Jean Augustine

[World Aids Day, November 28th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, Saturday, December 1 is World AIDS Day. The theme of this year's AIDS awareness campaign is “I Care...Do You?” and aims to involve individuals, especially young men and politicians, more fully in the fight against the HIV epidemic.

Today more than 36 million people worldwide are living with HIV infection. Last year alone three million people died from AIDS, 95% of them in developing countries. One of the many challenges faced by developing countries in fighting HIV-AIDS is access to affordable, life saving medicine.

Two weeks ago in Doha more than 80 countries agreed that TRIPS, Trade-Related Aspects of International Property Rights, should be interpreted and implemented in a manner supportive of WTO members' rights to protect public health. This decision will have an impact on the global response to the epidemic.

It is in everyone's interest to ensure the TRIPS agreement is seen as an instrument that reinforces--

[Afghanistan, November 22nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that on November 22 and 23 the Canadian government will support a conference organized by South Asia Partnership Canada.

The Afghanistan of Tomorrow Conference will bring together over 100 participants including Afghan Canadian community leaders, Afghan intellectuals, tribal leaders and Afghan women activists from Canada, the United States, Pakistan and Europe together with Canadian NGOs, humanitarian workers, students, parliamentarians, policy makers and government officials.

Participants at the two day conference will work to develop policy recommendations for long term peacebuilding strategies in Afghanistan that reflect Afghan solutions to Afghan problems.

This exciting conference is sponsored in part by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade human security program. Our time honoured role for which we are well known and respected throughout the world is one of peace and capacity building and expertise in this conference.

[Crime Prevention, November 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, people in my riding of Etobicoke--Lakeshore and across Canada are concerned about crime in their communities.

Could the Minister of Justice inform the House of the measures that she has taken with the national crime strategy and how that strategy is helping communities in Toronto and across Canada?

[Ghana, November 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to give a hearty welcome to His Excellency John Kufuor, president of the Republic of Ghana, on the occasion of his official visit to Canada.

President Kufuor is the first Ghanian head of state to visit Canada since the country's independence in 1957. He is a founding member of the New Patriotic Party in Ghana and was elected president of the country in December 2000.

Ghana is one of Africa's thriving nations with a commitment to the principles of democracy. Its peaceful and transparent transition of political power from one democratically elected government to another is a model for many African countries.

Relations between Canada and Ghana reflect four decades of personal and official contacts that began through Canadian development assistance and through common membership in the UN and the Commonwealth.

Ghana receives Canada's largest aid program in sub-Saharan Africa and is Canada's third largest export market in sub-Saharan Africa.

[Committees of the House, October 31st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade on the issue of the sugar industry.

This represents the third report of the subcommittee on international trade, trade disputes and investment.

[Supply, October 29th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am splitting my time with the member for Leeds--Grenville.

I am pleased to join in the debate on the motion put forward by the Bloc Quebecois calling upon the federal government to “review its international aid policy with a view to substantially increasing the funds available for Canadian humanitarian aid, particularly in light of military intervention in Afghanistan” and to raise the level of ODA to 0.7% as recommended by the United Nations.

Let me begin by noting that my colleagues on this side of the House support the motion. The events of September 11 have made it crystal clear that Canada and the developed world have an obligation to assist those nations whose populations continue to live in abject poverty. Poverty and its consequences are threats to the stability and the security of nations and to those who are directly impacted by it.

As the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and many of the representatives on this side of the House have stated, we will use not only diplomatic and other means but also humanitarian assistance in the fight against international terrorism. It is ever more important to strengthen our resolve to promote sustainable development in every corner of the developing world.

We must help developing countries to provide their populations with access to education and health care, promote and protect rights of children and women, fight HIV-AIDS and eradicate malnutrition, and we must help and encourage them to develop practices of good governance and capacity building which are so necessary for building peaceful and stable democratic societies.

The impoverishment of peoples affects us all. Troubling social realities in one country today can become a challenge for all of us tomorrow. CIDA cannot afford to renege on commitments that Canada has made at UN conferences and in international agreements aimed at addressing issues in international development. This is even more relevant and true in time of crisis and war, as in the case of Afghanistan.

I would like to comment briefly on CIDA's assistance to Afghanistan and on development assistance in the context of HIV-AIDS.

For over 30 years Canada has been working with its international partners and civil society to provide assistance to peoples of the developing world. In recent years, deficit management and fiscal restraints have reduced Canada's ODA envelope, making it impossible to reach the UN target of 0.7% of GDP.

As the member of parliament for Etobicoke--Lakeshore, I, with so many others who work with me in the Canadian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, together with all of our NGO colleagues, have been pressing for Canada to reach that 0.7% of GDP.

