Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in support of Bill C-232 and the principle involved in it. As I understand, it is basically that the government should practise what it preaches to the private sector and institute a regime within its own house that would permit Canadians who work for the federal government to have leave for training as the member intends in the bill.
There might be some problems that could have been straightened out in committee if the bill had been made votable and referred to committee. I do not think the member on the government side made a convincing case for the necessity of the bill being defeated at this point.
If the bill contains the germ of a good idea, which I think it does and which I think the government member thought it did, I do not know why unanimous consent was denied by a government member. This could have gone to committee. The committee could have sorted out some of the details and perhaps come back to the House with an improved and amended bill but nevertheless a bill that would have gone some way toward accomplishing what the hon. member intends in the original draft of the bill.
I add my own compliments and those of my colleagues for the work done by reservists over the years both domestically in terms of the ice storm and the flooding in Winnipeg and in terms of work they have done as part of Canada's peacekeeping forces around the world.
If the bill were to go ahead, it would provide an opportunity for more Canadians serving in the armed forces reserve to participate, having had the benefit of more training than they sometimes have now as a result of the difficulty some of them experience, particularly those who are working for the federal government but also those in the private sector although the bill is intended to deal with those working for the federal government. I am referring to the difficulty they experience in getting the permission and the time to take the kind of training they would like to have the benefit of.
It appears we are to have a smaller regular armed forces as there have been numerous cuts both in the strength and in the resources available to the Canadian Armed Forces. Then we would rely more and more on reservists to do the kinds of things we want our armed forces to do, whether it be in peacekeeping, addressing a civil disaster or whatever the case may be.
One thing has always mystified me over almost 19 years of being in the House. Why have reserves always had to be on the begging end of things when it comes the defence budget? It is the one area where there has been no disagreement among the parties.
We have disagreed here in the past on cruise missiles, nuclear submarines, all kinds of things. But no one has ever disagreed about the importance of the reserves and the fact that they need more resources than they get.
That unanimity or consensus has never seemed able to provide the impetus for any government that I have experienced so far to provide the reserves with the kind of policy framework and the resources they so clearly need. These are needed if they are to fulfil both their traditional role and the expanded role which is being increasingly required of them as a result of the cuts in the regular forces and the increasing demand on Canada to participate in various peacekeeping efforts.
It is regrettable the government decided to stand in the way of this bill at least going to committee. These things could have been considered in committee so that we might have before us some legislation which required the federal government to make this kind of leave available to its employees who are active in the reserves and who wish to have this kind of training.
This would have benefited many people who serve in the many fine regiments in Winnipeg, the reserve regiments, the Fort Garry Horse, the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and of course those who serve in both the navy and the air force reserves. There are a lot of Canadians in Winnipeg who are active in the reserves. I am sure I speak on behalf of them when I say that this bill should have been given more consideration than it apparently has been given by the government.
I regret that the bill has not been made a votable item on the floor of the House of Commons and sent to committee. Then we could have had a recommendation come back to the House that would have made it that much easier for the men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces reserves to get the kind of training they are entitled to.