Mr. Speaker, the official opposition day on the Armenian genocide affords me the opportunity to speak on this most important matter. The debates surrounding this question are aimed at encouraging the Canadian government to officially recognize the genocide of 1915. This crime against humanity is, we believe, something that must not be left in the shadows to be ignored.
The motion presented by the Bloc Quebecois stipulates that, on this 81st anniversary of the genocide, the government ought to designate the week of April 20 to 27 of each year as the week to commemorate man's inhumanity to man, acknowledging that the actions in question are to be strongly condemned and all people on earth are to bear witness to them.
In fact, the Bloc motion essentially reflects the spirit of a motion tabled by the Liberal member for Don Valley North in April of 1995. Unfortunately, some of his colleagues opposed it, and the motion was not put to a vote in the House at that time.
It would have provided the government with another feather in its cap as a defender of human rights. Instead, we are faced with an astonishing about face.
The Liberal government's attitude in this matter is disappointing, but not really a surprise. When the Liberals were in the opposition benches, they did not hesitate to call for explicit recognition of the Armenian genocide by this House. Since they have returned to power, they have completely changed their tune, you might say. Human rights are no longer necessarily a priority, but are often subordinate to economic interests.
Just recently, the brand new Minister of International Cooperation was pressuring the mayor of Montreal to abandon his plans to erect a monument to the victims of genocide, including the Armenian people. The minister would have preferred "tragic events" to be used instead of the term "genocide". Watering down the concept in such a context is tantamount to confirming that the final step in a genocide is to attempt after the fact to deny its very existence, or at the very least to minimize its importance, and that is what we are seeing here today.
This is what the Liberal government is again trying to do, by proposing an amendment in an undignified attempt to water down the seriousness of the situation. If it refused to support the motion of my friend and colleague from Ahuntsic, the Liberal government would be implicitly supporting the extremists who wish to stifle historical memory. This in no way reflects the fundamental values of Quebecers and Canadians.
Fortunately, the governments of Quebec and Ontario have long supported the universal values human rights represent. In 1980, they both adopted motions recognizing the Armenian genocide and demanding that the federal government follow suit.
It is incongruous that, 16 years later, here we are still in this House calling for the Canadian government to act. Does the federal government refuse to recognize this reality? During World War I, the Ottoman Turk government committed atrocities against the Armenian people.
The Ottoman Empire executed one and a half million Armenians and deported another 500,000. And what is especially sad is that many people are keeping this situation hidden.
If we want to avoid impunity one day inciting other peoples to similar actions, and, unfortunately, we have more recent examples still fresh in our minds, Parliament must today recognize that the genocide of the Armenian community is one of this century's major tragedies. We must avoid euphemisms at all cost and give words their due in keeping with the events that occurred. As the proverb has it, "An idea well conceived presents itself clearly, and the words to express it come readily".
When things are described as they are and international pressure is brought to bear, one day soon, Turkey will take responsibility for this genocide. We must not close our eyes to such crimes and allow the passage of time to bury them.
The government's position on human rights, as I said earlier, is disappointing. For the present government, trade and export are all that count. Foreign affairs and business affairs go hand in hand, and the rights of the individual are being muddled with the rights of the businessman.
The Liberal government is so obsessed by the simple rationality of money and trade that it forgets the vital element and has to be reminded of it by the Canadian Exporters' Association. At a conference organized by the international centre for human rights, the president of the exporters' association pointed out that international trade and efforts to increase respect for human rights were not mutually exclusive and that the government should seriously pursue both. He also added that business should voluntarily adopt rules of conduct for activities abroad.
Finally, and this is what counts, he pointed out that international trade and investments alone did not bring about improved respect for human rights. This is from the Canadian Exporters' Association. And yet, the Prime Minister has been endlessly repeating the opposite ever since he came to power. The world is on its ear.
The government's priorities in this area do not reflect the values shared by Quebecers and Canadians.
In a recent poll, Canadians and Quebecers were asked to rank the various objectives of Canada's foreign policy according to their importance. Fifty three per cent of Quebecers and 48 per cent of Canadians said that the protection of human rights was very important.
In Quebec the protection of human rights was deemed more important than the promotion of trade. Fortunately, the peoples of Quebec and Canada are much more compassionate toward victims of terror than their government.
These values shared by the peoples of Quebec and Canada as a whole are universal values which can be found in the universal charter of human rights. They must be reflected in Canada's international policies. The values of equality, justice and respect for fundamental rights transcend culture, language, continents and even time.
It would be too easy, for instance, to keep trading with China without uttering a word regarding its shameful record of human rights violations. I refuse to believe that the Chinese are marginally more inclined to live under dictatorial rule or that their culture makes it easier for them to do so.
Along the same line, we cannot endorse the idea that women are second class citizens, just because they are women, and view this as normal, because local religious beliefs.
Another case in point: the Canadian government must react when trading with a country where young children work in appalling conditions. The government has the moral duty to promote and protect human rights. This is one of the main reasons for its international involvement.
As a Montreal journalist said last week: "Finally, this issue raises-and I believe it is of the utmost importance-the question of the universality of rights. Are relativism and piecemeal policy, which are the essence of politics and diplomacy, not being taken too far when we hear major western leaders preach the relativity of universal values?" This is the crux of the matter. It has also been said that it was a very popular theme with despots in Africa and Asia".
To conclude, I would urge my colleagues to support the motion brought forward by the member for Ahuntsic to set aside a week to commemorate man's inhumanity to man. This way, every year we would have the opportunity to remember the errors of the past, and to offer on the international stage an image of Canada reflecting the values of the peoples of Quebec and Canada.
