Debates of Oct. 25th, 2005

Year of the Veteran

[Gurmant Grewal, Conservative, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Speaker, recently I met with Liliana Jones and Margaret Nielsen of Kennedy House Seniors' Society in North Delta. The society is spearheading a drive to construct a memorial wall honouring the residents of Delta who died for our country.

North Delta does not have a memorial for its war dead and veterans have never had a place of their own to observe Remembrance Day. The provincial government provided a grant of $95,000 for the project. The residents have contributed $32,000. The city has chipped in with the land and landscaping.

However, in this Year of the Veteran, the federal Liberal government has refused to assist. A letter received from Veterans Affairs only offers advice.

This work in progress must not be left incomplete. It deserves to be finished.

The people of Kennedy House have a good idea. The North Delta memorial wall merits support, including support from this Liberal government.

Urban Inuit Conference

[Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Liberal, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, in Ottawa this Wednesday and Thursday a national Urban Inuit Conference will discuss the plight of urban Inuit. For a variety of reasons, more and more Inuit are living in major centres in the south and often are not able to access programs and services which they are entitled to, whether as Canadians or land claim beneficiaries.

Raising awareness of this growing problem and examining mechanisms to rectify the many issues faced by urban Inuit, this conference is a positive first step and another example of responding to the current realities of Inuit adaptation to today's world.

I would like to thank the Inuit Relations Secretariat of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs for sponsoring the event and Tungasuvvingat Inuit, the Ottawa-based Inuit centre, for arranging the event. I know that the facilitator, Mary Simon, and the organizer, Shani Watts, will do a great job and I thank everyone who has worked hard to make this a reality.

I look forward to meeting, listening and sharing with urban Inuit from St. John's to Yellowknife.

Rosa Parks

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the woman affectionately referred to as the mother of the civil rights movement in the United States died yesterday at the age of 92.

December 1, 1955, was a landmark date in the fight against segregation laws in the United States. On a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, a black seamstress took a seat reserved for whites and refused to give it up to a white man. That woman was Rosa Parks.

For her act of defiance, she was arrested and fined $14. A campaign to boycott the bus company ensued and lasted 381 days. The campaign was orchestrated by a young minister who would become famous in his own right: Martin Luther King. The following year, the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation unconstitutional. Rosa Parks will forever remain an inspiration in our struggle to achieve peace, equality and freedom.

[Jean Augustine, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on December 1, 1955, in the segregated city of Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, a black woman, was ordered to make room for white passengers on a city bus. She refused to give up her seat. For this, she was arrested, tried and convicted of disorderly conduct and violating a local ordinance. Her case ultimately resulted in a decision by the United States Supreme Court declaring segregation unconstitutional.

Rosa Parks did not have the luxury of being able to take her freedoms for granted. She fought on behalf of all those who believe that all men and women are created equal.

Last night, Rosa Parks passed away. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of my constituents, and I believe all Canadians, to salute her efforts as a pioneer within the civil rights movement and to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to her family and friends. Her contribution to equality and social justice will never be forgotten.

Infrastructure

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, if there is anything these Liberals are good at, it is recycling announcements and making promises they do not keep. The Liberals again made phony promises for the Gateway and South Fraser Perimeter Road projects.

The lower mainland is Canada's gateway to Asia. Potential trade worth billions of dollars represents Canada's economic future and well-being and yet our ports, borders and highways are all in disrepair.

Traffic is at a standstill as our businesses suffer. Asthma and other illnesses increase as smog chokes my constituents.

British Columbians have been asking the government to show them the money for 12 long years. Because of this government's dithering, smog, congestion and road rage have all increased.

When will the Prime Minister finally show British Columbians the money? Or is he too busy showing the money to Mr. Dingwall?

Member for Glengarry--Prescott--Russell

[Don Boudria, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, 39 years ago today, I entered this building for the first time as an employee of the House of Commons.

I did not come here initially as an MP, nor as an assistant to a prominent personality. I came here as a busboy in the parliamentary restaurant. It has been an incredible journey, one in which I have been lucky enough to work here as an employee, then to be elected at the municipal, provincial and federal levels and then, subsequently, to be a member of the cabinet. For this, I will be extremely grateful.

