Alexa McDonough

[Finance, April 2nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is number one in contention to host the 2006 International Summit on Microcredit. This would be the largest global conference in Atlantic Canada's history.

Microcredit is a proven strategy for lifting the poorest families out of poverty, domestically and in developing countries through collateral free interest bearing sustainable loans for self-employment.

Detailed planning for the summit to happen in Halifax is completed, except for the required federal contribution to meet the June 1 deadline for final approval.

Will the government today confirm its commitment to meet that deadline to ensure that Canada does not lose out to its second choice European--

[Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, April 2nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, in 1987, 5,750 Nova Scotians lost their life savings when Principal Group collapsed.

In the early 1990s some of the investors received compensation from provincial governments. However a final settlement was not reached until May 2001 when investors had to settle for less than 1¢ for every $1 they invested.

That is bad enough but three years later Canada Customs and Revenue Agency has yet to issue the clearance certificate needed to enable disbursement of the settlement funds.

Seventeen years later, many seniors have passed away without recovering a dime of that settlement for their life savings invested in Principal Group.

When is the federal government going to do the right thing and issue the clearance certificate required?

[Liberal Party of Canada, April 1st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the word Liberal was not the only thing missing in the Prime Minister's ads to Canadians yesterday. Credibility was also missing in the Liberal ad scam. There was not a word about the flawed HIV-AIDS drugs for Africa bogged down in the Liberal dominated committee. There was not a word about the Liberal slashing of overseas development assistance seven years in a row. There was a not a word about Bush's missile defence, nor about Canada's inaction on meeting our Kyoto commitments.

Why would Canadians buy this false advertising about Canada's place in the world?

[Petitions, March 31st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to table another petition signed by thousands more Canadians urging the government to say no to star wars and work instead with Partners for Peace for more arms control, and also to end the production and sale of weapons of mass destruction. I am very pleased to table these petitions on behalf of a huge number of Canadians.

[Petitions, March 31st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table two petitions on different subjects, actually a mountain of petitions with thousands of signatures, the first with 144 pages' worth of pleading with the government as part of the continuing campaign for Beads of Hope to address the global HIV-AIDS pandemic: by cancelling the debt burden on impoverished countries; by increasing Canada's overseas development assistance to the long promised 7% of GNP; by doubling funds to fight HIV-AIDS here at home; by increasing our global fund contribution; and finally, by ensuring access to life saving medicines to combat TB, malaria and HIV-AIDS.

[Violence Against Women, March 31st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, on April 7 we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. One million men, women and children, entire families, were brutally slaughtered while the world stood by.

Canada must do more to ensure that the world never forgets the Rwandan genocide.

Amnesty International's “Stop Violence Against Women” campaign points out that every day in our world women and girls particularly are assaulted, threatened, raped, mutilated and killed.

That is why the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security, established to advance UN security resolution 1325, is important. It will increase women's participation in conflict prevention, peace processes and peace-building.

Violence against women is a global human rights crisis. We must end the silence that faces these women and girls when they attempt to seek justice, peace and genuine security.

[Africville, March 30th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, Canada prides itself on its support for multilateral institutions, particularly the UN.

Earlier this month, the UN follow-up report on Canadian compliance with commitments made at the World Conference on Racism, with specific reference to the community of Africville in my riding of Halifax, stated:

After 150 years of collusion between...government and the business community, through abuse of power, neglect, encroachment and invasion of hazardous industrial materials, in 1970, the community of Africville was forcefully removed...

The UN report called on all levels of government to redress this travesty in consultation with the community that lives on, in spirit and in the hearts and kinship networks of former residents and descendants of Africville. Shamefully, less than 24 hours after those recommendations, the federal government rejected any notion of reparation to the Africville community.

In the spirit of reconciliation, all levels of government must work in good faith by formally apologizing and supporting a community based compensation--

[Pension Funds, March 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, Devco pensioners, widows and children are being robbed of $27 million in pension funds because the government needs the bucks to make up for $4.4 billion in tax cuts delivered to corporate Canada and the hundreds of millions of dollars squandered in patronage scandals.

Now the government congratulates itself for appointing an arbitrator to rule on this outrageous clawing of funds from 6,750 Cape Bretoners struggling to survive in a tough economy

Where is the fairness here? How does this square with the earlier claim that this is a government committed to Atlantic--

[The Budget, March 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the finance minister's budget is a recipe for privatization. There are no Liberal targets to create home care or cut pollution, but there is an artificial target for the debt to GDP ratio.

Assuming the Liberals' rosy predictions are correct, they want to spend $30 billion to meet this target in 10 years. Balancing the books, which the NDP supports, would meet this target in 11 years.

Why does the Liberal government want to spend at least $30 billion to meet an artificial target one year earlier?

[Foreign Affairs, March 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia. Just last week another 1,000 Serbs fled their homes, joining the 200,000 forced to flee since NATO entered Kosovo in 1999.

It is unacceptable that death and destruction are happening under NATO's watch, and Canada must assume part of the responsibility for what is happening.

What has the government done to halt the violence and contribute to lasting peace in this troubled region or is the government so bogged down by its own scandals that it is blinded by the suffering?