David Pratt

[Committees of the House, October 10th, 2003]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs.

In accordance with its order of reference of Thursday, September 25, 2003, your committee has considered and held hearings on Bill C-50, an act to amend the statute law in respect of benefits for veterans and the children of deceased veterans, and agreed on Thursday, October 9, 2003, to report it without amendment.

In addition, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), your committee, during its consideration on October 9, 2003, of Bill C-50, an act to amend the statute law in respect of benefits for veterans and the children of deceased veterans, unanimously adopted a motion.

If I could have the indulgence of the House to read the two sentence motion involving veterans, I would be happy to provide it.

[Committees of the House, October 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veteran Affairs.

Pursuant to the order of reference of Friday, September 26, 2003, your committee considered and held hearings on Bill C-37, an act to amend the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts, and agreed on Tuesday, October 7, 2003, to report it without amendment.

[National Defence, October 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence. We have learned recently that Canada has offered to assume overall command of the next rotation of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. We have also learned that NATO agrees a Canadian commander would be the ideal choice given the size of Canada's commitment.

Could the Minister of National Defence tell us today if a specific flag officer has been identified for that important mission?

[Afghanistan, September 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.

We are all aware of the superb job the Canadian Forces are doing in Afghanistan to provide security assistance to the provisional government of Hamid Karzai, but Canadians are less aware of the significant reconstruction efforts that are being conducted by Canadian Forces. Perhaps the parliamentary secretary could provide us with some details.

[Foreign Affairs, September 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The parliamentary secretary will know that the special court in Sierra Leone faces the prospect of closure within two months if donor nations do not step up to the plate and provide more resources.

I know the Minister of Foreign Affairs is personally very supportive of the work of the court and has made strong representations to existing and prospective donor nations.

I am also aware that Canada has already made, as the chair of the management committee of the court, a sizable contribution.

Will the parliamentary secretary ask the minister to renew his efforts on an urgent basis to ensure the court has the funding it needs to continue its critical work--

[Ottawa City Council, September 24th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Ottawa city council for its efforts to ban smoking in public places.

Today, Dr. Sunil Patel, president of the Canadian Medical Association, presented Ottawa city council with the excellence in health promotion award.

This new award is presented to all municipalities across Canada that have passed bylaws to ban smoking in all indoor public places as of July 1, 2003.

In taking action to ban smoking in public places, Ottawa has joined a list of cities that have chosen to take decisive action both to ensure that a healthier environment is available for Canadians and to send the message that healthier living includes not smoking.

I ask the House to join me in commending the Ottawa city council for its efforts which have helped ensure that residents of the nation's capital are able to live and work in a smoke free environment.

[Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the revenue minister.

I noted with interest recently that union leaders representing customs workers and MPs from the Canadian Alliance have been making allegations with respect to our border points being understaffed and security equipment going unused.

Could the Minister of National Revenue provide us with some accurate facts on this issue?

[Alzheimer's, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House and all Canadians that September 21 is World Alzheimer's Day. Alzheimer's disease is a major health problem for seniors in Canada and a challenge for their caregivers.

The Alzheimer's Society of Canada should be congratulated for its eighth annual nationwide coffee break fundraiser on September 18 to provide funding for research, support and education programs at the community level for those with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers.

The federal government has supported research on Alzheimer's disease. Funding the Canadian study of health and aging which has provided valuable data on the extent of Alzheimer's disease in Canada and on patterns of caring for people with this disease. Recent research has found a clear link between staying physically active and reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer's. This is encouraging since it points the way to strategies for prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

I would like to thank all those who have contributed their time and effort to combat this serious health issue.

[National Defence, September 16th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of National Defence.

The second largest deployment of Canadian Forces is currently engaged in fighting forest fires in British Columbia. With these fires largely under control, could the minister advise the House how much longer the forces will continue their firefighting efforts in B.C.?

[Liberian President, June 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, last week the special court in Sierra Leone announced the indictment of Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Taylor was visiting Ghana at the time.

Unfortunately, although Ghana was given advanced notice of this indictment, they allowed Taylor to leave Ghana rather than arresting him.

Now President Taylor is attempting to link the success of the Liberian peace process to the lifting of the indictment against him. Under no circumstances should the Sierra Leone special court indictment against Taylor be lifted.

Charles Taylor has a long history of using peace processes to buy time, to rest and re-equip his fighters with the hope that the international community will forget his record of aggression and terror. Between 1989 and 1997, for instance, Taylor negotiated and broke 13 separate peace agreements.

If we are ever going to end the culture of impunity, we must support this special court and others in the future whose objective is to bring to justice those charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.