House of Commons Hansard #109 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was sentencing.

Topics

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:30 p.m.

Liberal

Steve Mahoney Liberal Mississauga West, ON

Mr. Speaker, my apologies. It becomes a little frustrating when we read some of the things those hon. members have talked about.

There is another problem. The hon. members from the “ing” party across are confused. Some of the members want to scrap the Young Offenders Act and some of them simply want to amend it. The member for Nanaimo—Cowichan stated in Hansard in March 1998 “As the justice minister dreams about changes to the Young Offenders Act, violent acts among youth are escalating and revealing why the Young Offenders Act should be scrapped”. Then we have others like the member from Wild Rose saying “When are you going to amend the Young Offenders Act?”

We have some of the extreme right saying to scrap it and then we have others who generally are seen as being on the even more extreme right saying to amend it. Their own policies in this place do not coincide with the policies of their own party.

I would like to hear one of those members stand up and tell me why they would not support replacing the Young Offenders Act with new stronger youth justice legislation. That has been announced by our minister. Why would they not support that? Do they just want to be negative? Do they not want to have input into it? This is a policy. They have a chance to have input into it. All Canadians will have that chance.

Why would they not support expanding the offences for which a young offender can receive an adult sentence to include a pattern of serious violent offences? I have heard members opposite call for that. The minister has said she agrees with that.

What seems to be the problem here? Why do we not just get on with it? Let us take that policy statement and build it into legislation. That is what the Canadian people expect us to do.

The minister would not agree to lower the age to 10 but why would it be 10 by the members opposite? Why not nine? Why not eight? In fact, as a parent of three young men I am a firm believer that if you have not put your values into your children by the time they are seven years old, then you may have lost them. The first seven years of a young person's life are probably the most critical years in their entire life. Why not seven?

Let us do what they have suggested. Seven years old, they commit a crime, we throw them away. They do it again, we throw them in a dungeon and lock them up. What kind of a society would we be purporting to represent if we were to adopt those kinds of policies?

The minister has said that the bill will lower the age limit for which young offenders are presumed liable to adult sentences from 16 to 14. Why would they not support that? It is a positive step in the right direction, things that many members opposite have called for, some who are not quite so extreme.

It would expand the provisions allowing the publication of the names of young offenders who have been convicted and who qualify for adult sentences. But no, what the Reform Party wants does not matter if they qualify for an adult sentence or not. If they commit a crime, their names should be published. They should be tarred for the rest of their life, instead of working with those young people to help educate them, to help teach them that violence is not a solution. They are not taught that by smacking them on the back with a cane or hitting them on the rump with a piece of wood. That party is spouting archaic nonsense. Those members should be ashamed of themselves.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:35 p.m.

Reform

Myron Thompson Reform Wild Rose, AB

Mr. Speaker, obviously this fellow missed his spankings when he was a young person. That is pretty obvious.

Over the last 10 years, since the Young Offenders Act, 1984, 2,400 cases of violence were recorded. Now it is up to 24,000 and climbing which is over a 100% increase.

I do not understand where the member is coming from. Articles come out like the one today, May 26 “Teachers in Montreal's largest school board, the Montreal Catholic School Commission are rightly denouncing the climate for fear and violence in which far too many of them are forced to work. In the past two years, MCSC teachers have reported 90 incidents in which they have been physically assaulted by students, 30% in cases considered so serious that police were called in. Teachers were punched, kicked, choked, bitten and scratched. They have had chairs, bags and books thrown at them. They have had desks pushed into them. This March a teacher abruptly left her job after finding out that one of her students, a member of a gang, had put a price on her head”.

That is what we have come to. There are guys like that member who probably majored in bleeding heart 101 when he went to university, if he got that far, teardrop 102 and all the other socialist subjects they teach in these garbage places, so he can come here, stand and brag about how wonderful a job they are doing. And we have over a 100% increase in that kind of a crime. He is close to my age. Surely he was brought up a little better than that in the schools. I do not think that we had that kind of a problem when I went to school. I know we did not when I was a principal.

How does the member explain this terrible increase in crime? Does a little bit of discipline not ring some bells in his brainless head?

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:40 p.m.

