Svend Robinson

[Peacekeeping, September 21st, 1994]

Nice try, Jesse. Madam Speaker, the member for Red Deer in his comments did not make any reference to the situation of Canadian peacekeepers in Bosnia. Obviously this is one of the important elements that the House is addressing.

I personally had the opportunity to visit our troops in Gradacac in Croatia. Certainly the men and women there were doing a very fine job under very difficult circumstances.

Could the hon. member for Red Deer clarify what his position and the position of the Reform Party is with respect to the role of Canadian peacekeepers in Bosnia and in Croatia? The hon. member is doubtless aware of the recent concerns.

Just today there was a report that some 750,000 Muslims and Croats have fled from Serbian held areas of northern and eastern Bosnia over the past two and a half years. According to the representative of the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of them are victims of ethnic cleansing.

[Peacekeeping, September 21st, 1994]

Madam Speaker, I have a supplementary question. I would note that until 1992 the previous government was providing substantial government to government aid to the brutal regime in Rwanda. We allowed into Quebec City as a visiting professor one of the people who had been most vigorous in his incitement of genocide when he was living in Rwanda.

[Peacekeeping, September 21st, 1994]

Madam Speaker, I am not sure my question is that desperately important. However I do appreciate the opportunity put a question and make a comment with respect to the comments of the member for Red Deer as the official spokesperson for the Reform Party.

Certainly I share the deep concern that has been raised, particularly by the Leader of the Opposition with respect to this issue. In fact earlier during question period I spoke myself-

I pointed out that Sunday night's agreement between an illegitimate president, a straw man, Mr. Jonassaint, and Mr. Carter, an agreement made without consulting President Aristide or the United Nations, was in fact a tragic betrayal of the Haitian people.

I pointed out as well that President Carter just last week referred to General Cedras and his armed thugs as conducting a reign of terror, executing children, raping women, killing priests. As the dictators have grown more desperate the atrocities have grown ever more brutal.

Certainly many of us are deeply disturbed and angered by this deal which in effect refers to the great honour and integrity of these same people. There is talk of mutual respect. There is talk of a general amnesty, of honourable retirement and appealing to their sense of honour.

I want to ask the member for Red Deer for clarification. As I understand it, the position of his leader, the member for Calgary Southwest, was that Canada should be joining in the military invasion with the United States. In fact the member for Calgary Southwest said, and I quote that member from yesterday: "We can only play this game so long. We do not get our hands dirty at the front end. But we come in after". He suggested we should be going in with the Americans.

I have listened with care to the comments of the member for Red Deer who suggested that we should not be going in at all and

that the OAS was the body that should have accepted responsibility here.

I would like the member for Red Deer to clarify the position of the Reform Party. Who speaks for the Reform Party? Is it the leader of the Reform Party or is it the member for Red Deer?

Finally, I wonder if the member could clarify as well his position with respect to the issue of prevention. Certainly in the context of Rwanda, many of us believe that had the world acted earlier to prevent the genocide that much of the subsequent tragedy could have been averted.

[Peacekeeping, September 21st, 1994]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I seek clarification with respect to the rules. My understanding was that there were no questions and comments following the initial speaker and then the speaker immediately following the minister. Certainly my understanding is that the rules do provide for a period of questions or comments after that.

[Peacekeeping, September 21st, 1994]

Madam Speaker, I understood there was a brief question and comment period. If so, I have a question for the hon. member.

[Petitions, September 21st, 1994]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to table a petition which is signed by residents across Canada, including from the cities of Calgary, Moose Jaw and Mill Bay.

These petitioners draw to the attention of the House the fact that the current Criminal Code denies people who are suffering from terminal or irreversible and debilitating illness the right to choose freely and voluntarily to end their lives with the assistance of a physician.

Therefore the petitions call upon Parliament to amend the Criminal Code to ensure the right of all Canadians to die with dignity by allowing people with terminal or irreversible and debilitating illnesses the right to the assistance of a physician in ending their lives at a time of their choice subject to strict safeguards to prevent abuse and to ensure that the decision is free, informed, competent and voluntary.

[Privilege, September 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question of privilege, of which I had given notice, related to certain comments made during the course of debate yesterday by the member for Central Nova.

However, following consultation with the Clerk, I understand that this matter may be more appropriately addressed as a point of order. I will certainly pursue the matter at the earliest possible opportunity, after having given notice to the member for Central Nova.

[Haiti, September 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, Sunday night's agreement between Haiti's illegal president and Mr. Carter, which was drafted without consulting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide or the United Nations, is a tragic betrayal of the Haitian people. The hoodlum Raoul Cédras and his associates did not sign anything, do not have to leave the country and will even enjoy a general amnesty.

Last week, President Clinton strongly denounced Cédras and his army of thugs and condemned his reign of terror. Today, according to him, he is an honourable man. President Aristide has called for the implementation of Resolution 940 and of the Governors Island Accord, and I hope that the Government of Canada will support him while denouncing this repugnant agreement.

[Criminal Code, September 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member indicated that there are a number of provisions in the bill that he can support and there are others which he cannot support.

I would like to ask the hon. member specifically, what is the position of the Reform Party or the hon. member himself, if there is not a position in the party, with respect to the provisions in the bill that would ensure that a sentence is increased in

circumstances in which an offence is motivated by among other factors sexual orientation?

The hon. member was present in the House when the Liberal member of Parliament for Central Nova made comments, among other things, suggesting that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural, when she suggested that AIDS was a scourge to mankind which had been inflicted upon the country by homosexuals.

In view of the response of at least some of the hon. member's colleagues from the Reform Party seeming to indicate support for those positions, would the hon. member indicate what is the position of the Reform Party with respect to these provisions of the bill that would ensure stiffer sentences for those hate crimes which are motivated by homophobia, which are motivated by hatred on the basis of sexual orientation. Does he share the views of the hon. member for Central Nova?

[Criminal Code, September 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I do indeed look forward to hearing the comments of my colleagues from the Reform Party on this issue. Among other comments made both inside the House and outside by this member are the following:

There are those innocent victims that are dying from Aids and then there are those homosexualists that are promoting and advancing the homosexual movement and that are spreading Aids. Aids is a scourge to mankind and there will be no cure for Aids. So this love, this compassion between homosexuals, based on an inhuman act, defiles humanity, destroys family,-and is annihilating mankind.

She goes on to state, as I indicated earlier, that homosexuality is in the same class as pedophilia and bestiality.

My question for the hon. member, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, is a straightforward question. This member is obviously entitled to speak as she wishes. It is a free country. She has freedom of speech. Will the parliamentary secretary undertake to raise the issue directly with the Prime Minister as to the appropriateness of this member continuing to sit as a member of the Liberal caucus, the Liberal Party of Canada, when she espouses views which, if they were spoken with respect to any other minority, perhaps a religious minority, a racial minority, any other minority, would be met with widespread outrage and anger by that member's colleagues?

I want to ask the parliamentary secretary what action is he prepared to take to break the silence of the Liberal Party and the Liberal caucus on this question? I see the chair of the human rights committee of this Parliament who was present during those comments. Perhaps she may wish to comment on this.

At this point I want to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice precisely what action is he prepared to take to ensure that Canadians understand very clearly that these kinds of hateful, bigoted, homophobic comments have absolutely no place either in this Chamber or certainly in the Liberal Party of Canada?