Elsie Wayne

[Peacekeeping, December 12th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the following is an excerpt of a poem written by one of our peacekeepers:

T'was the night before Christmas, He lived all alone, In a one bedroom house, Made of plaster and stone.

I had come down the chimney, With presents to give, And see just who, In this home did live.

I looked all about, A strange sight I did see, No tinsel, no presents, Not even a tree.

No stocking by the mantle, Just boots filled with sand, On the wall hung pictures, Of far distant lands.

With medals and badges, Awards of all kinds, A sober thought , Came through my mind.

For this house was different, It was dark and dreary, I found the home of a soldier, Once I could see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping, Silent, alone, Curled up on the floor, In this one bedroom home.

I realized the families, That I saw this night, Owed their lives to these soldiers, Who were willing to fight.

I couldn't help wonder, How many lay alone, On a cold Christmas Eve, In a land far from home.

The very thought brought, A tear to my eye, I dropped to my knees, And started to cry.

The soldier awakened, And I heard a rough voice, 'Santa, don't cry, This life is my choice'.

I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more, My life is my God, My country, my corps.

Then the soldier rolled over, With a voice, soft and pure, Whispered, “Carry on Santa, It's Christmas Day, all is secure.”

One look at my watch, And I knew he was right, “Merry Christmas my friend, And to all a good night”.

[Veterans Affairs, December 4th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today on behalf of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and commend all persons concerned for the decision of Veterans Affairs Canada to compensate Colonel Trotter and other war heroes like him.

I would like to single out the tireless efforts of the member for Kamloops, Thompson and Highland Valleys. My hon. friend was unwilling and unable to accept anything short of the recognition that Colonel Trotter has received today and she should be commended.

Any day when we honour our war veterans is a very good day. It is for this reason that we should be proud of what the minister said only a few moments ago, but the unfortunate reality is that too many of our national heroes have been forced to take legal action against the government for compensation and recognition. In particular, I am thinking of my dear close friends in the Merchant Navy who were forced to come up here to Ottawa on a hunger strike.

Ossie MacLean, arguably the most colourful of those who came to protest, as we all know is no longer with us. He has since passed away. I know that his family is deeply proud of the selfless sacrifice he offered in the name of all of those with whom he served.

I am thinking also of veterans like the late Joseph Authorson, whose assets the federal government seized and who was denied the interest of the investments made on his behalf. Mr. Authorson and his family were forced to turn to the courts to continue their battle and thus far they have been proven right. The courts have been quick to recognize their call to justice and the wrongdoing of the government. The government has sought leave to appeal a groundbreaking judgment of the Ontario Court of Appeal. We will now wait to hear whether its decision will be overturned. Although Mr. Authorson himself is no longer with us, like Ossie MacLean, there are still thousands of Canadian veterans and their families who are suffering through this senseless legal battle.

Finally, my thoughts cannot help but turn to those brave veterans who were used by the Canadian government of the day to test chemical weapons like mustard gas. The government has recognized but never compensated those great Canadians whose patriotism and sense of duty were abused in the name of science. To this day, I have the honour and the privilege of working with great men like Mr. Bill Tanner to try to correct this terrible injustice.

The truth is that for every case like that of Colonel Trotter or that of the Merchant Navy which we bring to light, there are countless others that remain undecided, often even litigated before the courts. In times of great need, this country turned to its young citizens to fight for the ideals of freedom and democracy for the world over. In their golden years, those brave soldiers, now heroes, have been forced to take on the very government that they served so proudly two generations ago.

It has often been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I see the minister's wonderful announcement today as a single step in the right direction. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Colonel Trotter, his family and all those brave prisoners of war who will finally receive their due. On behalf of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, I thank the Minister of Veterans Affairs for taking this position.

[National Defence, November 27th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, this past week the Prime Minister finally indicated that the military would get more money in the next federal budget, and thank God for that, but why does the military have to wait until next February's budget to find out what financial help is on the way for it when it needs replacements for the Sea Kings, it needs new ships and it even needs new uniforms right now?