Liberal

Steve Mahoney Liberal Mississauga West, ON

Mr. Speaker, the best four years of my life were not in grade nine, unlike the member opposite.

To answer, the problem is very real in terms of discipline within the schools, but discipline is not violence. I went to a catholic boarding school. Does the member want to talk about discipline? Does he want to talk about violence? I would be delighted to tell him some stories that would curl what little hair sits on top of his head. I can say that I know a little bit about this from some personal firsthand experience in a school like that.

Generally what happens is a parent will say “I believe in corporal punishment as long as you are going to strap the kid who sits beside my Johnny. That will scare the dickens out of my Johnny, but do not strap my Johnny”. You would hear that as a principal, Mr. Speaker. He would hear that as a principal. That is the problem. We have to give our teachers the authority to discipline young people, but that is not the strap, that is not the cane and it sure as hell is not a piece of wood.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:40 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Rick Borotsik Progressive Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if we could bring this debate to another level, another plain.

I agree that with the Young Offenders Act there must be some rehabilitative process. Right now with the federal government and the provincial governments there are young offender services and programs in place.

I wish the minister would have answered this question herself, but the hon. member for Mississauga West is going to have to do his best. The minister talked about working with the provinces. The minister talked about a consultative process with the provinces. The minister talked about cost sharing with the provinces. Right now federal funding of the young offenders services and programs has been reduced to the point where in Manitoba it is funding only 34% of the programs. In B.C. it is only funding 22% of the same programs that the member for Mississauga West embraces. It is now funding only 31% of the programs in the province of Saskatchewan.

Why is it that the member embraces these programs on one hand, but now all of the funding from the government is removed on the other hand?

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:40 p.m.

Liberal

Steve Mahoney Liberal Mississauga West, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is important that we take it to a different level than talking about the size of our individual brains or lack thereof. I appreciate the question.

The member will know that the province of Manitoba to which he refers incarcerates more young people than any other province in the country. It should be examined as to why that is happening.

We heard a speech earlier by a member from the New Democrats who talked about having his home broken into and the violence he has experienced at home in his riding. That is absolutely shameful. No one here is saying that there are not problems with our young people. We believe that the way to treat those problems is to work co-operatively with the provinces to try to put in place programs that will rehabilitate and help these young people lead normal productive lives.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:40 p.m.

Reform

Myron Thompson Reform Wild Rose, AB

Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to follow a speech from a person who obviously does not know a lot about young people. I wish he had worked at a schoolhouse for a number of years. He would have seen the number of changes I have seen over the 30 years I have spent in the schools. It used to be that chewing gum was the major problem in the schools but today violence is a major problem.

It is a shame because this system and this government have put certain things in our Criminal Code that have made it very difficult for people in the school houses to maintain any kind of discipline any longer. If they lift a finger or shake too hard or even touch them they can be arrested for assault because of the bleeding hearts over there who will not allow these kinds of things to happen.

Unfortunately for them there have been parents who have lost their kids today. Why? Because they were caught spanking their children. Is that not a shame? I would like to know where a person like the individual over there grew up. What era was he in? Did he come from another planet where discipline was never used?

At any rate I reiterate the things that have happened in the government under the rule of the Liberals more than anyone else. They have been in charge for a greater percentage of the time, unfortunately for this great country. The Liberals have brought us to the time that we get headlines like “Violence grows in schools”. This is today's headline about a major school in Montreal.

I got a large kick out of the speech I heard from a separatist a while ago that everything was wonderful in Quebec and all the right things were being done. Yet these kinds of headlines come out from Quebec indicating a huge increase in violence in schools.

Something must be wrong. Some changes have to be made. When we talk about changes and the suggestions we want, we receive in glossy print from the Minister of Justice all the things she has been yapping about for a year or longer. She puts it all down in print, but nothing comes before the House in the form of legislation that would say to victims across the land that it is time we did something because the number of victims is rising too fast and people are being harmed.

They are sitting on their butts here doing nothing except putting out a press release with something in glossy print which those guys opposite will say are wonderful proposals. They should stop the proposals, get something on the table and let us debate it to fix the issue.

