Mr. Speaker, I will address a critically important theme of the upcoming summit of the Americas, namely democracy.
Democracy has been at the very core of the summit of the Americas process since the beginning. Indeed it was the transformation of our hemisphere in the 1980s and early 1990s toward democracy that in the most substantial sense made the summit of the Americas possible. The commitment of countries of the hemisphere to democracy was a major reason why Canada joined the Organization of American States in 1990. It is the reason why, as a result of a Canadian initiative, the unit for the promotion of democracy was established in the OAS to help countries strengthen their democratic institutions.
This transformation to democratic governments resulted in a generation of political leaders in the Americas ready to embrace a collective commitment to strengthening shared values and the pursuit of common goals.
We believe that the 2001 summit provides the hemisphere with an opportunity to vigorously affirm its commitment to democracy and to move forward a coherent and balanced political, economic and social action plan.
This has been a key consideration for Canada and its hemispheric partners since the preparations for the summit were launched last June in Windsor, in the form of a dialogue by foreign ministers at the OAS general assembly.
The foreign ministers agreed on a approach whose point of departure was an emphasis on populations and the need to obtain real benefits for the citizens of the Americas, through collective action structured around three major themes: strengthening democracy, creating prosperity and realizing human potential.
This approach was also important because it was a clear and convincing demonstration of the fact that OAS member states are united in their commitment to the values and institutions underlying democracy and human rights.
The summit of the Americas in Quebec City will be the third gathering of leaders since 1994. Since we all know that commitment is one thing but taking action is quite another, what has the summit's process achieved? What tangible results can we hold up to Canadians as examples of how conciliation and consensus building have been placed ahead of confrontation and condemnation? We need look no further than the OAS general assembly last year in Windsor.
The decision to send a high level mission to Peru, led by the OAS secretary general and Canada's foreign minister, reflected a broad, open and transparent effort by the OAS to establish a clear responsibility for supporting the evolution and development of democracy in Peru. With that one act, the OAS took ownership of democracy in the hemisphere. Strengthening democracy is about more than free and fair elections. It is about addressing threats to our societies which can undermine the institutions that are fundamental to guaranteeing that democratic values remain strong.
The governments of the hemisphere have taken the lead in the area of drugs and crime. Through the summit process, countries have developed new programs to fight drug trafficking.
It has culminated in the creation of a multilateral evaluation mechanism, or MEM, the first multilateral drug initiative in the world, which was ordered by the leaders gathered at the last summit in Santiago, Chile. Reports from individual countries and an overall report for the hemisphere detailing achievements and making recommendations for the future are to be presented in Quebec City.
The establishment of the Justice Studies Centre, which was also requested in Santiago, is another example. The goal of the centre is to help modernize the justice systems and institutions through training programs and the sharing of information. The board of directors of the Centre has approved a vast working program for its first year of operation with as a top priority the reform of criminal justice.
Another example took place a few short weeks ago. At the Miami summit in 1994 leaders underscored that changes among legislators were essential to strengthen democratic traditions in our hemisphere and were fundamental as countries in this hemisphere interacted to an increasing degree in more and more sectors. As a result of the inspiration, leadership and hard work of members of this parliament, the interparliamentary forum of the Americas, FIPA, was created in Ottawa earlier this month.
The inaugural meeting, under Canada's chairmanship, focused on finding solutions to the challenges of drugs and crime, corruption, economic integration, protection of the environment, poverty alleviation and debt relief. The forum will meet once a year in different countries throughout the hemisphere.
As one final example, I point to the inclusion of Canadians and citizens throughout the hemisphere in the summit process. Ministers and officials have engaged in regular consultations with members of civil society in Canada and the hemisphere to ensure an open dialogue on the objectives of the summit and to factor their views into the planning process.
Each of these achievements has at its core a clear demonstration of the commitment by leaders to the promotion of democracy, protection of human rights and respect for the rule of law, which brings us to this year's summit of the Americas. What, in real terms, will leaders be discussing that will strengthen and consolidate democratic reform in the hemisphere?
The summit will be an opportunity for leaders to discuss ways of making democracy work better. The democratically elected leaders of the hemisphere will examine, for example, how to improve the way elections are held through improved citizen participation, media access, rules for political party registration and finance. They will look at promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms, for example, and examine ways that new information and communication technologies could be harnessed to improve and strengthen human rights institutions throughout the Americas.
In conclusion, the summit of the Americas is the forum and the fundamental vehicle to make good on our vision of the Americas.
The development of a strong democracy must be based on the acknowledgement of the fact that we must try to be more inclusive, that the setting up of a forum for reasoned debates must and should lead to greater understanding and serve as a foundation for a constructive dialogue and fruitful co-operation.
This commitment to individual rights, transparency and openness in government and the involvement of citizens is of paramount importance if we want our democratic institutions to remain dynamic and vitally important.
Canada is honoured to have been chosen to host the 2001 summit of the Americas in Quebec City. I am convinced that our area is on the verge of an era of great achievements and that it is essential that we now make the commitment to work patiently, indefatigably and reasonably in order to assure for our hemisphere a future which has indeed always been and remains full of promises.