Art Hanger

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the minister indicated to the House and to the Canadian public that there are approximately 700 Canadian troops from the west who are preparing, in some form, to be stationed in Kosovo.

These questions beg to be asked. First, we would like to know what this government is actually doing. Can it tell us how it is preparing? What sorts of circumstances is it planning for? Is it readying itself for peacemaking, or is it just peacekeeping, or is it both? There is a difference between those two roles.

We need to know about the equipment that Canadians will be taking with them. Do they have what they need to get the job done? Will they be protected to the greatest extent possible by the use of that equipment? What other plans would the military enact to ensure that protection?

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, in the event that the crisis in Kosovo escalates and ground troops are necessary, I would have to suggest that it is they who will lay their lives on the line. It would be good for our troops to know exactly where this parliament sits in support of any action that may be on the ground.

Again, I ask the Prime Minister, why will he not commit to having a vote on the issue of sending ground troops into Kosovo should that need arise?

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it is certainly being considered by other governments in the NATO allies and it is certainly the topic of conversation in military circles. It is the number one concern of the military. It is the number one concern of the official opposition.

Again my question is for the Prime Minister. Is the government considering sending Canadian ground forces to Kosovo in advance of a peace agreement?

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the majority of Canadians appear to possibly support the use of ground forces in Kosovo, but they want to be kept informed about just what the government is doing.

Last week the defence minister said that Canada was considering sending ground forces to Kosovo in advance of the peace agreement, but the Prime Minister denied that there were any such plans.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Is the government considering sending Canadian ground forces into Kosovo?

[Harry Flander, March 24th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Harry Flander joined the Canadian army during World War II so he could do his part for his country.

He completed basic training and was one of dozens of soldiers transferred to the Suffield Experimental Station where he underwent chemical weapons tests.

Mr. Flander had to swear secrecy about the tests and was told he would go to jail if he ever told anyone. Military scientists placed mustard gas on Mr. Flander's arms. They instructed him to walk through gas chambers. They drove him into a field and dropped gas all over him. These experiments left Mr. Flander with chronic chest pains and egg size blisters.

For more than 50 years he lied to his doctors and his family about the cause of the scars on his body. His mother and two sons died without ever knowing what caused them.

Now that the Suffield experiments have been declassified, Mr. Flander and hundreds of other Suffield victims are free to speak. So far they have been rebuffed by the government for recognition and compensation.

I hope we can agree that Mr. Flander and other Suffield victims deserve our thanks for their sacrifices. This government—

[Youth Criminal Justice Act, March 22nd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. You have extended the member's time by 10 minutes and a Liberal member spoke before him. Does that mean they have 30 minutes speaking time?

[Mount Royal College, March 19th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Mount Royal College in Calgary borders on the now closed Canadian Forces Base Calgary. This college is overflowing in capacity and has been that way for years now. There is a desperate need for more room. It has been trying to negotiate a fair price with the federal government for a portion of the military base that has been abandoned but the government wants profits instead at the expense of students.

Will the President of the Treasury Board put the educational needs of the students ahead of profit and give Mount Royal College—

[Justice, March 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it was the chairman of the Liberal justice committee who actually pronounced that 10 and 11 years olds should be brought forward as part of the Young Offenders Act, not the Reform Party.

The minister's selection of crimes to suit her purpose is a curious one. She includes aggravated sexual assault, of which there were three in 1996 and 1997, in her list of select crimes, and yet dismisses sexual assaults with a weapon, of which there were 46.

Why does the minister not think sexual assault with a weapon or armed robbery or hostage taking during a home invasion is a serious crime?

[Justice, March 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary shows certainly a knowledge of the legal system but she shows no regard for the issues the public brings forward and its concerns about the Young Offenders Act.

My question is for the parliamentary secretary. Can she tell the House why violent crimes like robbery, sexual assault with a weapon and hostage taking were left out of the new Young Offenders Act? Does she not consider these to be violent crimes?

[Justice, March 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Paul Gervais is a child molester and pedophile. Yesterday an Ottawa area judge handed him conditional sentencing for molesting nine teenage boys. These boys will be scarred for life by the horrible acts Mr. Gervais committed. Mr. Gervais, on the other hand, is home free.

That is an affront to all victims of sexual abuse. It is a terrible insult to the children Gervais attacked.

Violent offenders and sex offenders should never, under any circumstance, be given conditional sentences. Before criminals, particularly violent ones, choose to commit a crime they should know they will be dealt with strictly by the law.

We as lawmakers have a responsibility to build and protect the justice system which at the very least does two things, protects victims and deters criminals. The victims in this case have been victimized twice, once by Gervais and once by the courts.

I call on all members of the House to show their compassion and exercise their authority to put an end to conditional sentencing.