Debates of April 26th, 1999

Amateur Sports

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week the coach of the Canadian Hockey Association women's national team, Quebecker Danièle Sauvageau, was cavalierly dismissed.

A few months ago, the Canadian Handball Association's had done the same when, without any warning, it terminated the training in Montreal of the women's team, which was made up almost exclusively of Quebeckers.

Also during the past year, Synchro Canada required the swimmers on the national team, again mostly Quebeckers, to report to the national training camp in Toronto a year earlier than planned.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that discrimination toward Quebec athletes is not an isolated phenomenon in the wonderful world of sport.

We are calling upon the Minister of Canadian Heritage to take the necessary steps to ensure that those in charge of amateur sport in Canada treat all athletes with fairness and respect, whether they are Canadians or Quebeckers. If the minister has the future of Quebec athletes at heart, she will not allow any more similar incidents to occur.

St. John Ambulance

[Peter Adams, Liberal, Peterborough, ON]

Mr. Speaker, volunteers are the glue that holds the community together. No agency embodies the spirit of volunteerism more than the St. John Ambulance, an international organization committed to service for all.

This is a banner year for the agency: the Order of St. John is celebrating 900 years of service and the Canadian St. John Ambulance is celebrating 115 years of community service.

St. John Ambulance work is performed by two distinct and mutually dependent groups: the brigade, uniformed volunteers seen in Peterborough and across Canada providing community services such as first aid at local events; and the association, a network of medical professionals and instructors who provide first aid and health promotion courses.

Each year, the Canadian chapter provides over two million hours of voluntary service and trains 800,000 citizens in lifesaving first aid and CPR techniques.

I congratulate the St. John Ambulance for its tireless work on behalf of others and wish it another 900 years of success.

Child Pornography

[Paul Forseth, Reform, New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, John Robin Sharpe will appear today in B.C. Appeals Court on charges of possession of child pornography, after being acquitted on January 13.

Had the Liberals voted in favour of a recent Reform motion to send a strong parliamentary signal on this ruling or had Judge Shaw ruled to uphold the law, we would not have today's distasteful question.

Today, 18 cases are on hold pending the outcome of this case. Each government member of parliament who voted, just to wait for the Crown appeal, will have to accept responsibility if the lower court ruling holds.

A loss of the child pornography section will do irreparable damage to the work done by the law enforcement community which is combating the sick subculture that is linked to child porn. It needs parliament to back it up.

This case also demonstrates the need for a more publicly accountable process for appointing judges, for it matters as much who is doing the deciding as what is being decided.

Reform is reflecting the community view. This case again shows that Liberals are weak and out of touch with mainstream Canadian values and do not have the right stuff to protect our children.

Parti Quebecois

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in having the question of Quebec's separation moved to the foreground, Lucien Bouchard is sending the message of insecurity for the coming months.

More quarrels the Parti Quebecois will start in order to come up with the winning conditions. More disputes in all sorts of areas that the Parti Quebecois will blow into big issues.

Instead of all that, why not work together, for Quebeckers and Canadians, ensuring at the same time that Quebec retains its important position within the Canadian federation?

Youth Suicide

[Angela Vautour, NDP, Beauséjour—Petitcodiac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the cuts made and the actions taken by this government and the provincial governments across this country have all too often had a negative impact on the people. Politicians do not always recognize the problems of Canadians.

One problem they seem to have washed their hands of is the high rate of suicide among young people. Governments must fight this alarming problem. To do so, they must look at all the causes.

We must make sure resources are available in schools to help young people in distress. Budgets have been cut so much that social workers and those doing psychological testing have been cut. Also, with classes of more than 30 students, teachers cannot act as psychologists. They need support.

Furthermore, governments should make sure that there are activity centres in the community for young people.

In closing, I join with the families and students of the Mathieu-Martin, Clément-Cormier and Dr Marguerite-Michaud schools, currently dealing with this tragedy. I share their grief deeply.

1849 Burning Of The Parliament Of Canada

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 150 years ago yesterday, some sad events took place in Montreal. On April 25, 1849, Orangemen rioted and burned the Parliament of Canada, because they did not accept the amnesty granted to Patriotes who had escaped the gallows.

Responding to a call to arms by The Gazette , the rioters trampled a portrait of Papineau and did not hesitate to burn thousands of documents. Ordinary citizens, both English and French speaking, tried to intervene, but the rioters had gone wild. This is a very sad episode in Canadian history.

Now, on the eve of the third millennium, democratic values are well known, but this episode is a reminder that democracy is fragile and that intolerance is never very far. Disputes, even serious ones, must be settled within a democratic framework. The Patriotes paid the ultimate price. Let us never forget that.

