Debates of Feb. 17th, 2005

Canadian Forces

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Monday, February 28 will mark the 14th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait. Some 4,500 members of Canada's armed forces served in the Gulf War. Many came home with debilitating medical conditions and were subsequently released from the armed forces.

Little has been done in the last 14 years to address these medical conditions, other than slap a label of post-traumatic stress syndrome on them and cut them adrift. We often hear the word family used in connection with Canada's military. I can tell the House, this is no way to treat a family member. Not only have they been treated badly by their own country, they are not even allowed to accept a medal from Kuwait in appreciation for their service. This is just not right.

I would ask the government, in this Year of the Veteran, to act in the best interest of these veterans and not wait the usual 40 or 50 years to give them compensation packages. Make things right for these veterans now and give them the recognition that they have earned.

Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament

[Christian Simard, Bloc, Beauport, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the 46th Quebec International Peewee Hockey Tournament is underway from February 10 to 20 in Quebec City. The tournament's reputation is certainly well established, but it remains an important opportunity for our young hockey players to compete with players from more than 16 other countries, including a team from China.

Approximately 2,300 players aged 11 and 12 years old compete in the international class B, C and AA events. This tournament has been gaining popularity ever since its beginning, in 1960. Today, nearly 200,000 people attend the various games over the 11 days of the tournament.

The Bloc Québécois wishes all participants a personal best in their performances and every success to the organizers of the world's top minor hockey tournament.

Health

[Carol Skelton, Conservative, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Mr. Speaker, 21 years ago I lost my father to a massive heart attack. Today, heart attacks and strokes continue to be silent killers in every community.

Approximately 56% of Canadians do not meet the minimum recommended 30 minutes of daily physical activity. If they did, they would significantly reduce chronic diseases, such as heart disease.

Almost 50% of Canadians believe access to safe streets is also very important and 42% of Canadians support access to paths, trails and green space. A failing justice system is hurting our health. The need for affordable access to physical activity facilities and programs is a concern for 43% of Canadians.

Almost half of Canadians are obese or overweight, and 75% of Canadians believe government has a key role to play in promoting physical activity.

I am doing my share and I ask my colleagues to do the same.

Child Care

[Françoise Boivin, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the past few days, I have been hearing comments in this House that have me really concerned, because they seem to question the right of women to employment. If a person believes in employment equity, they must support the government in its efforts to establish a national child care program.

Canadians need a national system of early learning and child care to meet their demands and to help families set a foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour and health.

The Liberal government's policies are based on the facts, not some anachronistic “Leave it to Beaver” notion of family life promoted by the Conservative Party, or, as some people call them, the not ready for prime time players.

Cloaking traditional values in progressive language will not trick women and men into believing the 1950s fantasy of family life being peddled by the Conservatives. Maybe the leader of the official opposition should also vet the questions on this issue.

Centre universitaire PME du Centre-du-Québec

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières recently took another step in the partnership between the education and business communities by inaugurating the new Centre universitaire PME du Centre-du-Québec.

This centre is an extension of the UQTR's research institute on small and medium size businesses, which has been actively involved in that sector for the past 25 years. From now on, entrepreneurs from the Centre-du-Québec region and part of the Montérégie and Estrie regions will be able to benefit from the expertise of this new centre, which is located in Drummondville's Maison de l'industrie.

The training activities offered by the centre are adapted to entrepreneurs' needs and realities, thus making the centre a meeting place for the concerns of thinkers and the down-to-earth approach of entrepreneurs.

Our businesses will benefit from the expertise of the UQTR's research institute on small and medium size businesses, since the mandate of the university centre includes providing such assistance.

Foreign Affairs

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, today, the Prime Minister stated, and I quote, “It is clear that if the Syrians are in Lebanon it is because it is necessary to keep the peace”. This is an irresponsible and damaging statement.

How will the Prime Minister explain this new position?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is extremely important, particularly when it comes to foreign affairs, not to take remarks out of context. I clearly stated that Canada has supported the UN resolution and that Syria should withdraw from Lebanon.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that is not what the Prime Minister said today.

The Prime Minister said that Syria was in Lebanon to keep the peace. Canada has supported UN Security Council resolution 1559, calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. This is a shocking and irresponsible statement.

Given that the very presence of the Syrian army in Lebanon is an illegal threat to peace, how could the Prime Minister commit such a gaff so out of step with international opinion?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that was precisely my point. It was a terrible explosion that took the life of the former prime minister, a man I knew. We all extend condolences to his family, and to the Lebanese.

Within the context of saying that this is certainly not the way one keeps the peace, the Syrians should retire and should withdraw from Lebanon. We support the United Nations resolution. Let there be no doubt about it. Let the hon. member not try to create confusion.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Calgary Southwest, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said this, and I will repeat it in English, “It is clear that if the Syrians are in Lebanon, it is because it is necessary to keep the peace”. That is what the Prime Minister has said at the very time when our allies and the international community are focused on a possible Syrian role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri.

