Mr. Speaker, my comments will be brief today but extraordinarily meaningful. I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Compton—Stanstead.
These are challenging times for a middle power. In a post cold war environment there has been a sharp decline in the role of the nation state in terms of its ability to meaningfully impact foreign policy and international policy. There has been a commensurate increase in the power and strength of NGOs, multinational corporations and in fact in individuals.
This treaty is an example of how government can recognize the changing times and harness the new power of NGOs to create meaningful foreign policy amidst the challenges of a new environment.
Another trend in a post cold war environment is the entrance of a new phrase, a new term, and that is human security. Human security is being used increasingly in place of national security in a growing foreign policy circle. Human security recognizes that since the end of the cold war most conflicts have been interstate conflicts. The majority of those interstate conflicts have been between governments and their own people.
It is in that environment we must recognize we need to protect the security and the safety of individuals. Hence human security is increasingly becoming as important as national security. This land mine treaty recognizes this trend as well and serves to strengthen human security for all citizens of the world.
Canada must continue to play a vigilant role in utilizing all levers at our disposal, including the World Bank and the IMF, to pressure non-signatories to come on board and support this treaty. We must also ensure that the financial resources are made available to assist countries in complying with the conditions of this treaty.
Canada's leadership role in the Ottawa process stands as an example of what we can achieve. It also stands as an example of what we must continue to do, which is that we must continue to play a strong role as a middle power in a post cold war environment. We can and must continue in the tradition of Lester Pearson and in the tradition of Joe Clark to play a pivotal role in foreign policy, in foreign affairs, and to protect the rights, security and safety of all peoples.