Reform Party Of Canada

[Paul Bonwick, Liberal, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week Reform members stood in the House making accusations about members' commitment to acting in an ethical manner. It begs the question: Does Reform believe all its members act in a completely ethical manner?

I would like to remind Reform members of a few facts; things like a bingo parlour in Rockcliff, chauffeur driven limousines and thousand dollar suits. Perhaps their leader does not receive the same scrutiny they place on others.

Imagine, driving around in an old wreck of a car with Canadian flags painted on the sides and physically intimidating members of the House.

I would suggest that if Reform members were to clean up their own act first, they might find this would go a long way to raising the level of respect politicians receive in the country.

I am reminded of an old adage: “You shouldn't throw rocks if you live in a glass house”. I think Canadians are witnessing the shattering breakup of the Reform glass house.

Seeing as Reform members are experiencing such difficulty in putting forward a united ethical front, it may in fact be a good idea for them to pursue a united alternative front. Call it what they may, it is still shameful.

Yarmouth Town And Country Sports Hall Of Fame

[Mark Muise, Progressive Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, on May 1 there will be seven new inductees into the Yarmouth Town and County Sports Hall of Fame. The hall of fame, in its second year of operation, was created by local residents for the purpose of recognizing our local sporting heroes.

Sports have always played an integral part in our local communities. This year's inductees were instrumental in raising their particular sports to new heights.

This year's inductees include Mr. Keith Bridgeo who led the Yarmouth Gateways to consecutive Nova Scotia senior league baseball titles; the late Mr. James Burrowes, an accomplished championship swimmer; Mr. Jene (K.O.) Fowler, the late, great boxer; Mr. Frank Moores, a renowned pitcher during the second world war; the late Bruce Saulnier was a very gifted hockey player who played in the international league; Mr. Sanford Rodgerson, the first organizer of little league baseball in Yarmouth; and the Yarmouth County Academy swim team who won six consecutive maritime high school championships.

To all these individuals and their surviving families, I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations.

Alzheimer Society Of Cambridge

[Janko Peric, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the dedication and hard work of the many volunteers and supporters of the Alzheimer Society of Cambridge.

Alzheimer disease is a degenerative brain disorder that affects more than 250,000 Canadians. By 2030 it is estimated that over 750,000 Canadians will have this terrible disease. The economic cost of Alzheimer disease is estimated at $4 billion per year.

Through its resource centre, public education initiatives and support groups, the Alzheimer Society of Cambridge plays an important role in the community. Please join me in wishing the Alzheimer Society of Cambridge and its many volunteers continued success.

Youth Violence

[Eric C. Lowther, Reform, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, as the details come out, I join with all Canadians to express our sorrow at the tragic and senseless violence at Littleton's Columbine High School near Denver, Colorado. Our sympathies and compassion do not seem to be enough.

The tragic impact of this act on the families of these children and the faculty members as well as the community itself will be felt for years to come.

When young people are ensnared by an evil that makes them determined to steal, kill and destroy, the result is a horror that shakes us all. Whether it be acts such as this, or the killing of Reena Virk in B.C., we are impacted again with the importance for each of us to defend the preciousness of human life.

In the memory of those tragic victims, we are each personally called to overcome this type of evil by upholding what is good in our family and in our community.

Above all, for today our thoughts and heartfelt prayers are with these heartbroken parents and their families.

Poverty In Canada

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on April 14 the finance minister had the audacity to tell the House that he was “delighted to say that the number of children living in poor or low income families has declined by 100,000”.

A day later, the Caledon Institute reported the real facts which showed that cuts to UI and welfare offset any employment gains by women living in poverty in the last year. Indeed, transfer payments to the poorest families fell by 3% in 1997. The poverty rate has not improved in 20 years. The poverty rate for families headed by persons under 25 has doubled from 20.9% in 1980 to 43.6% in 1997.

The evidence is very clear. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing. It is the Liberal government policies that are to blame.

I would like to tell the finance minister, rather than taking credit for something he did not do, he needs to set real targets to reduce poverty in Canada.

Kosovo

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend NATO announced a partial naval blockade of Yugoslav ports. A Canadian ship, the HMCS Athabaskan , is now in command of a NATO standing fleet in the Atlantic and will likely play a key role in any blockade of petroleum supplies to the Serb army.

At the same time, on the diplomatic front the Prime Minister announced that the foreign minister is off to Moscow to promote a new peace proposal.