Let us talk about conditional release. Here is the positive attitude of the Liberals in a headline “Conditional release working 92% of the time”. Most people would say 92% is pretty good. However, my headline would give a little more of the facts. I would say that our conditional release program is not successful because of an 8% failure.

That group over there would not understand what we are talking about. Let us take a look at what happened during a 10 year study that they provided to me. The 8% that were not successful under the conditional release program went on to reoffend. As a result we have another 2,237 new victims in Canada, of which 217 were murdered and 900 and some were violently raped. There have been many other violent crimes because of the policies the government has put in place.

They sit back and say they have a 92% success rate. However the 8% out there hurting people, killing people and raping people is too big a sacrifice to ask Canadian people as a whole to make. It is not a successful program when those figures come across my desk from their own offices and their own people. Something has to be done about that.

I listened to the NDP member who talked about how we exploited all things that happen in the land. For his information and for the information of the NDP, I have talked about many individual cases. I talked about the case regarding the Manning family from Quebec when we tried to get DNA testing in place. In fact when I talked about it the Manning family was sitting in the gallery encouraging me to do just that.

The Ambose family from Scarborough, when the Young brothers campaign was on, encouraged me to rise in the House to talk about their political situation because nothing was happening. I talked about the Boyd family when we tried our darndest to kill a Liberal law, section 745 of the Criminal Code. We tried desperately to get rid of it. It was suggested by one of their previous members who is now an independent.

The Boyd family and other families encouraged the Reform Party to do its best to get rid of those kinds of laws. They sat in the galleries begging us and asking us to do these things. We had their support and what we got from the other side was political nonsense.

They said that we are exploiting these crimes for political gain. Hog manure. There are many ways to get political gain. All we have to do is talk about all the stupid things they have done financially and we will get political gain. We do not need to talk about crime. It is bad enough as it is.

To suggest for a moment that we are exploiting these cases for political gain is really getting sick. It is the victims who have come to our offices to encourage us to do these things. They do that because they know the group opposite does not have the intestinal fortitude or the guts to even consider doing such a thing.

The bleeding hearts in the left end of this room, from the separatists on clear to the wall, would not even dare talk about those things. They would rather talk about the mushy stuff that goes on around here: the warm fuzzy feeling that we should be giving to the criminals of our land and how we need to do more to help in rehabilitating them instead of looking at the victims. Is giving them more golf courses a great way to do it?

Drugs are rampant in the prisons. They are absolutely out of control. There is not a guard in the whole country who will not say that is the truth. What are the wimps over there doing? Nothing. They do not have the guts to do anything. The only thing they can do is sit over there and heckle like my bald-headed friend. I can say that because I have more hair than he has.

This kind of sickness exists in the government. Its members sit back while the statistics go up and up because not one of them has the courage to say it is time to do something. It is a shame. They had one member on that side of the House who had the courage to demand certain changes such as section 745. He sits over here now because he was way out of line with this group of people.

We have another one over there who constantly insists that things are wonderful, that we must not let things get out of control by daring to discipline children in our schools or in our homes with a strap or a paddle, et cetera.

By the way, I will be sharing my time with the member for Cariboo—Chilcotin.

I do not have to say that after five years in the House I get worked up when it comes to justice issues. I really get worked up when government members do nothing but dabble here and there. Then they profess they have made wonderful changes to the criminal code that will make my family and my grand kids safe. People will not have to put bars on their windows any longer.

They have not done a thing. If they think I am exaggerating, I invite them to come to small towns in my rural riding where there are no police stations. They have bars or deadbolts on their doors, on the windows in their business and in their homes. They do everything they can to protect their property and in some cases to protect their lives.

It is a shame that people in rural Alberta have to live behind bars while the criminals are running around. It is a shame that people are thrown in jail when they try to illustrate a principle like being able to market their produce by selling their grain without a wheat board permit and at the same time violent offenders are put on community service. This whole outfit is absolutely ill.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Shaughnessy Cohen Liberal Windsor—St. Clair, ON

Mr. Speaker, as chair of the justice committee I have frequently enjoyed having the hon. member for Wild Rose on our committee. I have to say that his appearance in the House is a little misleading because he certainly does not present himself in quite the same way in committee. I say this as a compliment because he is an active contributing member of the committee and I appreciate his participation very much.

