Mr. Speaker, the world is poised to sign a land mine treaty in December and Canada has been a leader in this success. But this is just the beginning.
If we are to work toward a safer world we must address the precursors to conflict and formulate responses to them. Human rights violations, militarization and the breakdown of civil structures all contribute to conflict. To address these requires multinational responses from NGOs and other institutions.
Canada can use its moral suasive power to create a critical mass of like minded nations to truly address these issues. We must move our foreign policy from an era of conflict management to an era of conflict prevention. We must seize the day for a better and safer world for all.