Colleen Beaumier

[Jaswant Khalra, October 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific.

Jaswant Khalra, a human rights activist who appeared before Canadian parliamentarians in March, was abducted from his home in Amritsar, Punjab, India on September 6 by unknown persons. He has not been heard from since and police investigations in India have revealed no information as to his whereabouts.

Mr. Khalra's abduction is of great concern to many Canadians as well as to the international human rights community. What action has Canada taken regarding the abduction of Mr. Khalra?

[Forests, September 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, October 12 I will be attending a ceremony in my riding of Brampton where In-Touch Graphics will announce its active partnership in the fight against deforestation in Canada.

In-Touch Graphics will commit itself to plant three trees for every single tree it uses for its printing requirements. This translates into 3,100 newly planted trees over the next 12 months.

Residents of Brampton can be proud that a local business is taking this environmentally responsible initiative. All Canadian companies that use large volumes of paper products should take notice and follow this example of good corporate citizenship.

Henry David Thoreau once wrote: "What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?" It is through responsible environmental initiatives like this one that Canadian companies can do their part to ensure that we live on a tolerable planet.

[Questions Passed As Orders For Return, June 22nd, 1995]

With respect to the new procedure for determining eligibility requirements for the receipt of the disability tax credit now being employed by Revenue Canada officials, ( a ) why are individuals who received the disability tax credit from 1991 to 1993, and who no longer qualify, required to repay the government of Canada the amount received in those years in full and ( b ) why weren't individuals told that they may have to repay the disability tax credit when it was initially granted to them?

Return tabled.

[Employment, June 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry.

Last week Nortel announced the elimination of 580 positions at its Brampton plant, bringing the total number of jobs lost since 1994 to 1,300. Meanwhile Nortel has continued to expand its global operations, most notably in China, where it will add 3,000 manufacturing jobs over the next three years.

How can the minister justify to Canadians that while he is trying to support job creation in Canada, the government is helping Nortel directly through export programs and indirectly through export credits to China to finance job creation abroad at the expense of Canadian jobs?

[Optimist Club, May 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, for more than 75 years Optimists have found ways to help young people feel better about themselves, learn, feel happy and build solid foundations of character.

Youngsters have gained self-confidence through the oratorical contest, learned about their attributes through Youth Appreciation Week and experienced the power of leadership through their Optimist youth clubs. Recently Optimists have learned that brick by brick they can help young people to build on themselves through positive mentoring and tutoring programs.

On June 3, 1995 Optimist International is celebrating Optimists in Action Day around the world. The theme this year is: "Our Children, Our Future". The Optimist Club of Brampton will be holding an event to mark action day which involves other Optimist clubs in the area, youth clubs and other organizations.

I ask all members of the House to join me in wishing organizers and participants in the Optimist Club of Brampton's Action Day all the best.

[Questions On The Order Paper, May 29th, 1995]

With respect to the Department of National Revenue's Assessment 2000 effort, ( a ) why is there a provision for backhauling from a CW licensed warehouse to a BW licensed warehouse in cases where the department will not grant a BW licence, and ( b ) what is the threshold in terms of volum of business for granting a BW rather than a CW licence where all other criteria have been met?

[Air-India Disaster, May 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, for most Canadians Friday, June 23, 1995 will be a day like any other. Parents will get up, have breakfast with their children, take them off to school and go off to work just as they would any other day.

However, for the families and friends of those Canadians who lost their lives aboard Air-India flight 182 exactly 10 years ago to the day, June 23 will be a day filled with remembrance and sorrow. It will be a day to reflect on the memories of loved ones lost in the blink of an eye, of entire families and children who never had a chance to grow up, children who never had the chance to experience the many joys and expressions of life.

There is nothing we can do to bring them back, but we must honour their memory and we must do all we can to ease the suffering of their families and friends. That is why we must properly investigate this terrible tragedy. That is why it is imperative that we conduct a royal commission into the most horrific mass murder in this nation's history. This is a commitment members of the Liberal caucus made while in opposition, and it is a commitment we must honour now that we are in power.

While in opposition, members of the Liberal caucus watched in horror as the then Prime Minister of Canada, upon learning of the tragedy, contacted the Prime Minister of India to offer his condolences on the issue. In doing so, the Prime Minister sent the message that this terrible tragedy was being mourned primarily by the citizens of India. This was the wrong message to send. These were Canadians.

That inquiries have been undertaken by foreign governments on this matter in the absence of an inquiry by the Government of Canada is cause for embarrassment to all members of this House.

Previous governments repeatedly turned down requests for a royal commission on the grounds that the matter was still under investigation and that it might prejudice the ongoing RCMP investigation. I believe that this rationale can no longer be invoked in good conscience.

A story in this morning's Globe and Mail states that the 10-year old RCMP investigation is winding down and that only two or three officers are working on this case on a part time basis. The cost of this investigation to date is in the order of $20 million. Ten years and $20 million later, we have still not solved this horrible crime.

There is another reason that came to mind as I was listening to my hon. colleague speak. We have heard about extremists from different groups of people being blamed, suspicions passed on to these groups. I have heard from many sources that this group of people did it. When I hear today the Sikh population being mentioned, it brings a great deal of pain to me. This only increases the misunderstanding of a community. To cast aspersions upon this group of people is an absolute sin. We must have a royal commission to remove this scar that has formed on this nation's history by failing to respond to the cries for answers from the families and friends of those who perished aboard Air-India flight 182.

We can begin by voting in favour of this motion today. Given the importance of this issue for all Canadians, I move that this motion be declared votable.

[Petitions, May 17th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am tabling the following petition which calls on Parliament to oppose any amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act or the charter of rights and freedoms which provide for the inclusion of the phrase sexual orientation.

I also have a petition calling on Parliament to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

[Human Rights, March 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members to join me in welcoming three distinguished human rights activists to Parliament Hill. Ajit Singh Bains, Jasdev

Singh Rai and Jaswant Singh Khalra will be discussing human rights in India this afternoon in room 209 of the West Block.

The issue of human rights violations in India is a very important one for Canadian parliamentarians. Given the growing interest in building on our excellent relations with India through expanding trade opportunities, it is crucial the issue of human rights is not forgotten.

Various international organizations from Amnesty International and Asia Watch to the United States state department have expressed concerns with human rights conditions in India. It is imperative that Canada use its strong ties with India to effect improvements in the human rights situation there.

I say to these gentlemen: "Sat sri akal".

[Questions On The Order Paper, February 24th, 1995]

With respect to reports by non-governmental organizations that Vietnamese refugees interned in Southeast Asian camps are being subjected to inhumane treatment by host governments, ( a ) is the government investigating these reports and ( b ) what action does the government plan to take with respect to these alleged human rights violations?