George Proud

[Regional Development, September 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on the Reform Party's record in regional development.

When Reformers visit Atlantic Canada they say they will eliminate subsidies to stimulate business. However, what does the Liberal Party record say? The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency invests in business. The government has eliminated grants and every $1 we invest in the economy has a $4 effect.

When Reformers visit Atlantic Canada they say they want to get away from Ottawa-directed approaches. However, regional development in Atlantic Canada is just that, regional and local. ACOA's 94 per cent success rate proves it is working.

If the member for Fraser Valley West is an example, maybe Reformers do not really mean what they say when they visit Atlantic Canada, but Canadians cannot take that chance.

Reform has proven that it does not understand Atlantic Canada, but the government is proving that regional development works.

[Committees Of The House, May 31st, 1995]

Yes.

[Committees Of The House, May 31st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second and third reports of the Standing Committee of National Defence and Veterans Affairs, concerning the main estimates for 1995-96.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, May 19th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association which represented Canada at the standing committee meeting of the North Atlantic Assembly, NATO parliamentarians, held in Marmaris, Turkey, April 8 to 10, 1995.

[International Trade, May 19th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my question deals with international trade.

A recent study by the accounting firm KPMG has indicated that cheaper labour, cheaper benefits, and a cheaper dollar make Canada a very competitive place in which to do business, more competitive in fact than the United States.

Would the minister please tell the House what this study means to Canadian workers, to Canadian business, and to Canada's role in the global community?

[Petitions, May 5th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my privilege to rise to present petitions on behalf of many Canadians who ask that Parliament, at the earliest possible time, initiate a wide-ranging public inquiry into the Canadian Armed Forces, including the reserves, which will investigate, report, and make recommendations on

all matters affecting its operations, taskings, resources, effectiveness, morale, and welfare.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, April 26th, 1995]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present to the house, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning the North Atlantic Assembly Subcommittee on Defence and Security Cooperation between Europe and North America held in New York and Washington, D.C., from January 29 to February 3, 1995.

[Peacekeeping, March 29th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I can safely say every member of the House respects and honours our peacekeepers serving around the world. We all know the story of Lester B. Pearson inventing the concept we now call peacekeeping. Not all of us know Canada has participated in every United Nations military effort since Korea.

All this brings us to the debate at hand about the future of Canadian peacekeepers in the former Yugoslavia. Since the beginning of the conflict Canada has been an active participant helping end conflicts there. Through our partnerships in NATO, the organization for security and co-operation in Europe, and the international contact group in Yugoslavia we have sought ways to bring safety to that troubled land.

Canada has contributed almost $60 million in humanitarian aid through various international and non-governmental organizations. Our presence in Bosnia and Croatia has helped save the lives of countless thousands of people. Our aid programs have helped to alleviate the sufferings of those trapped in these conflicts.

Many Canadians are questioning our role in the former Yugoslavia, whether we are even needed there. I believe we are needed there. We must stay there.

As has been said, 2,100 Canadians are serving as peacekeepers and monitors today in the former Yugoslavia. As part of our commitment to NATO, Canada is obligated to help protect the western European security. In keeping that commitment we are at the forefront of NATO expansion and we are helping prevent the Yugoslavian crisis from spilling over into other parts of Europe.

There is always a potential for peace. There is still a potential for peace in the former Yugoslavia. However, for that peace to exist there must be an end to the continual fighting among the various factions. Our humanitarian efforts are helping people realize they can get along in the spirit of co-operation and mutual understanding.

Our peacekeepers are there to prevent acts that might be destructive to any sense of understanding. After all, it was an assassin's bullets on the streets of Sarajevo that sparked the first world war.

If our peacekeepers can prevent such a pivotal action from taking place, they must remain there to make sure this peace comes eventually. Our presence is necessary.

[Government Spending, March 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is easy to tell the end of the fiscal year is upon us. Furniture trucks have been lining up at government offices all across the land as officials try to spend every last cent in their budgets before April 1. In my riding of Hillsborough, as elsewhere, the furniture trucks arrived on the weekend to deliver the goods at various government offices.

This would be all well and good if they were spending their own money. However, they are spending the tax dollars of every single Canadian. When a family is finding it difficult to make ends meet it cuts expenses and delays buying things. The government is having difficulty making ends meet and it also should delay the purchase of such things as furniture. Taxpayers have had enough of this wasting of money every year in March madness.

As we saw in this morning's Ottawa Citizen , the National Capital Commission spent $3 million on new furniture and over $300,000 on new telephone equipment. The people of Hillsborough and the rest of Canada want to see this amount of government waste ended.

[Supply, March 23rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for Saanich-Gulf Islands for the question.

The inquiry as set forth will do an adequate job on the Somalia operation and on other aspects of the military.

I hear questions from across the way at different times asking for these independent inquiries. This inquiry is necessary and will lay to rest the questions of Somalia. It will lay to rest a lot of other questions out there.

I will not rest until I see the day when this type of investigation will be done from within this organization right here. It is my goal as a parliamentarian to see standing committees and other committees doing the work of these special commissions. When that day arrives I will have contributed my part to the parliamentary and democratic process.