Jean Augustine

[Supply, October 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I listened very carefully to the remarks made by the member across the way. I remember in other speeches that the member has made, he talked about these issues as being wasteful spending.

I want to ask the member to reflect on his or his party's ideological position on multiculturalism, visible minorities, human rights and all those things which are not found in the platform of his party. It seems as though the Alliance is either rewriting or writing it as we go along.

I would like to know what is the present position. Is he speaking on his party's position or is he speaking as an individual? What is his party's position in those areas?

[Canadian Airline Industry, October 1st, 2001]

Madam Chairman, this evening's take note debate gives me an opportunity to discuss Canada's airline industry and its present situation.

The horrific and tragic events of September 11 have left an indelible mark on our lives and the world of civil aviation. My condolences go to the families and friends who lost loved ones on that terrible day.

Many sectors of the Canadian economy have been greatly affected by the events, none more so than the airline industry. The airline industry, tourism industry, automobile industry, investment industry and others are still reeling from the economic impact of the tragedy. The crisis threatens to plunge us into a full blown economic disaster.

Hundreds of Canadians have already lost their jobs as a result. In my riding of Etobicoke--Lakeshore, a large number of my constituents are employed in the airline industry. They are indeed concerned about the impact of the events on their livelihoods, jobs and families. Since the crisis they have expressed to me, both through telephone calls and letters, the need for some federal government support to help the sector through this difficult period of uncertainty.

The events of September 11, 2001 are unprecedented in aviation history. I repeat this simply because I think this unprecedented event requires special measures in response. At no other time in modern history have we seen airline shares worldwide decrease at such an accelerating rate and competition choked off. Large airline carriers in the United States, France, Britain and other countries have significantly scaled back on their staff and usage of their fleets.

In Canada small carriers have cut back. Air Transat is an example as is Canada 3000. Similarly Air Canada, Canada's flagship carrier, announced 9,000 job cuts, a direct result of recent events.

I came to Canada 41 years ago on Trans-Canada Airlines. I believe in flagships. I believe there is a responsibility to provide safe service and that has been provided to us by Air Canada.

Our airline industry has lost billions of dollars over the past two weeks. There has been difficulty in meeting insurance payments and operating costs. Many of us have had letters written to us outlining the position. We understand that reduced demand is leading to overcapacity, higher costs and lower revenues. All this has affected the bottom line. The sector is vital to our community.

I say to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Transport that we must do all we can to help the industry through this rough patch and to shore up confidence in Canada's airline industry.

I was pleased to hear the Minister of Transport state earlier that he will not allow Canada's flagship carrier to be bankrupted by these events.

Since this tragedy we have seen the U.S., U.K. and other governments move to provide some financial assistance. In this crisis we as Canadians owe this to our industry. It is not in the best interests of Canadians to allow a vital sector of our economy to be wiped out.

I am advising the minister to proceed with assistance based on the facts and come up with a fair plan to ensure the viability of the sector. We know that Air Canada in particular was experiencing difficulty before the events, but we also know that we should be assisting it to stabilize the turmoil that is now in the industry.

Canadians want us to act. Canadians want us to show responsibility to the industry. My constituents want us to act on that front in their own interests. We need to put confidence in the system. We need to continue to do what we have started to do. For example after insurance companies cancelled their third party war and terrorism coverage, the federal government got right in there and provided an indemnity for such liabilities for essential aviation service operators in Canada. There is also a 90 day period of coverage and limits to existing terms and conditions placed in that agreement.

We know that the federal government can help. We know it can give support. We know that it can do what is necessary.

The Air Canada employees in my riding want a strong airline company. They want the assurance the government will take steps to ensure that they will eventually return to their jobs.

In closing I want to assure the minister that not only will we support him as he evaluates and comes up with a plan or program, but we will work with him as he is doing with the Federal Aviation Administration to enhance aviation security throughout North America.

Since September 11 I have flown a few times from Pearson airport in Toronto. Those of us who travel on the airline have noticed heightened security measures: increased police presence, passenger screening, hand searches, airport security controls, enhanced baggage screening, passenger baggage screening, and the closing of the cockpit doors. I commend the Minister of Transport for those measures that have been brought in.