This time next year, I will have retired and I will no longer be an MP. So I want to take advantage of the last anniversary of my arrival here to pay tribute to my constituents, my colleagues and the employees of the House of Commons. They, just as much as we parliamentarians, are an integral part of this great and beautiful institution called the Parliament of Canada.

Rosa Parks

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Rosa Parks who passed away yesterday.

Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1913. After her marriage to Raymond Parks, she worked for many years as a seamstress, until 1965 when she was hired by Democratic John Conyers, Jr. as an aide to his congressional office in Detroit.

On December 1, 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man. Commenting many years later, Rosa set the record straight for the event that had her arrested and credited her with sparking the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

She did not have sore feet that day. Rosa Parks was tired of being humiliated, of having to adapt to rules and traditions that reinforced the position of blacks as being something less than full human beings.

Rosa has been described as shy and soft spoken. She was reluctant to be the symbol that she had become. Through the 1940s and 1950s she was an active member of the NAACP.

Her life is a lesson to all of us. The actions of individuals can cause big changes for all of us. In the words of the Kingston Trio, “When Rosa Parks sat down, the whole world stood up. What's good for one, is good for all, is good for all of us”.

My Canada

[Myron Thompson, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure to meet a group of young people called My Canada, or Motivated Young People for a Strong Canada.

My Canada is meant to serve as a banner for all young Christians in Canada, between the ages of 15 and 35, who are committed to being a voice for truth and justice in our nation.

They are not representing a denomination or special interest group. Their mission is to engage with leaders to let them know they exist and what their heart is for our nation as well as to motivate and mobilize young Canadians so they too will become leaders themselves one day.

They recognize that the voice of the younger generation, particularly those who hold fast to traditional standards of morality, is pretty much absent. One of the reasons this exists is because the federal leaders have told them this is how the younger generation thinks. My Canada is here to say that they want their voices to be factored into the equation.

I would like to invite all members to come and meet with these future leaders at a breakfast meeting this Thursday at 8:00 a.m. in Room 200 West Block. It will be well worth their time. Welcome to the House, My Canada.

Quebec Marine Day

[Caroline St-Hilaire, Bloc, Longueuil, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in October 2002, the Government of Quebec declared October 25 Quebec Marine Day. The aim of this event is to promote our majestic St. Lawrence River and recognize its socio-economic contribution.

This year's theme, “The St. Lawrence River at the heart of Quebec regions” demonstrates the importance of this economic sector and its numerous advantages as a tool for strategic development. However, in order to ensure greater competiveness, the federal government must agree to the demands of the marine industry and review its marine policy with respect to the new challenges.

Over the past several months, the Bloc Québécois has held broad-based consultations on the future of the St. Lawrence. We have found that, for the regions of Quebec, this waterway holds great potential in terms of economic development and recreational tourism as well as providing a means of transportation with major environmental benefits.

I want to thank everyone who expressed their keen interest in the St. Lawrence, and I invite the public to help make Quebec Marine Day a success.

Rosa Parks

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Clarington—Scugog—Uxbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today we mourn the death of a great woman who changed the world with a simple gesture, Ms. Rosa Parks.

Fifty years ago she walked on to her regular bus to go home after work in Montgomery, Alabama. Only this time she did not go to the back of the bus. Her subsequent arrest for violating the segregation laws became the spark that lit the civil rights movement.

Today's visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is proof of Rosa Parks' victory over racial prejudice. As a young girl, Dr. Rice saw her own newly integrated school firebombed by racists, resulting in the death of four of her schoolmates. That hatred was overcome by the moral courage of women like Rosa Parks and Condoleezza Rice who rose above it to become one of the most powerful and respect women in the world today.

Ms. Parks was not only an icon for African Americans, but for marginalized people around the world. As a Japanese Canadian, I was born at a time when my own family and community were denied their basic rights as Canadians, including the right to vote.

National Programs

[Mario Silva, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently two prominent Conservatives, Mike Harris and Preston Manning, released a completely inappropriately named report “Caring for Canadians”. The report should have been called “Caring for a few Canadians”.