Will the Prime Minister absolutely, unequivocally withdraw that statement and apologize for making it in the first place?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have said in French and I have said in English that the Syrians should withdraw from Lebanon. I have now said it three times. How many more times need I say it? I think it is a strange way to try to keep the peace, by allowing this kind of explosion to take place. The Syrians should withdraw from Lebanon.

Does the hon. member now understand the position of the Government of Canada?

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Syria is there to keep the peace.

That is what the Prime Minister said a little more than moments ago. Does he have any idea what he has done to Canadian credibility by standing here, just not that many moments ago, and saying that Syria is in Lebanon to keep the peace when every responsible thinking person and country in the world has said that it is not there to keep the peace? It is a threat.

Will he please retract that statement?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, last week, with great clarity, I expressed to both the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Syria, Canada's foreign policy, which the Prime Minister fully supports, as he just has done here in this House. Canada supports resolution 1559 calling for Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.

[Stockwell Day, Conservative, Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today we are not questioning what the Minister of Foreign Affairs said last week. As a matter of fact, I listened to what he said and he was more or less on track.

It is the Prime Minister who has jumped the rails on this, who has taken the government right off track. Today, he stood in this building and said, “la Syrie est là pour garder la paix”. What did he mean by that? Syria is there to keep the peace is what he said, when even the United Nations has said that Syria has to get out of Lebanon. It is threatening the peace in the Middle East. Today, the Prime Minister said that it is there to keep the peace.

Please explain it or retract it.

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we are in a very important position right now, following the election of President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, to make progress in the Middle East.

This Parliament should support this government when it is trying to play an activist role in the Middle East where we are promoting peace. What we did last week was indeed to express to the Syrian government and the Lebanese government that we believe they have a contribution to make in ceasing the violence and supporting Mr. Abbas who is emerging as--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was very clear. The problem is not with him, it is with the Prime Minister.

I heard the Prime Minister's comments earlier. He stated his position both in French and in English. I should point out that he was just as confused in English as he was in French.

I would like the Prime Minister to explain to me what he meant when he said that the Syrians were there to keep the peace? What did he mean when he said that on television, less than a half hour ago?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I said that the Syrians claim to be there to keep the peace. This is a strange way to do so, considering that a bomb took the life of a former prime minister in a terrible explosion. This is what I said.

I will say it again: Canada's position and my position are that we supported the UN resolution. The Syrians should withdraw from Lebanon. It is obvious they are not able to keep the peace. They should withdraw. This is what I said and I am repeating it.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is repeating something he did not say. That is not what he said. I listened to him. He is the person who spoke on television earlier. And he was not talking to Gérard D. Laflaque, because this was during the news. He said very clearly that the Syrians were there to keep the peace. He did not say that the Syrians claimed they were there for that purpose. He is the one who said it.

I want the Prime Minister to explain something to me. How can he want the Syrians to withdraw if they are there to keep the peace? Let us hear his explanation about this confusion.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member does not want to understand, that is his problem. What I said is that the Syrians say they are there to keep the peace. We saw that there can be no peace with an explosion such the one that occurred. That is what I said. The Syrians should withdraw. This is quite clear.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what is clear is that the Prime Minister is trying to correct the gaffe that he just made. This is what he is trying to do. He should at least have the decency to tell us that he made a mistake when speaking. It would not be the first time. But he should at least tell us that. He should tell us this is not what he meant. He said “the Syrians are there to keep the peace”. He did not say that the Syrians were there because they were claiming to want to keep the peace. He said “They are there”. I listened to the Prime Minister. Let him replay the tape. Perhaps he will understand himself, perhaps he will finally understand himself.

Will he retract and say that he misspoke? Let us hear him say that.

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, what needs to be understood here is that our government has been extremely consistent and clear in its dealings with the Syrian and Lebanese governments. This was important when we did meet with them. We reiterated our support of Resolution 1559, which we have supported ever since it was passed by the UN Security Council. That is the Canadian government's position.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs expresses that position very well. I understand his problem at this time: he has to try to redeem the Prime Minister, who got it all wrong. And that is what he has done.

If the Prime Minister has the slightest idea what his position is all about, would he tell us he made a mistake and that was not what he meant to say. Such things can happen, but let him at least have the decency to admit that he has misrepresented Canada's position and that was not what he wanted to say. Perhaps that would restore some of his credibility. Otherwise, he will just keep on making one gaffe after another.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, if I was misunderstood, then I was misunderstood. But I said, and say again: “If the Syrians are there to keep the peace, it is a strange way to try to keep the peace.” That is Canada's position, was my position yesterday, and is today as well.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we just want to say to the Minister of Foreign Affairs that we support the kinds of things he was saying in the Middle East. We just wish his Prime Minister was supporting the kinds of things he was saying in the Middle East, instead of saying dumb things, then being even dumber and not retracting them. Instead of digging himself deeper, why does he not just get up and say that he misspoke and withdraw it?