Madam Speaker, like 30 million other Canadians, I salute the courage, resolve and dedication of the men and women who serve in Canada's armed forces. Like every other member of parliament, I pray that whatever sacrifices we may ask those brave men and women to make, they are sacrifices based on wisdom. Whatever course we chart for them, let us back it up with every possible means of support from our nation. I had the honour yesterday to tour CFB Trenton. My colleagues in the House and everybody at home would be proud of the facilities for housing and medicine that have been created and set up for the refugees in such a very short time. I express my humble thanks to the people of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration and the soldiers who have been working so hard around the clock to prepare a possible home for refugees.
As someone who has visited Albania and possibly the only member of parliament who has been in Albania, I want everyone to know how difficult it is and will be for them to take so many refugees because of its own extreme economic difficulties. I hope that the nations of the world providing humanitarian aid will recognize that with real financial assistance to the harbouring countries such as Albania.
While at the Trenton base yesterday I looked in the faces of fine young soldiers and I could not help but think that they are Canada's children and grandchildren. They are fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers so willing to serve and sacrifice, so full of life and promise and so very young. As we make decisions that affect those young lives let us remember that war may be necessary but it is also nasty. War may be noble but it is also numbing to the soul. War may be heroic but it is also horrifying. War may be glorious but it is also gore.
Before victory comes violence. Before triumph comes tragedy. Before defeat of the enemy often comes much death. In the words of Milton, war truly is as terrible as hell.
None of us doubt the need to take on Milosevic and his band of bloody thugs. In this century we have witnessed the monstrous consequences of madmen out of control. We know that pure evil must be driven out. We know that we cannot allow the slaughter of the innocent who are destroyed merely for being different. The action of Milosevic is so barbarous that we cannot find the real words to describe our disgust so we call it ethnic cleansing. We know that what he is doing is giving a wash of hatred to human decency. We know that what he is doing is giving a bath of poison to human dignity.
Choosing when and where to intervene around the world is never easy for democracies. The line is often hazy and fluid but Milosevic is way over the line. He is seeking to empty Kosovo of its citizens by any means possible. For some mad reason he thinks that the ethnic background of Kosovars justifies his cruel and ceaseless campaign against them. The bottom line is that we can see the frightening parallels between Milosevic and past tyrants, and he must be stopped.
That much said, let us as Canadians do everything we can to avoid the mistakes of previous wars. Let us be careful not to demonize Serbian Canadians. While asking them to respect their duty as citizens of a peaceful Canada, let us remind ourselves that they are Canadians. We can all understand their fears while still possibly differing with their point of view. I was particularly concerned when a young Serbian Canadian mother came into my constituency office wondering what she could do to keep her children from being bullied at school. Let us remind ourselves that what we are opposing is Milosevic and his agenda and not innocent Serbians.
Most important, let us be prepared to back our soldiers with more than words if they must move from peacekeepers to peacemakers to wagers of war. We are grateful that so far no Canadian has been a casualty over Kosovo but if and when the stakes are raised so are the risks.
So far Milosevic has proven to be more bent on his wave of destruction than military experts foresaw. The analysts at NATO underestimated what it would take to stop Milosevic. That is understandable. It is tremendously difficult to plumb the depths of evil. Now we know that there are few limits to how far Milosevic is prepared to go. We know the depravity. Now we see the darker side of human nature. If NATO needs to go further let NATO be prepared. Let readiness match resolve. Before we send them forward, let our soldiers have the capacity to meet a master of depravity and the darkness.
If at some point Canada needs to point more of our young soldiers in harm's way, can we be assured that ground troops or any other troops have the proper and finest equipment? Will Canadian troops have proper on site preparation and training? Will our troops have proper backup? More significant, if and when Canada commits ground troops, will all of our NATO partners also commit ground troops?
Canadians do not expect every strategic and tactical decision to be laid out in advance or to be laid out in public. In turn Canadians expect that their concerns expressed in this place by members of parliament to be incorporated into the decision making process. I have absolute confidence in the Prime Minister doing so. That is why this non-partisan debate is so timely and so vital.
Canadian soldiers have long served our nation with pride and long covered our nation with distinction. Fine young Canadians are carrying on with that tradition as we speak now. I admire the bravery of the Canadians who so gallantly wear our forces uniform, but I approach debate on their potential role as combatants with no sense of excitement or joy but rather with a sense of utter seriousness and deep reflection.
We need to give our soldiers every possible guarantee that the resources available to them will match their strength and their sense of duty. We owe it to them. They are the Canadians who will make the sacrifices, and we owe them the resources. They are the ones upholding the flame of liberty, and we owe them all our wisdom. They are Canada's children and grandchildren. Let us give them our full support. We owe them that.
