Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise on this debate. It is an incredibly important issue. I heard some very disturbing comments which I will get in to in a few minutes.
I believe that we only should go after Saddam Hussein as a last resort, only after all diplomatic matters have failed. However I have to admit that I agree with the rest of my colleagues in my party, that we are approaching that point. If we are not there we are awfully close to it.
We have listened to the Iraqi regime, which has been up and down like a yo-yo. It makes commitments and then withdraws them. That is where there is no credibility. Of course we hear that it will allow inspectors in again. I spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs earlier. If Saddam is not on his last breath I do not know who is. I do not know how many more chances he can be given.
Nobody wants to send people to war. We recognize the great danger in which we would be putting the men and women of the Canadian military. It is a very serious issue. However Saddam Hussein continues to make a mockery of the United Nations and all people who support it and the resolution. He continues to laugh at them. I believe there is lots of evidence. I do not believe that countries like the United States and Great Britain are making stories up that there are weapons of mass destruction. I have not personally seen the evidence but I believe there is a lot of it out there. They are not engaging in a war just to have a war. That is ridiculous.
Canada is a sovereign nation. It is important that we are debating the issue in Parliament. It is a very serious matter and Canada will be making a decision on its own as a sovereign country.
Having said that, I want to comment on a few issues I have followed closely in the debate tonight. One of the most disturbing things I have heard tonight is the anti-American sentiment by so many members in the House. It is not just the comments of some members of the NDP like the member from Burnaby--Douglas. We would expect that from that member.
Even the last Liberal member who spoke, and I will use his words not mine, referred to the U.S. needing an external evil. He compared Bush to Hussein and talked about Hussein developing weapons to defend his country. He went on to talk about the United States having weapons too and that maybe we should bomb it first. That is troubling and I mean that sincerely.
Yes, I get frustrated with the U.S. on some of its trade policies. I live in British Columbia and we are going through a horrible time with the softwood lumber industry. It is incredibly frustrating for us but we cannot forget that the United States is a very important trading partner with Canada. It is also a very good friend of Canada and a very good ally.
I am not advocating following the U.S. We are a sovereign country. Canada can stand on its own. I wish it had more resources in its military, but it has done an admirable job with its very limited resources when it has been called upon in the international community.
I find the amount of anti-American sentiment in the Chamber, especially from government members, appalling. It is unbelievable to listen to them slam Bush and to suggest that he just wants to go to a war for his own election. They are doing it now as I speak. I say it with every sincerity that it is appalling that they would talk like that. I do not believe there is any basis for it.