Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I will share my time with the hon. parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister.
Every 22 minutes a person is killed or injured by a mine that goes off. In very concrete terms, this means that since this morning—I took my seat in this House at 11 a.m. and it is now approximately 7.10 p.m.—while I was taking part in this debate in this House some 25 people, mostly civilians and children, were killed or injured by mines. Some mines are even specifically designed to attract children. Take butterfly mines for instance.
Many of my colleagues mentioned the social and environmental costs of these mines. It is important to note that, in the final analysis, there is no proof that the use of mines has ever made a difference in any conflict. No conflict has ever been won through the use of mines.
I would like to read from a paper written by former US Foreign Secretary Cyrus Vance. He wrote this:
“With international attention focused on negotiations to destroy nuclear weapons and prevent a new nuclear arms race on the Korean peninsula and in south Asia, some may think that land mines, those tiny weapons that can fit in the palm of the hand, are hardly a threat to world peace. In fact, while reducing the threat of nuclear war must remain the first priority of international arms control efforts, it is small weapons that are killing and wounding far more people every day. The U.S. Department of State has noted that land mines may be the most toxic and widespread pollution facing mankind.
“We are convinced that nothing less than a total ban on the production, possession, transfer and use of anti-personnel land mines will move us closer to the goal of completely eliminating this scourge. We believe the United States should take the lead to achieve this goal”.
The United States did not take the lead, but Canada did and we must be very proud of that. I would like to take a few moments to mention in particular the efforts made by the Prime Minister, by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, André Ouellet, by the current Minister of the Environment, and by the current Minister of Foreign Affairs who, as we all know, strove to pursue the great Canadian tradition of maintaining and promoting peace.
I would like to tell you briefly about my experience in Oslo. I was there when the treaty was negotiated. I was accompanied by the hon. member for Burlington and the hon. member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca. The Canadian negotiators enjoyed a high level of credibility over there. These senior public servants from Foreign Affairs and National Defence were a credit to Canada. All too often public servants are criticized. But everyone should know how well they represented our country in Oslo.
As the treaty was being negotiated, NGOs held a conference. I visited the exhibition set up by these NGOs, across from where the negotiations were taking place. I was accompanied by a public servant. He introduced me to someone from the Red Cross as a Canadian parliamentarian. I do not know where she came from, but a young Cambodian woman appeared in a wheelchair. She had lost her legs when she stepped on a mine. She looked at me and said: “Well done, Canada”. That is an experience I am not about to forget. It is an experience that makes one extraordinarily proud of this country.
On September 9, the Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke before the conference of NGOs. I can tell you that the emotion in that room when he finished speaking was absolutely remarkable.
What I would like to say to all Canadians is this: Be truly proud of your political leaders. Be proud of this House, which is going to unanimously support one of the greatest humanitarian causes in recent decades.
As has been strongly emphasized, the Ottawa process is a large alliance of civilian groups, NGOs, Jody Williams, whom I congratulate, of course, and the organization she represents, as well as the Red Cross.
I would like to wrap up, if I may—it will take just a few seconds—by launching an important appeal to Canadian youth. When I took up politics, I was criticized for being idealistic. I would like the young people of Canada to know that, scarcely one year ago, everyone was sceptical about the Canadian initiative. In a few days, over 100 countries will be here in Ottawa, either to sign or to indicate their moral support for this treaty to prohibit anti-personnel mines.
What I want to tell young people is that there is room for idealism in politics. Today is proof of that. And yes, as members of parliament, we can make a difference, but only if we understand that a society is made up of elected officials, of NGOs, of an entire population deciding to join forces. That is the embodiment of what we are doing this evening.
I know that much remains to be done to bring peace to the world, but I am immensely proud today to be taking a large step in the right direction, in the company of all my colleagues and, in fact, of the entire country.