He is also very well known for his candour as we can see today. I would like to ask him to candidly express his view on a couple of things.

As a school principal I am wondering if he employed corporal punishment in his school. Once and for all let us finalize it. Are they true, these quotes that have been attributed to him supporting caning?

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:55 p.m.

Reform

Myron Thompson Reform Wild Rose, AB

Mr. Speaker, in the school board act in my particular district we were allowed to administer corporal punishment under section 43 of the Criminal Code, which I understand many on this side of the House would like to get rid of. We used it, not sparingly, but as a tool that was used when deemed absolutely necessary. It was kind of a last straw type of thing.

The member who spoke before me and got me riled up to begin with would have a hard time understanding that the strap or the paddle can be very effective. He ought to try it some time. Maybe he should have received it. I received it and I guarantee it works.

I admire people like the hon. member who would like to abolish all this stuff with all his warm fuzzy bull that will never get anywhere.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:55 p.m.

The Speaker

I wonder if the member would consider not using the word bull again.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:55 p.m.

Reform

Myron Thompson Reform Wild Rose, AB

Mr. Speaker, I usually say Durham after it and I forgot.

As far as corporal punishment in prisons is concerned, I believe there might be a place for it. I would like to see it here for discussion. I cannot for the life of me understand why anybody would object to that kind of punishment for an individual who would rape, hurt and slaughter little children, sex offenders of little kids of five and six years old.

The hon. member should tell me what is the best thing to do in terms of punishment. I think 90% of Canadians would say maybe that is what we ought to do.

SupplyGovernment Orders

1:55 p.m.

The Speaker

Whether it is Lord Durham or whomever, I think we should go to Statements by Members.

Fetal Alcohol SyndromeStatements By Members

1:55 p.m.

Liberal

John Maloney Liberal Erie—Lincoln, ON

Mr. Speaker, fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects are preventable tragedies. The cold hard fact is that when a pregnant woman drinks her unborn child also drinks.

Sadly FAS children can reflect severe neurological disorders, social dysfunction, permanent behavioural problems, learning disorders, hyperactivity, mental retardation, pre- and post-natal growth retardation, speech and vision impairment, and physical deformity. The list goes on.

The personal human devastation is horrific. FAS is estimated to cost $1.5 million during the lifetime of a child in terms of increased health needs, special education and social service costs. Far too many of these victims run afoul of our criminal justice system. In reality we are all affected.

I call upon the government to develop public education campaigns to promote public awareness and to encourage prevention initiatives. Let us stop the waste of productive lives. Let us eradicate fetal alcohol syndrome.

Year 2000Statements By Members

1:55 p.m.

Reform

John Williams Reform St. Albert, AB

Mr. Speaker, as the next millennium approaches time is running out for the Treasury Board and for the federal government.

The year 2000 computer bug is poised to create major problems for Canadians on January 1, 2000, yet the government is sleepwalking toward disaster.

We know that just 584 days from now Canadians will face a challenge. The potential for disaster is startling. Planes may not be able to fly. Heart monitors and health care systems may fail. Hydro grids might shut down. Yet Treasury Board refuses to take action to ensure that all computers are Y2K compliant.

Not only is public safety at risk but Canadians may also lose vital services such as CPP cheques and passport records. The assistant deputy minister for the year 2000 has even said the government will have to write cheques by hand if it is not ready.

The failure of the Treasury Board to answer the call threatens the safety and security of Canadians as we enter the next millennium. It is time for the government to stop sleepwalking and wake up.

Canadian YouthStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Paul Bonwick Liberal Simcoe—Grey, ON

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the young people of Canada. I start by using the words of our Prime Minister in describing them as Canada's greatest resource.

As I travel across my riding of Simcoe—Grey I feel an overwhelming sense of optimism regarding the future of our great country. However, this road will not be an easy one for our upcoming generation. It will require the tools to compete in this ever changing world.

One of the most important tools we as parents and as a government can provide is access to education. It is for this reason I am especially proud to be part of a government, a team, that has the fortitude to put in place a program like the Canadian millennium scholarship program. This will afford young Canadians access to post-secondary education regardless of location or financial status.

