean-Louis Roux himself stated that he remembered heading through the streets, in 1942, at the age of 20, with a crowd of anti-conscription protesters to wreck the offices of The Gazette on St. Catherine Street and the windows of any shops whose name had a foreign flavour, particularly Jewish, he said.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister, who speaks on behalf of the government and the Prime Minister. I ask her for the third time, and I am hoping for an answer: Did the Prime Minister know, when he appointed Jean-Louis Roux, that Mr. Roux had behaved in such an unacceptable, unjustifiable and unspeakable manner?