Does the government not see a contradiction in participating in a naval blockade that will affect Russian ships at the same time as it is pursuing a new diplomatic initiative in Moscow?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker. We are attempting to bring this conflict to an end as quickly as possible. The naval embargo will help to deny oil supplies and other war materials to Milosevic's military machine, which is inflicting great pain on the people of Kosovo.

We want to stop that ethnic cleansing just as quickly as possible. That is what that is about.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if the naval blockade is pursued, it will have to deal with vessels that refuse to be stopped and searched.

The Russian foreign minister has stated unequivocally that Russia will continue to ship oil to Yugoslavia no matter what.

What does NATO intend to do when it encounters a Russian ship attempting to run the blockade? Does the Prime Minister not fear, does the government fear, that such an incident would scuttle any attempt for peace through diplomatic means?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, there is no intention to increase the tension with the Russians with respect to this matter.

The exact details of the naval embargo have not been worked out yet. They are being attended to by the military planners now. That will be reported to the NATO council later this week.

What is very encouraging is that a number of countries in the European Union have already decided that they would agree to an embargo. Therefore, if there is a naval force there, it would be helping to ensure that the very things those countries agreed to were being followed.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the minister did not answer the question. My question was about Russian supplies to Yugoslavia, not those from other countries.

A half-baked naval blockade and a half-baked peace proposal will not solve the Balkan crisis. If the peace initiative is our number one priority, why not make it the number one priority?

Why would the government agree to the announcement of this naval blockade at a time when the foreign minister is attempting to pursue the diplomatic initiative in Moscow?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, clearly any effort to bring about a diplomatic resolution also depends on maintaining effective pressure upon the government in Yugoslavia.

It does not make a lot of sense at this point in time that we have a number of Canadian pilots risking their lives to stop fuel supplies from reaching the Serbian army in Kosovo, which are maiming and killing people, and at the same allow supplies to simply come in by boat. There is an attempt to balance the two.

The Prime Minister clearly said yesterday in his press conference that any effort on the seas would meet all the legal requirements and the diplomatic—

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Red Deer.

[Bob Mills, Reform, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is having trouble getting a return phone call from the Russians. Yet he is going full steam ahead with his plans for a naval blockade.

We understand the strategic reason for the blockade but the timing of it will be critical. We run the risk of antagonizing the Russians in the very week that we will embark on a diplomatic mission with them.

How will the Prime Minister ensure that Canada does not alienate the Russians by putting forward this blockade proposal?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I just answered the hon. member's leader by saying that the importance of maintaining effective pressure on the Yugoslav government is also part of trying to get a resolution to the conflict. The two are connected.

We will do so. The planners at NATO have been asked to go back and look at all the options which will clearly take into account the military, the economic and the political ramifications. They will report back to our ambassadors probably by tomorrow or the next day. That will be taken into consideration in terms of the actual implementation.

What is important is to continue to maintain the pressure and to continue to maintain the dialogue.

[Bob Mills, Reform, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize our obligation to the alliance, but that should not preclude that we need to have a position of our own.

Does the Prime Minister and the government agree that it will be counterproductive to commit to a naval blockade which we know will antagonize the Russians in the same week that we embark on a diplomatic mission to Moscow?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think I have now answered that question twice. I will do it a third time just so they will fully understand.

The reality is that at the present moment it was clearly assessed that major fuel supplies were leaking into Yugoslavia to support the ongoing repression the Serbian army is undertaking.

We have to stop that repression. We have to put the pressure on. In the meantime the Russians have indicated clearly in a series of exchanges that they are prepared to begin to look at helping to resolve the conflict. The two have to work together.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, Vuk Draskovic, stated that his government was prepared to accept a peace plan providing for the deployment of a UN force in Kosovo, which could include troops from NATO member countries.

Mr. Draskovic also said that his opinion reflected that of President Milosevic who, until now, has been opposed to any foreign troops in Kosovo.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs confirm this statement? If this information is accurate, could Canada convey that proposal to NATO and to the UN security council?

[Lloyd Axworthy, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as we said on several occasions, it is very important to get the United Nations involved in a conflict resolution process.

The UN secretary general will travel to Russia this week. I hope to have a meeting with the secretary general to ensure that there will be a partnership between the United Nations, NATO and the other partners to ensure that a there will be resolution from the security council.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the main objection to such a proposal by Russia and China was that Yugoslavia was opposed to any UN armed force involving NATO countries.

Following the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Draskovic, who claims to reflect President Milosevic's view, has the door not just been opened, thus giving Canada, which sits on the UN security council, all the room it needs to convey such a proposal not only to China and Russia, but to all security council members?