Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, titled Canada and Nuclear Challenge: Reducing the Political Value of Nuclear Weapons for the Twenty-First Century .
This is an important report by our committee. It reflects the opinion of Canadians, some 95% of whom believe the government and parliament should be supporting the reductions of nuclear arms throughout the world.
Throughout the course of our study, the committee consulted with Canadians from every walk of life and experts in Canada and abroad.
The conclusions in the report clearly reflect what the committee heard from those Canadians and experts. Four parties concur in the report's conclusions, demonstrating their willingness to co-operate, to submerge their differences to achieve consensus in an area of great concern to Canadians and of great importance to humanity.
Yesterday I would have presented this report with joy, with the knowledge of its significance. Today I report it with a great sense of sadness for the absence in this House.
I finish with a quote from Shakespeare which in my view sums up the life of Shaughnessy Cohen. Shakespeare said of Juliet “And summer's lease hath all too short a date”.