Mr. Speaker, I would like to put to the member the voices of those on the other side of the issue, those who oppose the resolution that the Alliance has presented to us today, those who are opposed to sabre rattling and gunboat diplomacy. I want to put on the record for the member the words of Peter Peters from Winnipeg, who said:
Why should Canadians buy into the insecurity the Bush administration wants to foist on us? Our future lies in cultivating strong trusting relationships with family of nations. We do not need the bullying of certain officials to the south of us.
I want to put on record the words of Val Werier, a well-known columnist with the Winnipeg Free Press , who said:
A macho image won't win us applause. For half a century Canada has been a symbol of fairness and reason without the might of a military machine.
I want to reference the words of Douglas Roche, former Conservative MP, who said:
I am outraged that Canada is apparently going to give its approval to join the U.S. system.
There are the words of Stephen Lewis, currently the UN special envoy for HIV-AIDS, who calls this ballistic missile defence a “spurious” program and one that is bereft of morality.
Ernie Regehr, the director of Project Ploughshares, said:
The American strategy now says we are not going to disarm any time soon. In fact, we are finding new uses for nuclear weapons.
Ernie Regehr, Val Werier and others have gone on to say that Canadian support for Washington's missile defence system will put Canada into active support of its doctrine of pre-emption.
My question for the member is very simple. On what basis should Canada disregard its history and its tradition in a peacekeeping role, our devotion to the rule of international law and our reputation for integrity?