However, CIDA and the Government of Canada are taking steps to turn around this trend and to focus development aid in times of limited resources on urgent areas. In the last federal budget, ODA funding increased to the tune of $435 million over three years, providing a clear signal of a return to long term growth in a generous, measured way. The Prime Minister is determined to work with other countries in the G-8 to see poverty reduction and development issues addressed at the next G-8 summit here in Canada.

CIDA has implemented its “Social Development Priorities: A Framework for Action”, which aims to strengthen resources devoted to basic education, health and nutrition, HIV-AIDS and child protection. The agency's cross-Canada consultations to review the government's international aid policy and to strengthen aid effectiveness are testament to the government's commitment to move the development assistance agenda forward.

The situation in Afghanistan is one of urgency. We know that the country was in need of international assistance prior to the military interventions. Afghanistan is one of the world's poorest countries, which has been devastated by drought and civil war.

The UNHCR and the international Red Cross have warned us that ,in light of the present crisis in Afghanistan, they are facing one of the largest humanitarian crises. Thousands of Afghanis are internally displaced and are refugees. They are in need of the basic necessities of life. The people of Afghanistan do not have the protection of a government. They are in this situation due to no fault of their own.

I am pleased that Canada is one of the nations at the forefront providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Over the past 10 years CIDA provided close to $160 million which has helped to provide food and shelter for Afghanis, remove deadly landmines, fight the spread of disease and educate children, especially girls.

Canada has contributed $16 million to the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. With this funding, we are helping to provide food, basic health care, adequate shelter and safe water. CIDA is working in partnership with the world food program and through Canadian NGOs, such as the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, CARE Canada and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the Afghani people.

It boggles the mind to listen to members of one opposition party talk about waste in CIDA and question the need for CIDA's intervention. Everyone would agree that development assistance helps countries on the road to self-sufficiency and economic prosperity. It is important that any type of foreign aid must be sustainable or else it becomes ineffective over time.

We can ensure that the quality of aid is effective over time by setting benchmarks and targets that would help to determine progress and improve conditions. We must put strategies in place that would encourage countries to meet the needs of their citizens.

Economic prosperity cannot be achieved among developing countries unless there are strong social policies in place. These policies must address the root causes of poverty and the systemic reasons that thwart development.

Encouraging developing countries to meet their own social priorities is most desirable in providing development assistance. Forgiving the debt of heavily indebted poor countries is a positive step in this direction.

I remind members that the Government of Canada was first among the G-8 partners to commit $40 million to the heavily indebted poor countries trust fund in 1999 and has followed through in the 2000 budget with an additional $175 million. As of January 1, 2001 Canada has stopped collecting debt payments from heavily indebted poor countries. They were able to use debt relief savings productively and were developing poverty reduction strategies. This is the way we have to go.

Let me also remind the House that there is a great emergency on our hands that cannot be ignored. That emergency is the spread of HIV-AIDS. The Government of Canada, through CIDA, has been responding to the HIV-AIDS pandemic which threatens to thwart the economic development of developing countries. Fighting HIV-AIDS is one of CIDA's key development priorities.

Last June the United Nations drew our attention to the problem facing the world when it convened a special session on HIV-AIDS and our Prime Minister and members of the G-8 addressed the matter in Genoa. AIDS is wiping out decades of hard won development gains. Thousands of children are being orphaned, threatening the economic survival of nations and communities. The spread of HIV-AIDS is undermining investments in education and human resource development.

Canada is working hard in the fight against HIV-AIDS. The federal government is quadrupling development assistance funding for HIV-AIDS through CIDA's HIV-AIDS action plan. We are at a turning point in the fight against this terrible disease. Now is the time for a substantive and renewed commitment from the entire global community and Canada must be there. Canada is moving forward in its aggressive efforts to address this pandemic through international co-operation.

We therefore support today's motion because, while Canadians can be proud of their country's support for sustainable development, poverty reduction and education of children, it is clear that we can do more.

Our communities expect us to do more. Our communities expect us to reach 0.7% of GDP. I support the motion at this time and ask colleagues from all sides of the House to focus on our responsibility to the rest of the world. As Canadians, we are expected to stand up and be counted.

[Zimbabwe, October 29th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, Zimbabwe was in the news this past week.

The Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa has just returned from Harare where he attended a meeting of the committee of commonwealth foreign ministers. Could the minister please let the House know the results of the outcome of the meeting in Zimbabwe?

[Transport, October 18th, 2001]

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

Air traffic has resumed to the United States over the past few weeks, but Canada has not yet been given permission to fly from Pearson and other Canadian points to Reagan national airport in Washington, D.C. When will the minister raise this issue with U.S. authorities?

[World Food Day, October 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, today is World Food Day. This year's theme is “Fight hunger to reduce poverty”. Hunger is the most critical manifestation of poverty. Eliminating hunger is the first step toward reducing poverty and ensuring food for all.

