Debates of May 27th, 2003

Library and Archives of Canada Act

[Jim Abbott, Canadian Alliance, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this is a very rare time in the House of Commons because yesterday I had a motion before the House on behalf of the Canadian Alliance which the NDP agreed with, and again today on yet another bill we have agreement. We had better watch out.

In this particular instance, we are talking about the heritage of Canada, about who we are. I believe the member will find a tremendous amount of sympathy and a tremendous amount of cooperation on the part of the Canadian Alliance with regard to this. We are prepared to take a look at what is required in order to do a proper job. There will be full cooperation on the part of the Canadian Alliance in every way to ensure that, without being extravagant or going over the top because we definitely would not want to do that, the necessary resources are available to actually put some wheels under this thing, to enact it and to make it work. We would be fully in support of any action like that by the government.

[The Deputy Speaker]

Is the House ready for the question?

[Some hon. members]

Question.

[The Deputy Speaker]

The question is on the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Deputy Speaker]

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

[Some hon. members]

Yea.

[The Deputy Speaker]

All those opposed will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Deputy Speaker]

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And more than five members having risen:

[The Deputy Speaker]

Call in the members.

And the bells having rung:

[The Deputy Speaker]

The vote stands deferred until 3 p.m. today.

Auditor General's Supplementary Report

[The Deputy Speaker]

I now have the honour to table the Auditor General's Supplementary Report for 2003.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108, this report is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

Human Resources Development

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Laval West, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House about the contribution of the Government of Canada, particularly Human Resources Development Canada, to a project called “Un vent de fraîcheur” that will be launched in Laval.

Through this project, many young people will have a unique experience in starting up and promoting a community action project.

This project, by its very essence, will enable the young people from the neighbourhood to play important roles in their local environment. Establishing a youth centre, which will undoubtedly foster a real sense of belonging in the community, will encourage more young people to play a more active part in the development of their neighbourhood and to get involved as citizens.

Foreign Affairs

[Keith Martin, Canadian Alliance, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Zimbabwe's opposition movement, the MDC, and two others are on trial in Harare on trumped up charges of treason, a violation that carries the death penalty.

Our government has information that will exonerate these three men. Indeed, in the House the government said that it had released this information. However, that is not the case. Instead, the government released whited-out pieces of paper with nothing on them.

Why does the government not release this information? If it does not, Mr. Tsvangirai and two others will go to the gallows and we will have allowed three innocent men to be executed, knowing full well we had the information to save their lives.

Furthermore, our utter unwillingness to speak out against Mugabe has allowed a dramatic upsurge in sexual violence against women and girls, the withholding of food aid from the starving, and anarchy to destroy the former breadbasket of Africa.

What kind of a foreign policy do we have when we sit on our hands in the face of genocide, state sponsored rape and state sponsored murder?

Legion of Honour

[Robert Bertrand, Liberal, Pontiac—Gatineau—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during a visit to Canada that will also see him presiding at the ceremonies commemorating Champlain's first voyage to Quebec, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour and General of the Air Force Jean-Philippe Douin, presented the insignia of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour to our former Governor General, the Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc.

General Raymond Hénault, Chief of the Defence Staff, received the decoration of Commander of the Legion of Honour.

In addition, Commissioner Giulianno Zaccardelli of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Lieutenant-General Michel Maisonneuve, Chief of Staff, Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, were made Officers of the Legion of Honour.

Membership in the Legion of Honour is one of the highest honours awarded by the Republic of France; consequently, the Government of Canada is very pleased with this announcement and extends congratulations to the new members.

Steel Industry

[Beth Phinney, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently John Mayberry retired as chairman of the board and CEO of Dofasco Inc. in Hamilton. Mr. Mayberry joined Dofasco in 1967. Following a 21 year career in sales and marketing, he held the position of chief executive officer for 10 years.

Throughout his career, Mr. Mayberry has participated in numerous industry related associations, including the Canadian Steel Producers Association and the International Iron and Steel Institute. He was also the first non-American to chair the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Despite the crises and multi-million dollar losses in the steel industry over the last decade, Mr. Mayberry and his team led his company to recovery by using a blend of homegrown smarts and global best practices. With Mr. Mayberry at the helm, Dofasco Inc. has innovated its way to becoming one of the most profitable steel companies in the world.

I am sure members will join me in recognizing John Mayberry for his valued contribution to the steel industry and the Hamilton community and wish him all the best in his retirement years.

International Development

[Gérard Binet, Liberal, Frontenac—Mégantic, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last week I had the pleasure of announcing, on behalf of the Minister for International Cooperation, $400,000 in financial support to the Collège de la région de l'Amiante for a development project in Tunisia.

This funding from the Canadian International Development Agency's Canadian College Partnership Program is intended to support the development of new mineral technology and geo-environmental programs.

The Collège de la région de l'Amiante will provide the Higher Institute for Technological Studies in Gafsa, Tunisia, with technical, human and educational resources to train technicians to better manage water, which is a rare commodity in Gafsa, Tunisia.

Gafsa is a mining and industrial region not unlike Amiante. Consequently, this type of initiative can benefit both countries. I would like to applaud everyone who combined their efforts to make this great expertise development opportunity possible.

Thank you and vive le Canada.

