Sue Barnes

[Zimbabwe, March 20th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday it was announced that Zimbabwe would be suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth for a period of one year starting immediately. This decision restores faith in the effectiveness and unity of the Commonwealth and demonstrates that the organization continues to be committed to common values and principles.

The decision by the troika and the mechanism established at the CHOGM is in large part due to the pivotal role played by the Government of Canada, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister of this country. The compromise proposed by the Prime Minister in Australia kept observers on the ground including four Canadians. Ultimately their report concluded unequivocally that the conditions in Zimbabwe did not adequately allow for a free expression of will by the electors. This opinion set the stage for the troika to suspend Zimbabwe.

Canada's position supported the right of the people of Zimbabwe to vote for a leader. It bridged a widening divide between members of the Commonwealth and ensured that a mechanism was in place to suspend Zimbabwe based on the observations and factual reports of election observers.

[Committees of the House, March 11th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Finance regarding its order of reference of Tuesday, October 16, 2001, in relation to Bill C-209, an act to amend the Income Tax Act (Public Transportation Costs).

The committee has considered Bill C-209 and recommends that the House not proceed further with the bill.

[Commonwealth Day, March 11th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, today is Commonwealth Day. This day originated with a Canadian proposal in 1976 to set aside the second Monday in March as a day of observance to promote global understanding.

Over one billion people will acknowledge their common bonds and celebrate the contribution of the Commonwealth of Nations to democracy, human rights and global harmony.

Particularly today, as we monitor elections in Zimbabwe and share concerns about other regions where democracy may be threatened, Canada is committed to the principles that unite all Commonwealth countries and transcend national, ethnic, cultural and economic differences that they have.

I ask all members of the House to join with me today to celebrate Commonwealth Day in the spirit of international co-operation.

[Committees of the House, February 27th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the 12th report of the Standing Committee on Finance. Pursuant to its order of reference of Monday, February 18, the committee has considered Bill C-49, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on December 10, 2001 and reports the bill with amendment.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, February 18th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34 I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report from the Canadian branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association concerning the inaugural session of the Canadian Parliamentary Seminar which was held in Ottawa from November 18 to November 24, 2001.

[Violence Against Women, December 6th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, today we commemorate the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in response to the tragic events of December 6, 1989, when 14 young women were killed because of their gender.

The deaths of these women must not be in vain. Let us learn from their lives and their loss. Let us learn that all forms of abuse, which is not necessarily physical or sexual abuse but can be more subtle abuse, psychological or financial, will not be tolerated.

Global and local initiatives are necessary. Community organizations across Canada, including the London co-ordinating committee to end woman abuse, must be supported.

The promotion of gender equality must continue to play an important part of Canada's foreign aid policies and programs. At this time Canadians have expectations that Canada will make a significant contribution to positive change for women in Afghanistan. Canadians must think globally and they must act locally to ensure the tragic events like those of December--

[Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, November 28th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, last week the federal branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association hosted the inaugural session of the Canadian Parliamentary Seminar. Twenty-two Commonwealth parliamentarians from around the world joined Canadian members of parliament and senators to discuss the theme of strengthening democracy.

Workshops included the examination of equality and inclusiveness, engaging women in the political process, representation in a multicultural society, parliament and the media, and electoral representation.

One of the many highlights of the week was a keynote address from His Excellency John Ralston Saul probing the current state of representative democracy. The Canadian Parliamentary Seminar illustrates that Canada should and can take the initiative to strengthen representative democracies worldwide.

Our commitment to democratic principles provides a guiding light for fledgling democracies and an excellent forum for the exchange of ideas and best practices. We look forward to continue doing our share as an association engaging parliamentarians to benefit their respective societies. We thank everyone for their help.

[Finance, November 1st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for International Financial Institutions.

Canada will soon be hosting the G-20 meeting. Would the secretary of state please tell the House what is expected as a result of this meeting and specifically why financial global governance is important to Canadians today?

[Prebudget Consultation, November 1st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am certainly not the Minister of Finance. However spending on aboriginal affairs is a necessity in Canada especially when we are talking about education. We cannot afford to waste the potential of people. We cannot afford to take away hope.

We must be concerned with the demographic signals that are out there right now. The children who are very young will either be drains in their own life and not be happy or they will be productive members of Canadian society.

We have ways, means and tools that we know can work and have been shown to work when there is goodwill among all three levels of government and in the House to move forward treaties.

When people have a land base they get economic viability and move outside the current Indian Act. I saw this when I chaired the aboriginal affairs committee during the Nisga'a agreement. I think we will see a productive society in the Nass Valley that could not have occurred as easily inside the Indian Act. My vote goes in that direction.

[Prebudget Consultation, November 1st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that any chance I get to talk to the Minister of Finance I do and I make my views very clear. I also wish we had those billions of dollars. I do not think they are in the surplus right now. It will be very difficult right now.

The problem with trying to propose a budgeting measure that goes forward to the future is that, as an economist knows, we are using numbers on which we do not have the most up to date numbers. Our real numbers are history. We are really working with the projections.

I am pleased he concurs on the soft costs or the indirect costs of research. This is an important time for researchers. They have hope that they have not had for many years. I agree that the worst thing we could do is to interrupt that in any way, shape or form.

The increases might not be as much as if September 11 had not occurred. However the marker has to go down and something has to be mentioned, hopefully in the budget text itself, about the indirect costs of research.

I also enjoy working with the hon. member on the finance committee. Many of us work every day. We have had over 70 meetings. However, for many reasons we cannot attend all those meetings. We all work with the best interests of all Canadians at heart, including Quebecers.