Around 800 million men, women and children are chronically hungry. Hunger causes illness and death, robs people of their potential to work, cripples children's learning capacity, and undermines the peace and prosperity of nations. Raising public awareness about the problems of hunger and food insecurity is necessary in the fight against hunger.

At the World Food Summit in 1996 nations including Canada committed themselves to cutting by half the number of hungry people by 2015. This November governments, NGOs and other international agencies will meet to review the progress made and consider ways to accelerate efforts to reach this goal.

On this occasion let us strengthen our solidarity in the struggle to make sure that everyone on the planet has enough to eat.

[International Actions Against Terrorism, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Chairman, I join with other members of the House in condemning the attacks of September 11. These attacks were not just on the United States but on all free and civilized people around the world. They were an attack on the fundamental values of our society, the values of justice, freedom and tolerance.

I would like to presume on the House's time to reflect on the distinguished role that Canada has played in the past as a member of the international community when the fundamental values of our way of life and indeed our very existence have been threatened. We are all aware of this history. Much has been said tonight, but let us take a few minutes in this take note debate to reflect.

Perhaps the most important occasion was the second world war when, for a while, Canada stood alone with the United Kingdom and other members of the Commonwealth against fascism and Nazism. In that conflict we were later joined by the Soviet Union and the United States of America, both of which made fundamental contributions to the allied victory.

During that war our enduring political and security alliance with the United States was first forged. The alliance was and still is based on shared geography and response to common peril, but also equally on kinship and shared values of democracy and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms.

One of the most important and hopeful outcomes of the second world war was the founding of the United Nations in 1945. Canadians played an important role in the enterprise and we remember with pride the part we played. We have been well repaid for our efforts, because the United Nations has been fruitful. Only a few days ago we heard news of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to the United Nations and its present secretary general. The United Nations charter, its many conventions and its treaties have provided us in the international community with agreed upon rules by which our world is organized and run.

In the 1950s, in the early days of the cold war when conflict erupted in the Korean peninsula, over 25,000 Canadians stood with other members of the United Nations command. Three hundred and twelve Canadians lost their lives and many more were wounded in that long and hard conflict.

Later in the 1950s Canadians were instrumental in the development and practice of peacekeeping, and as we all know it was during the Suez crisis in 1956 that our venerable Lester Pearson, then our secretary of state for external affairs and later our prime minister, suggested the creation of a force to separate the belligerents. For his role in creating the peacekeeping mission in Suez and for his contribution to world peace, Pearson was accorded the Nobel prize in 1957.

We are proud of the participation of Canada and Canada's armed forces in a long list of United Nations peace operations. We can name a few: Suez, Cyprus, the Golan Heights, Congo, Cambodia, Croatia, Central America, Bosnia, Rwanda, Haiti and East Timor. In fact, 50 years of experience in peacekeeping and our participation in 31 out of 38 completed UN missions have established an international reputation for Canada. This experience has taught us that the most important aspect of any peacekeeping mission is a long term plan designed to lead to a self-sustaining peace in the area of conflict.

Sometimes a conflict goes beyond the possibilities of peacekeeping and of the other tools of conflict prevention and conflict resolution open to the United Nations and to us. In 1990-91 we were faced with such a situation in Kuwait and the UN security council used the strongest measures envisaged by the charter, first implementing sanctions, then authorizing action against Iraq by a broad coalition of states including Canada and traditional allies.

The conflicts in the Balkans are yet another reference, after the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, another great tragedy of our times. At that point Canada and other members of NATO acted forcefully to end atrocities.

Let us be absolutely clear: the perpetrators of the terrorist atrocities on September 11 and those who planned and supported their acts care little or nothing at all about the structure and shared vision of the United Nations. They care nothing at all about our beliefs in justice, peace and freedom. The attack on the United States was an attack on all of us.

We know well that the military response in self-defence is only part of the overall campaign. My constituents in Etobicoke--Lakeshore remind me of the Canadian tradition of standing with our allies against evil and inhumanity. The support of the women and men of the Canadian forces will play a vital role in the defence of Canada as part of the international response against terrorism.

It is clear that we must act. My constituents want their government to stand firmly behind the men and women of the Canadian forces. This support is visibly demonstrated by the government's unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life of its military personnel and to recruiting and retaining the right people.

The days ahead may be filled with uncertainty. The campaign against terror will likely be a long one, with no easy or quick solution. Our military contribution to the coalition efforts is a clear indication of the professional service our military can provide in what will be a difficult campaign.

I am sure that the thoughts of my constituents and the thoughts of many Canadians are with our Canadian forces personnel at this time as they prepare to join the fight against terrorism. Our thoughts should also be with their families who will be waiting at home for their safe return.

We have to act. We must act . Our government at this point is representing us well with the decisions that have been made thus far.