With access to education I know young people like those visiting from Duntroon public school will not just compete in the next millennium, they will lead in the next millennium.

I say bravo for the Canadian millennium scholarship program and what a great future Canada has.

Eastern TownshipsStatements By Members

May 26th, 1998 / 2 p.m.

Liberal

Denis Paradis Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC

Mr. Speaker, all of Brome—Missisquoi, from Bromont, Knowlton, Sutton, Dunham and Frelighsburg to Eastman, Mansonville, Orford and Magog, applauds the announcement made by the secretary of state responsible for economic development.

Indeed, Tourisme Cantons de l'Est will receive $1.5 million over three years to develop, in partnership with local organizations, promotional ideas to sell our region to attract international tourists in larger numbers.

I invite all colleagues of this House as well as every Canadian to visit us this summer in our beautiful eastern townships.

With 80% of our people speaking French and 20% speaking English, Brome—Missisquoi and the eastern townships reflect really the true values of Canada. Come and find out.

Our beautiful landscapes await you.

Bps ImagingStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Reform

Rob Anders Reform Calgary West, AB

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Human Resources Development was asked about the job buying fiasco at BPS Imaging in Newfoundland and he said he had not heard about it.

Frankly, I am not surprised. Only years of shortsighted job buying scams from Ottawa can explain the dullness on the government bench. But the bungling incompetence at BPS Imaging is less disturbing, less troubling than the bungling incompetence in the government that approved it.

After spending a million taxpayer dollars to subsidize jobs at BPS, did the minister ensure the jobs he was buying would be permanent? No.

BPS shut its doors last week after only seven months in operation. Did he secure the taxpayer money with BPS assets before making the loan? No. There were a million valuable job training dollars wasted. Did the minister tell us how his department plans to recover the funds? No.

Canadians are on the hook and in the dark. Once again the federal government attempts to broker hope in Newfoundland and fails to deliver.

Joan ChalmersStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Sarmite Bulte Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute and acknowledge one of Canada's greatest arts patrons, Joan Chalmers.

Instead of receiving gifts last night at her birthday celebration, Ms. Chalmers took the opportunity to announce a $1 million donation to 21 of her favourite arts organizations. Ms. Chalmers described the donation as one family's attempt to keep the arts and artists of this country alive and vibrant.

Donations of this nature demonstrate the outstanding commitment to the arts by patrons like the Chalmers family who understand that for Canada's arts industry to thrive there must be a commitment from both the public and private sectors to work together in support of the arts.

Last night's announcement came at the Chalmers awards ceremony in Toronto which is funded through an endowment established in the 1970s.

Congratulations to all last night's winners and a heartfelt thank you to Ms. Chalmers for her leadership and longstanding commitment to the arts in Canada.

Prince Edward IslandStatements By Members

2 p.m.

Liberal

Joe McGuire Liberal Egmont, PE

Mr. Speaker, today marks the 125th anniversary of Prince Edward Island's joining Confederation. It was on May 26, 1873 in the wee hours of the morning that Premier J.C. Pope moved that the address to the Queen embodying the terms of union between P.E.I. and the Dominion of Canada be accepted by the assembly of P.E.I.

The government of the day envisioned the development of a great nation and wanted P.E.I. to be part of that future. Admittedly, to that point islanders were reluctant brides.

Nine years earlier, in 1864, P.E.I. had hosted the initial talks on the union of the British North American colonies. However, when the new dominion was created in 1867, P.E.I. opted to pass on it. It was six years later before P.E.I. finally joined Canada.

The Liberal government of Robert Haythorne negotiated an agreement that included the dominion's assuming the railway debt, advancing funds to buy out the island's absentee landlords—

Prince Edward IslandStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member for Mississauga West.

JusticeStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Steve Mahoney Liberal Mississauga West, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party has called for extreme right wing changes to Canada's criminal justice system. It favours a two strikes and your out law that would jail young Canadians for life if they commit two relatively minor offences.

Some of Reform's extreme ideas include public scorn, caning and other forms of corporal punishment. Reform members even wanted to send a parliamentary delegation to Singapore to witness the caning of young offenders in that country.