It is important to affirm that I stand behind Air Canada and the employees of Air Canada. I support our flagship. I support stabilizing Air Canada, stimulating all sectors of that industry, encouraging the passengers to continue to use the system. I look to the Minister of Transport to keep public confidence in our airline industry.

[Export Development Act, October 1st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the constituents of Etobicoke--Lakeshore who are very much involved and interested in businesses, et cetera, where the Export Development Act would have some reference, I am pleased to join in the debate today.

As Canadians we all understand the importance of a healthy environment, not just within our bodies but for everyone on this planet.

This past spring, I hosted a roundtable on the environment, where many of my constituents expressed concern over the state of the air we breath, the pollution of our lakes and rivers and global warming. For them they want the federal government to ensure that Canadian corporations, when carrying out their activities overseas, that they act responsibly toward the environment as they would if they were here in Canada.

Bill C-31 answers that concern. The bill would complement Canada's international and domestic obligations on the environment front. The bill would allow those values that we share as Canadians and initiatives that we implement on the environment to be implemented in an international context.

Canada's leadership role in the Kyoto protocol is sending a strong signal to our international partners that the federal government is committed to protecting and preserving the environment.

We are also helping developing countries to reduce toxic by-products that are industrial and agricultural based by encouraging them to adopt best practices to ensure environmental sustainability. As Canadians we have a responsibility to do this.

My constituents understand that toxics know no border and that we must take measures to respond to environmental challenges such as climate change and air pollution.

My constituents also understand that all sectors in society, government, civil society and the private sector, must share in the responsibility for a healthy and safe environment.

As a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, I have had the privilege of hearing from numerous witnesses who came before the committee. They spoke about the operations of the EDC. We heard from the president, from labour, civil society, business owners and exporters.

During the hearings the message was loud and clear: consideration must be given to the environment when EDC finances projects; and, that a formal environmental review process must be established.

Let me take this opportunity to remind the House that EDC was established in 1944 with a mandate to support and develop Canada's export trade. In the year 2000, it supported an estimated $45 billion in export and foreign investments.

The scope of credit agencies financing activities, particularly in the developing world, has prompted a call for sound environmental practices, recognizing the importance of fostering trade competitiveness that is consistent with environmental conservation.

From the early 1990s, as part of its risk management process, the corporation reviewed projects for their environmental impact.

Two years ago, EDC introduced its environmental review framework to formalize and strengthen its environmental procedures. The framework was developed at a time when few export credit agencies were seeking to manage environmental risks.

I am very pleased that the EDC has followed through on the suggestions and recommendations, not only of the foreign affairs committee but also on the Gowling report studied by the foreign affairs and international trade committee with the recommendations for a legislative framework and a substantive approach following that of environmental practices in other areas, including the World Bank.

The federal government is committed to ensuring that environmental standards are observed and defends the discussion today on the bill, balancing the need for EDC to be environmentally as well as socially responsible with the need to promote Canada's participation in a competitive and international market.

Bill C-31 makes the EDC's board of directors--and we heard mention of the board of directors earlier-including two deputy ministers of the federal government responsible for the environmental review policy. This is a binding obligation.

In addition the auditor general would have an ongoing monitoring and reporting role on behalf of parliament and the Canadian public. The EDC was among the first export credit agency to introduce such a review framework, putting Canada and the EDC at the forefront of current practices in the environmental review of export projects.

The framework has to two guiding principles: first, as the witnesses we heard from stressed, that environmental reviews undertaken by financial institutions to mitigate project risk can help encourage sustainable development by promoting consideration of the environmental benefits and costs of projects in host country jurisdictions; and, second, that EDC should decline support for projects which after taking into account the implementation of mitigation measures are in its opinion likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects that cannot be justified by the anticipated positive effects of such projects.

In other words, if the end result of a project is positive but there is a negative way in which to get to the end result, under its guiding principle the EDC can say no.

