Sheila Finestone

[Auditor General Act, November 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for articulating the situation very well.

I assure her that in the past two years the government has taken many concrete and positive steps toward reducing and preventing violence against women and children. Our strategy is multi-faceted just like the problem of violence which is particularly costly socially, psychologically and economically to our society.

We also took a number of legislative measures, starting with the firearms bill.

I wish to urge the members of the other place to pass this bill immediately. They cannot remain insensitive to the distress call sounded by the families of the victims of events at the École polytechnique and by the individuals my hon. colleague just mentioned. Two thirds of the people killed by their partners are women and one third of all victims of homicide are women.

We have introduced amendments to the Criminal Code to make peace bonds more effective in keeping abusers away from women and children. As of January 1, 1996 Bill C-41 will require tougher sentences for crimes involving abuse of trust or those motivated by gender based hate.

The government supports community based solutions. For example, more than 2,000 projects have been funded through the family violence initiative, which has been extended for another year. Status of Women Canada has made available community kits on violence against women, a step by step guide to community action. I hope many communities will write in to get copies of it and use it, as many have already done.

At the recent fourth United Nations world conference on women in Beijing Canada was active in securing strong wording on violence against women. The final agreement states that violence is never a private matter, that the state has an obligation to legislate against violence against women and to prosecute and punish those who commit violence.

In the interest of our women and our children and the men in our society we must reduce violence in our society. In Canada the government is working to fulfil that obligation.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the government and the minister in charge have made it eminently clear that the changing circumstances and the economic aspects of the CBC, the National Film Board and Telefilm are all to be taken into account as the mandate is reviewed. The CRTC is involved as well.

From that perspective, the hon. member might well wait for the results which should be announced shortly.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I remind my hon. colleague that Canadians of both official languages have responsibilities to each other, to know each other, to see each other and to hear from each other. Whether it is in French in Alberta or English in Montreal or wherever it may be, the country has facilities for bilingual services. When one is travelling one should be able to hear one's own language and one's own culture wherever one is.

As the hon. member knows, there are more than just French speaking people who listen to Radio-Canada. There are also anglophones who listen to it. I am a very good example.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, CBC Radio-Canada's role is to reflect our society, the people within our society. It has journalistic freedom, which is within its mandate.

I suggest the impartiality and the responsibility journalistically speaking will be determined in the report to be submitted byMr. Perrin Beatty and that committee.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it might be very helpful if my hon. colleague would recognize we are in a significantly changing environment with respect to telecommunications, broadcasting, film distribution, marketing, et cetera.

The government spends in excess of $1 billion for Radio-Canada, CBC, Telefilm Canada and the National Film Board. Perhaps that money could be spent more succinctly, more successfully and in a more focused way. It is for that reason that a committee was set up by the minister responsible for Canadian heritage. We should know its response very shortly.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to talking about democracy, when it comes to talking about how language should be understood or one's accent, when it comes to discussing who has the right to vote and the weight of that vote, I do not think there are any exercises in democracy that need to be taken by this side of the House.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague must be aware, the mission of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Radio Canada International is, and I quote:"[-] to reflect major current events and contribute to the exercise of democracy"-something you and others need to learn about-"to the affirmation of the sovereignty of the country and to helping the various regions to come to know more about each other, and to more accurately reflect the national identity". This has not been denied by our Prime Minister and this is how we promote all of our undertakings.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, November 20th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that we need to stress that the Prime Minister may perhaps be completely right in this, but with respect to the comment from my colleague, he is also aware that CBC President Perrin Beatty has set up a committee to examine our Prime Minister's comments, which I feel are clearly justified, and the response will be forthcoming in due course.

[Domestic Violence, November 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague's question demonstrates quite clearly the tragic incident that two-thirds of the cases of domestic violence, homicide, involve women. The government is well aware of the concerns around sexual harassment and race and concerns with respect to the effect of violence on women.

We have acted to address these instances with the firearms control legislation, with the elimination of extreme drunkenness as a defence, with the increased effectiveness of the peace bond, with legislation on criminal harassment or the stalking issue, and with the sentencing reform that includes tougher sentences against hate and abuse of positions of trust, recognition of gender persecution, the whole question of the dangerous offenders and DNA.

The government has moved to ensure there will be safe streets, safe homes and a safer workplace. We shall move some more in this area.

[Status Of Women, October 25th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, Canada was indeed honoured with this prestigious prize, and this goes to show that Canada is a great place to live for everyone. This is something we should all be proud of. This government has furthered the cause of women: their equality, prosperity and safety throughout the country, including Quebec. Remarkable progress has been made, and the Quebec minister herself agreed with this and congratulated Canada for it.

The men and women who attended the rally in Verdun last night recognized the benefits of living in Canada, the standard of living we enjoy in this country, and stated that they wanted to live a strong Quebec within a united Canada. They said No to separation.