David Anderson

[Fisheries And Oceans, February 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in my earlier response to the hon. member's question, this study was undertaken and the results were reported in 1997, some 18 months ago.

We did look into the issue of vessel size. It is a complex problem. On the one hand there are safety considerations with respect to larger vessels being safer vessels, which is a brief way of putting it, but at the same time larger vessels mean that fishermen will stay out longer in the face of adverse weather and they will go farther. So the safety issue tends to equalize.

On the other hand we have the major problem of increasing capacity in the fleet, which this government is spending some $250 million in the Atlantic region to reduce. It is a complex issue.

Again, I appreciate the hon. member's question, but we have done the study which he has requested.

[Fisheries, February 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, there have been vessel limitations in place in the Atlantic region and in Newfoundland for many years as a method of reducing the capacity of the fleet. We have fleet capacity in addition to buy out of licences.

The member has actually asked a very perceptive question in that there are safety concerns involved in this as well. We revised the rules back in 1997, 18 months ago. We attempted to take into account safety and comfort considerations of fishermen and the constant pressure to increase the size of vessels, thus the size and capacity of the fleet.

[The Late Hon. Arthur Ronald Huntington, February 11th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the government and as a fellow British Columbian member of parliament, I wish to pay tribute to a former member of this House, the late Ron Huntington, who passed away in December.

Mr. Huntington represented west Vancouver and British Columbians in this House for a decade. During that time, when in opposition, he served diligently on several committees of this House, making a substantial contribution.

Later when the Progressive Conservative Party under Mr. Clark took office he served as minister of state for small business.

As minister of oceans I should point out that Mr. Huntington was a man who knew the oceans well, serving, as was mentioned by my hon. friend, as a member of the Royal Canadian Navy during the second world war, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander. He also served as chairman of the Canada Ports Corporation from 1985 to 1991. In recreation he enjoyed the waters of the Pacific coast as commodore of the West Vancouver Yacht Club.

On behalf of the government and all my colleagues, I would like to extend to his wife Miriam and to his family our most sincere condolences on the loss of Ron Huntington.

[The Late King Hussein, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, and fellow members, Canadians, the entire international community and the people of Jordan are grieving over the loss of His Majesty King Hussein.

Seldom in the years since the second world war have we seen in one person, one statesman, the qualities of true greatness possessed by Jordan's long serving leader.

The people of Jordan whatever their background owed much to King Hussein. He brought his country into the modern world. He encouraged the emergence of democratic institutions and made human rights a priority. He ruled with a gentle hand, granting successive waves of Palestinian refugees a home in Jordan where they built new lives and were extended the privileges of Jordanian nationality.

Most of all, King Hussein will be mourned and his memory honoured for the steps that he personally took over many years to find a just and equitable peace in the Middle East. He believed and understood that Israel and its Arab neighbours needed to find a way to live side by side in peace. This was never an easy task when distrust and suspicions were everywhere, wounds were deeply felt and old hatreds difficult to overcome. But King Hussein persisted despite opposition from many of his neighbours.

At each crucial stage in the peace process of recent years he played a key role. He was on the White House lawn beside Yitzhak Rabin in July 1994. Three months later he formally brought hostilities between Jordan and Israel to an end. Most recently, although gravely ill, he left his hospital bed to help forge the Wye accord between Israel and the PLO.

His compassion for the suffering and misfortunes of others was legendary. Who can forget his moving tribute at the funeral of Prime Minister Rabin, or the day he knelt to beg forgiveness of the Israeli mothers whose children had been killed by a Jordanian soldier in a fit of madness.

Canadians will recall King Hussein's various visits to Canada, the last of these in March 1995.

As a firm ally of his country, Canada was always prepared to provide moral and material support to his peace efforts.

Jordan's king will be sadly missed and not soon forgotten by his country, in the Middle East, in Canada and indeed throughout the international community.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I wish to express our deepest sympathies to his wife, Queen Noor, his family and the Jordanian people as a whole.

To his successor, King Abdullah, I wish to pledge Canada's support as he takes up the difficult task of continuing to foster peace in this troubled region.

[Fishing Quotas, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the problem to which the hon. member refers is one that is of serious concern. There is no question. There are areas where timing is of critical importance and where decisions are made by the department and have been made by the department in the past which do not give adequate warning to fishermen of the upcoming seasons, the length, the openings, et cetera.

We have instituted a new policy in attempting to speed up the entire range of fishing decisions. We have done this in discussion with the fishing groups. I will be happy to consider any particular area, any particular fishery with any particular member who may have concerns in that regard.

[Foreign Affairs, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the expectation we had was that there would be a 24 hour notice given for the Prime Minister to be present. Unfortunately that did not occur.

The situation has been that we are represented, and I am sure extremely ably, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

What I think is important for Canadians and members of the House to understand is that crass political gamesmanship about this very serious issue is very unfortunate and inappropriate.

[Foreign Affairs, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member apparently did not hear the responses to the earlier questions. We certainly extend our condolences to the people of Jordan and to his family.

The Prime Minister had wished to be present. He indeed sent staff in advance to Amman, Jordan. Unfortunately the notice given was inadequate for him to leave British Columbia and get to Amman in time for the funeral arrangements.

This was a disappointment to him and to the House but unfortunately that is the situation as it occurred.

[Foreign Affairs, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the statement of the hon. member is inaccurate and I am sure she regrets it.

The Prime Minister wished to be at the funeral. Several days ago he sent staff from his office to Amman to make arrangements. However it was not possible for him, on less than 24 hours notice, to travel from Vancouver to Amman.

I might add, despite the assertions of the hon. member, that government leaders of several countries had a similar problem. The leaders of Latin America, Australia and New Zealand had the same time constraints and were similarly unable to attend.

[Foreign Affairs, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, may I again repeat that the expectation was that there would be 24 hours notice of the funeral of King Hussein. Unfortunately there was inadequate time for the Prime Minister to leave western Canada for Amman, Jordan and to arrive in time for the funeral arrangements prepared by the Jordanian authorities. Therefore it was simply physically impossible for the Prime Minister to attend. It is with regret that he was unable to attend.

The member knows full well that when there was a disaster in northern Quebec recently the Prime Minister quickly changed his plans to make himself available to be there for that ceremony.

He indeed sent staff from his own office to Amman to make arrangements but—

[Foreign Affairs, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, all Canadians are saddened by the death of King Hussein and we certainly wish to associate ourselves with the expressions of condolences that have been expressed to the family and of course to the people of Jordan.

Unfortunately it was not physically possible, given the time when the death was made known to the Prime Minister, who was in western Canada, for him to travel to Amman for the funeral.