This environmental review framework is a reflection of ongoing multilateral discussions at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. In that forum an export credits group is working to develop internationally acceptable standards for the environmental review practices of the export credit agencies of all OECD member countries.

There is a growing number of countries with formal environmental review policies including all the G-7 nations and the majority of OECD nations. Among the best are those of the United States, the United Kingdom and France. My constituents know that EDC's environmental review framework is regarded as being at the forefront of international initiatives in this regard.

Earlier my colleague mentioned the report of the auditor general. He stated that this framework contained all the elements suitably designed to aid this process. It shows the following: how the corporation would identify environmental risks, the information it would need to assess them, the circumstances under which it would decline to support a project or to make its support conditional, and the process for monitoring and reporting to ensure that the risks are appropriately managed.

Canada is standing head to head with other nations. These practices are in wide use. Bill C-31 would strengthen our domestic values and international agreements relating to the environment. Canadians expect that corporations doing business outside our shores such as EDC will reflect our values and the environment.

I call on all my colleagues to support Bill C-31 which would work to ensure the concerns of Canadians will be echoed in both the domestic and international spheres.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, October 1st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the standing orders, I have the honour to present to the House the report from the Canadian Branch, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association concerning the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association visit to the U.K. from May 2 to 18, 2001.

[Sudan, September 26th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, often there are subjects addressed in the House that are very difficult to debate because of their content and because they affect the lives of human beings. Motion No. 246 is such a motion.

I want to commend my colleague across the way who has put this motion on the floor of the House because of the content of the issue that he is raising in order to ensure that we discuss this and continue to discuss Sudan.

The civil war in Sudan is, without a doubt, one of the ugliest conflicts festering in the world. The simple rendition of statistics cannot begin to depict the misery that has been visited upon the people of Sudan. The truly tragic aspect of this war in common with most other contemporary conflicts is that civilians are the main victims.

The roots of this conflict run deep. Some say they go back centuries. As with many conflicts spanning generations, there are emotional scars that make dialogue with those who wish to promote peace a fragile process.

There is little doubt that the government of Sudan has waged this war in a manner that deserves international condemnation. According to the United Nations, nearly two million people have died since 1983 and over four million have been displaced from their homes.

The hon. member for Saskatoon--Wanuskewin refers in his resolution to attacks on civilian populations. He also referred to the denial of urgent humanitarian assistance to specific civilian populations. We believe the hon. member has appropriately identified the Sudanese government actions as being worthy of harsh international criticism.

In a conflict of this dimension, there are no easy answers. The sad fact is that on both sides, rhetoric has taken the place of a genuine commitment to negotiate and compromise. The international community has heard both sides in this conflict repeat over and over again that the war cannot be won militarily and yet both sides continue to fight as though this was their only strategy.

The basis of Canada's Sudan policy is support for a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Let us be clear. Canada is saying that peace is the only way of addressing the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sudan. Peace has to be durable and the only way for a peace settlement to be durable is for it to be negotiated in good faith by the parties to the conflict.

This is one of the key points that causes us not to be able to support the specifics of the motion. Both sides have committed offences in this war. Both sides have used much needed humanitarian aid as a weapon. Both sides acknowledge that the war cannot be won by military victories, but both sides continue to pursue the war with vigour at a very considerable cost to other responsibilities to their constituents. If Canada's Sudan policy is based on supporting a negotiated settlement, we cannot then single out just one party to the conflict for condemnation.

Canada has taken a number of measures. Arms sales from Canada have been banned since 1992. Bilateral development assistance has been terminated, though not humanitarian aid targeted at suffering individuals continue but that aid is not channelled through government conduits. Canada does not promote trade with Sudan.

To date in 2001 the Canadian International Development Agency has provided $4.2 million in food aid to residents of Sudan, as well as $2.7 million in other humanitarian assistance.

Since 1990 CIDA has provided well over $100 million in such assistance through the UN's Operation Lifeline Sudan and the Red Cross. Since 1999 CIDA has committed over $2 million to peace related projects for Sudan, as well as $300,000 for the peace talks secretariat. We are involved in peace talks, in that negotiated peace in Sudan.