Agriculture

[Monte Solberg, Canadian Alliance, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is just so unlike the government to ignore a western issue, but the unlikely has happened.

The Prime Minister's Office has let it be known that yesterday the Prime Minister broke the ice and called President Bush. We can imagine how thick that ice must have been. But when he finally called, did he talk about mad cow disease and the closed U.S. border, the single biggest crisis to face Canadian agriculture in a generation? No. Or at least not that he can remember. He does remember talking about the Montreal Expos but he is drawing a blank when it comes to the Alberta Angus and the Saskatchewan Charolais.

Maybe that is appropriate. The Prime Minister might as well end his reign in the same way as he started it. In his 40 year career he has never made an attempt to try to understand western and rural issues or apparently even to take them seriously.

Does it matter to him that thousands of farm families and entrepreneurs may lose everything they have worked for their entire lives? Based on what he remembers about his call to President Bush, I guess the answer is no.

Foreign Affairs

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this month Sri Lanka experienced a devastating flood which killed and injured hundreds of people and made many homeless. This is just one more disaster for the people of Sri Lanka.

As we know, the people of Sri Lanka have experienced civil war for the last 20 years, which has been disastrous for the tiny island nation. Currently there is a tenuous ceasefire and a fragile peace process.

For those who care about Sri Lanka and its people, it is very important that supportive nations step forward. It is important that Canada be not only at the peace table but also at the donors conference next month and also be seen to be helping in ways beyond the $100,000 pledged for disaster relief. It is important not only for the people of Sri Lanka; it is also important for those Canadians of Sri Lankan origin.

Aboriginal Affairs

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, historian Camil Girard reminds us how Samuel de Champlain and a French delegation were welcomed with respect and deference by the Innu in Tadoussac 400 years ago. On May 27, 1603, Grand Chief Anadabijou and François Gravé du Pont, representative of the King of France, forged an alliance. From that time forth, the First Nations and the French decided to develop equal partnerships based on mutual respect.

History has not always respected the spirit, let alone the letter, of this alliance with the aboriginals. However, it must be recognized that four centuries later, out of concern for redress and respect for the original treaty, Mr. Lévesque, Mr. Bourassa, Mr. Parizeau and Mr. Landry negotiated the James Bay Agreement, the Braves' Peace, and the Common Approach.

The same cannot be said of the Prime Minister of Canada, who seems never to have noticed this major event and continues, with the Indian Act, to betray the sacred alliance by imposing legislation on governance that no one wants. It is not too late to withdraw the despicable Bill C-7 and allow room for true negotiations on First Nations self-governance.

I am making a solemn appeal to the Prime Minister of Canada to scrap Bill C-7 and come up with better provisions.

Youth Employment Strategy

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on May 21, it was my honour to announce the Argenteuil in Bloom II project under our youth employment strategy program.

The purpose of this project is to enhance the employability of youth at risk, promote their social integration and lower the dropout rate. These ten young people, between the ages of 18 and 24, will help to beautify the main streets of the regional county municipality of Argenteuil, as well as improve the quality of the environment. They will help showcase the municipality's rich architectural heritage and make the community aware of how important the environment is.

This project was made possible thanks to the work of Argenteuil's chamber of commerce and industry. Its mission is to improve the health, well-being and economic development of businesses and residents of the Argenteuil RCM.

Congratulations to the chamber of commerce and industry, which is working to make it easier for young Canadians to enter the labour market, and good luck to the young participants.

Kevin Naismith

[James Rajotte, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, we were deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Canadian Forces pilot Captain Kevin Naismith.

Captain Naismith's CF-18 crashed while he was participating in Operation Maple Flag, a military exercise held annually in northern Alberta for Canadian and allied pilots.

Captain Naismith was an experienced pilot. He had been with the Canadian Forces since 1991 and had logged more than 2,000 flying hours.

This tragic event drives home to us the fact that our armed forces personnel are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend our freedom.

The great Athenian leader Pericles said it best: “Where the rewards of valour are the greatest, there you will find also the best and bravest spirits among the people”.

On behalf of the Canadian Alliance and all parliamentarians, I would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to Captain Naismith's family, his wife and three children, his friends and his colleagues.

Speed Skating

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Bras D'Or—Cape Breton, NS]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in the House today to pay tribute to one of Canada's all time greatest athletes on her retirement from active competition.

Saskatoon's Catriona LeMay Doan has dominated the world of 500-metre races and long-track speed skating, winning thirty-four world cup races and two world sprint championship titles.

In 1998 at the Olympic games in Nagano, she won Olympic gold in the 500 metres. Four years later in Salt Lake City, she became the first Canadian Olympic champion to successfully defend her Olympic title by winning gold again in the 500 metres. During her impressive career, she set eight world records and she is the current Olympic record holder.

A three-time winner of the Female Athlete of the Year at the Canadian sports awards, twice named Canadian Press Athlete of the Year and winner of the Lou Marsh trophy, Catriona LeMay Doan has been an inspiration to Canadians both on and off the ice. To quote Speed Skating Canada, Catriona “has inspired many young people in Canada by her athletic and personal achievements as well as her sportsmanship”.

I am sure all members will join me in congratulating Catriona and wishing her continued success in all her endeavours.