Why does the government not give the military the money right now?

[Violence against Women, November 26th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the international campaign of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, a campaign that began yesterday with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and will close with the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10. Throughout this period Canadians from across the country will don purple ribbons as a symbol of remembrance of support and of sorrow.

Here in Canada this time of year holds special significance as we gather to mourn the 14 young women who were murdered in Montreal on December 6, 1989.

Violence against women is a threat that is not unknown to Canada. Rather it is a silent and solitary struggle fought in the shadows of family homes.

The purple ribbon is not only a symbol of those mothers, sisters and daughters who are no longer with us, but it is a sign of solidarity with those who defy to this day the terror that is abuse. The message we send is simple and clear: To those who are suffering from abuse, know you are not alone.

[Request for Emergency Debate, November 20th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with the requirement of the Standing Orders I hereby give notice that I am applying for an emergency debate today concerning the inadequate funding of Canada's defence forces.

The Minister of Industry has stated in an interview that our military requires additional money to purchase equipment, to train personnel, and to meet global demands. The Minister of National Defence as well has stated that there is a need for money, but he is having a difficult time convincing the government.

We know what is happening in Iraq. We know that the government of the U.S.A. has come forward and asked Canada to participate. Right now we cannot. We are truly in dire need.

It is time for a debate in the House with regard to funding, CF-18s, Sea Kings, and submarines that cannot even be used, for heaven's sake. There is so much debate that needs to take place. It should be the number one priority for the government.

[Petitions, November 20th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I have before me today a petition with 2,895 names from the greater Saint John area concerning child pornography.

Each and everyone of us knows that Canadians all across the nation are very worried about what has happened just recently in British Columbia with regard to child pornography and artistic merit. The courts have not applied the current child pornography law in a way which makes it clear that such exploitation of children will always be met with swift punishment.

Therefore the petitioners here, the 2,895 signatures, call upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed. I pray that the House will deal with this immediately.

[Points of Order, November 20th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I also was there yesterday, as were you. It was the most nervous time in the 10 years I have been in the House of Commons. It was the most frightening time I have ever experienced in the House of Commons. One did not know what would happen.

We were looking at all three of you, Mr. Speaker, you, the Prime Minister and the previous prime minister, wondering exactly what this man was trying to prove.

The security here is so very important, Mr. Speaker. You will be getting a letter which I wrote to you today. All of us in the House have to know exactly what happened. The person who was in the picture, which appeared in the paper today, looked like he may have been a civil servant because of what he was wearing. I pray to God that he was not.

[National Defence, November 20th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the maritime helicopter project website claims that the deadline for accepting new bids to replace our Sea Kings was to be October 2002, but in this week's Hill Times , however, the defence minister states that his department has no timeline whatsoever.

Will the minister tell the House what he is going to do to get that contract back on track? When will the new deadline for the bids be set? We have the safety of men and women in our Sea Kings at stake.

[Supply, November 19th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with everything that the member has stated because, having worked with those who are disabled, I have seen the difficult time that they have and so many of them have no one to help them.

The hon. member mentioned an access to information request. Did it show those who were mentally disabled? Did it show how many of them were turned down because they could not fill out a form or read it? Even if a new one is sent out they will not be able to read it because they cannot read. Did the hon. member find out how many of the 58,000 were mentally challenged? How could any government take away any pension or any tax credit from any one of them?

[Supply, November 19th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question and I do not know if any of the members have dealt with this issue.

The fact is that there are 58,000 people who are disqualified and many of them are probably mentally impaired. I have worked with the mentally challenged. Those people are not able to fill out their own forms. Some of them do not have any family members to help them. Does the hon. member know how many are mentally impaired and has anyone asked the government to look into that situation?

There is a lady at my church who is having a terrible time. The government took away her disability tax credit and she cannot even walk alone.

How many has the hon. member looked at, has her party looked at, has the government looked at? How many of those 58,000 people are mentally impaired and cannot fill out the forms?