Canada is working with many other countries. A regional organization in the Horn of Africa, the inter-governmental authority for development, known by its acronym IGAD, has taken responsibility for managing the peace process in Sudan. It has successfully negotiated the declaration of principles, a document that outlines the basis from which negotiations can be staged. This is, by the way, the only document of this type recognized by the major parties to the conflict.

A number of donor countries have formed the IPF, which is the IGAD partners forum, to support the peace process. Canada is involved there both financially and diplomatically. There is strength in numbers and strength in commonality of purpose. The motion before us would isolate us from the concerted position of our partners and prevent us from playing an effective role in support of the peace process.

Another difficulty with the resolution concerns its use of the term genocide, although I know my colleague was very specific in his explanation.

We must sympathize with the motion of the hon. member but we realize that we must not let emotions that are legitimately generated by this grisly conflict obscure our real goal. Our real goal is peace. Our real goal is to assist the process. Our real goal is to ensure that the peace process in Sudan continues and that there is some alleviation to the situation for the people of Sudan.

I am in empathy and I do support a number of the concerns expressed by my hon. colleague but I think it is important to put the Canadian perspective on the agenda.

[MATCH International Centre, September 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of MATCH International Centre. It is the first Canadian women's organization dedicated to fostering gender equality and social justice in the developing world.

Dr. Norma E. Walmsley and Ms. Suzanne Johnson-Harvor created MATCH in 1976 because they wanted to work with others to improve the lives of poor and marginalized women in countries in the southern hemisphere.

As Canadians we should be proud of the strides MATCH has made in giving hope to thousands of women in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America. The efforts of MATCH over the past 25 years to support self-directed development by women in the developing world has led to new generations of women being aware of their basic human rights.

Fellow members should know that in Sri Lanka MATCH and its partners are working to promote awareness of human rights, good governance and democracy. MATCH is also working in other parts of the world to provide valuable Canadian expertise.

Today the Government of Canada and the Canadian people congratulate this special Canadian organization on its 25th anniversary. We wish it many more successful years.

[Zimbabwe, September 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the tragic occurrence in the United States has seized us all and rightfully so. But two weeks ago, Canada participated in a meeting in Nigeria. The focus was on the situation in Zimbabwe. We were all concerned about commercial farming and its impact on the Zimbabwean people.

Could the Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa apprise us of the results of that meeting?

[Attack on the United States, September 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend my colleague for describing the responses that were made by his constituents. We have also had such responses in my riding of Etobicoke--Lakeshore. Those responses have been well received by our friends in the U.S. I will read a letter from Karen Weltzel of Lompoc, California, who wrote:

We Americans are overwhelmed by the worldwide displays of grieving, prayer, and support. I've seen some news coverage of the services held on Parliament Hill and in other countries yesterday. As an everyday citizen ambassador of the United States, I thank you, your government and your fellow countrymen, for joining us in mourning and remembrance of those who have so tragically lost their lives. I also thank you for the support you have offered in the global effort to seek justice and end terrorism. I pray that God grants to our nation's leaders, and you and your colleagues in governments throughout the world, the wisdom, courage, strength and will, to win the war against terrorism, hatred, bigotry, racism, ignorance and violence. The rest of us have, and continue, to pledge to support you in those efforts.

She concludes by saying that she looks forward to following the progress of the discussion in Canada.

I just wanted to make this comment to let my colleague know that our responses and those of his constituents and mine have been well received by our American friends.

[Attack on the United States, September 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I will go right to my question. I am talking about community healing at this time. As communities get together to reflect on who they are as communities, what concrete suggestions can the member make to us as members to bring about community healing as we move forward?

[Attack on the United States, September 17th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I think all of us in the House are touched by this tragedy. I would like to extend my condolences to all those affected by this. I know that in Etobicoke--Lakeshore neighbours, friends and family are all joining together in their sorrow and sharing as a community. We pride ourselves on the fact that we are multicultural, multiracial and multi-religious and that we live together harmoniously.

I am touched also by the previous speaker's response. What concrete things would he like to see the government make available for community healing at this time?