Is this what Canadians want? No. Canadians want public policy that makes sense. That is why this government launched a balanced strategy to renew our youth justice system, a strategy that emphasizes prevention and rehabilitation, not public beatings. That is why we have established a DNA bank to store samples and why we increased crime prevention funding by $32 million a year. That is why we passed tough anti-gang legislation and why, to the consternation of the Reform Party, we introduced gun control.

This government has always made crime prevention a priority and to the Reform agenda I say no.

Canada Pension PlanStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Reform

Jim Hart Reform Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the constituents of Okanagan—Coquihalla who have serious concerns about the Canada pension plan disability program, in particular an appeals board that is backlogged with cases from March 1997.

Delays of more than one year have left many disabled Canadians in dire financial straits. Many are forced to apply for social assistance which they cannot get without first signing a repayment guarantee for benefits they may never receive.

The Liberals have failed disabled Canadians. They have left many disabled Canadians with no source of income. The Canada pension plan has been so badly mismanaged that it fails to provide Canadians with secure retirement. Now it fails to provide disability security.

The official opposition believes in the principle of a social safety net that provides security for those members of our society who are most in need.

On the day that Rick Hansen is on Parliament Hill will the government show compassion to disabled Canadians and expedite their appeals?

Air Traffic ControlStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Bloc

Paul Mercier Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC

Mr. Speaker, the safety of air travelers is currently being threatened.

This fact was reported by Nav Canada, the organization responsible for air traffic control, in a document released yesterday by the CBC. In a memo to the Canada Labour Relations Board, Nav Canada states that the ongoing labour dispute presents a threat to passenger safety and operational efficiency in terms of air navigation.

Let us not forget that Nav Canada is the product of privatizing air traffic control, a government decision which has cost the taxpayers $1 billion. And now Nav Canada is not even able to ensure passenger safety.

Beyond the labour dispute, the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that passenger safety is maintained under all circumstances, and we call on the government to do so.

Employment InsuranceStatements By Members

2:05 p.m.

Liberal

Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON

Mr. Speaker, Canadians in my riding support the new EI system because they know it is fairer and more in step with today's job market. Its hours based system better reflects the way people work and now protects many workers not covered under the old system. It helps those most in need through active measures which help them get back to work and improve their skills, through income supplements for families with children and low income earners and through two special funds, an $800 million investment in re-employment benefits and a $300 million transitional jobs fund for areas of high unemployment.

Because of these facts, I call on my colleagues to think twice before they criticize this revised program which is helping unemployed Canadians cope with the world of work in the information society of today.

Canadian Armed ForcesStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

NDP

Chris Axworthy NDP Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are shocked at the brutal rape and sexual assault of women in the Canadian Armed Forces and are more shocked by the callousness of the Minister of National Defence and the defence critic of the Reform Party.

The Minister of National Defence has publicly characterized these incidents as poor behaviour. As usual, the Reform Party is not happy just to deny or ignore the problem. It actually wants to turn the clock back. The Reform Party's defence critic has said the full integration of women in the military has been a disastrous social experiment, women should not be hired to do some jobs.

How can we expect the military to change when the minister considers rape poor behaviour and the Reform Party thinks women have no role outside the kitchen?

We must be tough on sexual assault and tough on the causes of sexual assault in the military and in society at large. The Reform Party's defence critic and the minister need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

The Late Jean HamelinStatements By Members

2:10 p.m.

Liberal

Jacques Saada Liberal Brossard—La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, on May 15, Quebec lost one of its great historians, with the passing of Jean Hamelin at the age of 66.

Jean Hamelin, Professor Emeritus at Laval University, contributed during a career spanning over 30 years to the training of an impressive number of historians now dispersed throughout the major universities of Canada.

He graduated from Laval University, and in 1957 from the École des Hautes Études de Paris. Among his awards were the Tyrell medal, in 1972, and the Governor General's Literary Award in 1972 and 1985. Among his many books were works on the economic, social, political and religious history of Canada, and of Quebec in particular.

We salute Jean Hamelin's extraordinary accomplishments over his lifetime, and offer our most sincere condolences to his family and friends.