Aileen Carroll

[Family, February 20th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged to see the Globe and Mail newspaper taking a lead role in recognizing that the time parents spend with their new born babies is critical in child development.

The Globe and Mail reports that the International Labour Organization found that while Canada is generous with time off for maternity, the financial compensation is insufficient to permit many working mothers to take enough time to be with their newborns. Canada pays far less than any other industrialized country save the United States.

The growing evidence concerning the importance of a child's first three years is cause for all levels of government and businesses in the private sector to pay closer attention to how much time and choice are built into Canada's programs for parents and their children.

There are a number of ways to expand the options, including turning the child care deduction into a universal child credit which does not discriminate against stay at home parents, and have the private and public sectors increase—

[Afghanistan, February 16th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we are all concerned about reports of the recent earthquake in Afghanistan. Four thousand people have been killed and thousands more have been left homeless. Can the minister assure this House that Canada is doing everything possible to assist with this catastrophe?

[The Economy, February 10th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, two recent reports add to the growing body of evidence concerning the economic and social pressures facing many Canadians.

A report at Industry Canada entitled “Keeping up with the Joneses” indicates that real personal income per capita is almost 25% lower in Canada than in the United States.

A second report issued by the Vanier Institute of the Family indicates that the average Canadian family needs 77 weeks worth of work, that is two wage earners, just to cover basic annual expenses.

The increasing competitiveness of the workplace often demanding overtime and the rigidity of employers regarding family commitments come at the same time as growing expectations that the parents be more involved in their children's activities and their education.

In a society where we are expressing concern for family integrity surely there is a role for government—

[Child Poverty, December 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, over the six year period between 1989 and 1995, the incidence of child poverty in Canada has increased by 58%. The number of children living below the poverty line is 1.5 million with a staggering 500,000 in Ontario alone.

Regardless of whether one accepts the low income cutoff or poverty line set by Stats Canada, there are some facts we should all note. The average poor family of three in Ontario lives 35% below the poverty line, on an annual income of $17,000. This is in dramatic contrast to the average income of $60,000 for all families with children in Ontario.

Aside from the obvious human costs, unless we quickly develop a concerted effort to combat this problem, there will be economic costs to pay through the education system, the health care system and indeed perhaps the correctional system.

[Petitions, November 28th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by 448 constituents of my riding of Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford concerning women appearing topless in public. These constituents request Parliament to enact legislation prohibiting women from appearing topless in public.

[Diabetes Awareness Month, November 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, November is Diabetes Awareness Month. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation for its efforts in raising awareness of this disease and for raising $3.5 million for diabetes research this past year.

The foundation was founded 23 years ago by parents of children with diabetes who were concerned that not enough research was being done to cure this disease. Since that time the foundation has awarded $28 million to research, making it the largest donor to diabetes research of any other health agency.

Some of the leading diabetes research still takes place in Canada. Banting and Best may have discovered insulin in 1921, but today the work continues at universities in Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and London.

The Juvenile Diabetes Foundation deserves our support.

[Regional Development, November 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this government is moving down the information highway and rural communities demand that they not be left behind. They demand a share in the economic benefits of this knowledge based society.

My question is for the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry. What is being done to ensure that Canadians wherever they live share in the economic and social potential of these future developments?

[Pornography, October 24th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to draw attention to the white ribbon against pornography campaign.

The purpose of this national campaign is to eliminate the destructive influences of obscene, pornographic and indecent material.

Concern with the destructive nature of pornography is nation wide and the campaign for its elimination has been spearheaded by many groups in our ridings. The main goals of the white ribbon campaign include ensuring that possession of child pornography is a chargeable offence, that no pornography is sold to minors and that all videos are classified before they can be displayed of rented.

From my perspective, pornography is essentially degrading to women and I am at a loss to comprehend how any feminist writer could perceive it otherwise.

As a member of Parliament, I will be receiving this week a box of white ribbons from the Catholic Women's League in Barrie. These ribbons have been worn by residents as a sign of their desire to eliminate pornography.

[World Rural Women's Day, October 9th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and support the celebrations of world rural women's day on October 15.

The idea of an annual celebration of rural women originated in 1995 during the fourth United Nations conference on women held in Beijing.

It is appropriate that the day chosen to celebrate this day is one day before world food day as women in rural areas around the world make an invaluable contribution to the production of food and the management of other natural resources.

Despite their crucial role, many rural women face serious limitations in access to land, credit, agricultural extension services and other key resources.

If governments are to achieve international development goals such as world food security and sustainable development we must support the contribution of women and their full participation in agricultural and rural development.

Please join me in honouring the contributions to our welfare made by these one billion rural women.

[Speech From The Throne, September 29th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my friend on the opposite side of the House. I listened carefully and found it a little meandering. I hope to conclude that I do not have to defend people, other than the government, in their views.

Although Mr. Harris may have made that comment I have not heard it. I believe that Mr. Harris has participated in Calgary with other premiers who have moved forward in their attempts to achieve the just resolution which I spoke of earlier in recognizing a uniqueness in the province of Quebec and a uniqueness in its society. They have been joined by our government in moving forward.

I have great optimism and I believe there has been a variety of versions of history frequently dependent on the author. We have to reach across those perhaps slanted views. It is difficult today to get across the media of each language and speak with one another, but we have this forum to come together and resolve perhaps what has not yet been resolved. In this Parliament over the next few years we will resolve it.