They call for a voucher system for schools, but we all know it is simply to deprive our public schools of the funds they so desperately need. They speak of a welfare system that would only add to the burden of the poorest Canadians. They demand what amounts to privatized health care that would serve the rich and deprive the vast majority of Canadians of the health care they deserve, and the list goes on.

What they are trying to do is to eliminate the national programs that Canadians know as part of the fabric of our country.

We are a caring nation founded upon compassion and fairness. If we all really want to care for Canadians, then we must disregard the self-centred ideas of Harris and Manning and keep moving forward.

Softwood Lumber

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen more mixed messages from the Prime Minister on the softwood lumber file. After saying that we would not negotiate after we had won, yesterday the Prime Minister started to say that we would negotiate but only if we got the duties back.

However, today we have learned from a senior government source that there are no preconditions, that the Prime Minister is willing to enter into negotiations with the United States whether there is any guarantee of getting the duties back or not.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Is not his approach really to talk tough with the Americans to Canadians in public, but privately to be soft as putty?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government has made it abundantly clear on a number of occasions that NAFTA must be respected. The question really is this. How hard is it for the Leader of the Opposition to understand that we will not negotiate a win? We won the $3.5 billion. We eventually will win the other $1.5 billion and we will not negotiate a win. We will not negotiate unless we have signs that NAFTA will be respected.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I guess the Secretary of State must have left because he is talking tough again. The Prime Minister should tell his own ministers.

The Prime Minister backed off his line on no negotiations. He has backed away from retaliation, and the government is not helping the industry either.

We have proposed to assist our industry through loan guarantees against illegal duties. Will the Prime Minister at least agree to assist our industry through this battle?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, first, the Minister of Industry already has indicated to the House that he is working on a package to help the industry, and we understand just how important that is. The real issue is the inability of the Leader of the Opposition to understand the file.

We have taken a position of principle in terms of recognizing the importance of NAFTA . What the Leader of the Opposition should be doing is standing up in the House and supporting the Canadian government when it says NAFTA must be respected.

The Environment

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister does not have his package ready after a dispute that has gone on for five years, he should not lecture anyone on not understanding the file.

Let me ask about another related issue on Canada-U.S. relations. For thirty years, governments of all partisan stripes have, for environmental reasons, opposed LNG tanker traffic through internal Canadian waters at Head Harbour, New Brunswick. The government has waffled.

Did the Prime Minister, and he should not look around, use the visit of the Secretary of State to inform her of the--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The right hon. Prime Minister now has the floor. We will have a little order please.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if I could beg your indulgence, given the tremendous exhibition of parliamentary decorum by the opposition, I was totally unable to hear the hon. member's question. Perhaps if his members could soften it a bit, we might well hear the question, if in fact one should hear it.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

I would urge all hon. members to listen to the pleas of the Prime Minister so we can hear the question. The Leader of the Opposition wants to ask his question and now we will hear the Leader of the Opposition and his question.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to put the question again. Did the Prime Minister use the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State to inform her, finally, of our government's opposition to environmentally dangerous traffic through Head Harbour, New Brunswick?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government today, through the Minister of the Environment, had extensive discussions with the United States on a wide range of environmental issues, pointing out very clearly that we share a continent and that we have a responsibility to our respective populations to ensure that the environment of North America is protected and is as clean as it possibly can be.

Public Safety

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Central Nova, NS]

More dithering confusion, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday during Toronto rush hour traffic, another gunfight erupted. That is the third shootout in as many days, 40 since July. The Prime Minister cynically blames the Americans and links it to guns flowing across the border, yet less than two months ago the Deputy Prime Minister said there was no evidence of increased gun smuggling and that blaming the Americans is “simplistic”.

Gun battles are erupting almost daily and the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister cannot shoot straight. Can the Prime Minister explain why he blatantly contradicts his public safety minister? Is it predictable pre-election posturing? Is it Liberal anti-Americanism? Or did he just read another poll?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and I last evening had the opportunity to discuss the shared challenge of illegal guns with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In fact, we had a very constructive discussion around the fact that it is a shared challenge. We are working together, but there is more that we need to do together. On all sides we have reconfirmed our commitment to do that work together.