Len Taylor

[Petitions, September 26th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, it is my duty today to present a petition pursuant to Standing Order 36. The petition is signed by residents of my constituency, primarily from the communities of Paradise Hill and St. Walburg in northwest Saskatchewan

The petitioners note to Parliament that the majority of Canadians respect the sanctity of human life and state that human life at the preborn stage is not protected by Canadian society. Therefore the petitioners call upon Parliament to extend protection to the unborn child by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by born human beings to unborn human beings.

[The Environment, September 26th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend I had the privilege of attending the annual general assembly of the Canadian Environmental Network. I commend this organization for once again bringing together Canada's most active environmentalists for several days of thought provoking discussion.

I listened carefully during the weekend and in addition to the sharing of information I heard the general frustration expressed with regard to how the Liberal government is responding to critical environmental issues.

For example, the government has been in office almost 12 months and still has not proclaimed Bill C-13, the Environmental Assessment Act. Second, the government is responsible for the environmental assessment of low level military flight training in Labrador and has been most unfair to the Innu during this assessment process.

The federal government is considering funding cuts to the so-called interest groups such as the Canadian Environmental Network, the very groups that by their efforts have the ability to save governments money in the long run.

My congratulations to CEN on this year's annual general assembly.

[Low-Level Flights, September 20th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Goose Bay, Labrador, Innu protesters delayed the start of public hearings into low-level military flight training over their traditional hunting grounds. The Innu claim that the flights disrupt wildlife in the area, which is their major source of food, and contaminate the environment.

These public hearings are being held to evaluate a flawed Department of National Defence environmental impact statement that, according to scientists, contains more than 130 deficiencies, including the proposal to create one giant training zone and the use of thin aluminum strips that make animals sick when they eat them. The Innu have called into question the timing of the hearings, and the fairness and independence of the assessment panel conducting the review.

Therefore I call on the government to immediately suspend the hearings until the concerns of the Innu are addressed, and to consider the advisability of ending all low-level flight training over the territory of the Innu. The Innu people never ceded their land to Canada for military purposes. They have lived off this land in peace for 9,000 years and they deserve fair and humane treatment.

[Points Of Order, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I would like one short opportunity to intervene in this point of order as well.

I am an associate member of that committee. The leader of my party, the member for Yukon, was sitting on my behalf in the aboriginal affairs committee.

What this debate points out is that there could be a flaw in our standing orders that this House now has an opportunity to correct, knowing the difficulties that it puts in place for independent, associate or other members of this House who have an interest in committee work but who are not members of a specific committee.

On behalf of the member for Yukon and my party I want to thank the members of the Official Opposition for their co-operation and assistance in allowing the member for Yukon to participate in the way she was able to during that committee.

I think the work the members of the Official Opposition have done in this case should serve as an example of the change that we need to make in the standing orders so that we will be able to allow forms to be signed by someone who cannot sign a form, to allow for participation of other members.

Members realize that an associate member has no way to transfer his or her place at the table to another member and that the only means of voting is to take the place of a member who does have a voting spot which rests with the three major parties.

[Transport, June 17th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Transport should resign. In recent days he has demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of the western grain economy and in doing so he has completely ignored the history of the transportation debate which time and time again has proven the support for the Crow benefit among the people it most affects.

In a country as large and diverse as Canada our government should be looking at developing a national transportation policy that supports and not penalizes those who depend on transportation for their livelihood.

If the minister wants to stay in transport then he should be thinking about ways in which his department can help those who depend most upon it. If the minister will not review and renounce his position on eliminating the Crow benefit then he should step aside and let someone who knows western Canada and cares about transportation take over.

[The Reform Party, June 17th, 1994]

Yes it is. We are neighbours.

[The Reform Party, June 17th, 1994]

The Battlefords-Meadow Lake, Mr. Speaker.

[Saskatchewan, June 15th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today the first socialist government in North America was elected in Saskatchewan.

On June 15, 1944 Tommy Douglas and his team of candidates from the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation came to office and with rolled up sleeves, a people first agenda and lots of hard work they set about the undaunting task of pulling Saskatchewan out of debt and improving the quality of life of its citizens.

In Saskatchewan the legacy of Tommy Douglas and his successors Woodrow Lloyd, who made hospitalization a reality, and Alan Blakeney, who presided over 11 consecutive balanced budgets, is is being taken up by current Premier Roy Romanow and a team of New Democrats who are successfully tackling and reducing what was the highest provincial per capital debt in Canada while at the same time establishing progressive health care reform.

A good future is based on remembering your past. Today we remember with respect and admiration Tommy Douglas and the Saskatchewan CCF.

[Recall Act, June 14th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, on June 3 I rose in the House during Question Period to ask the federal government to address the grievances of Indian veterans.

At this time when Canadians from coast to coast are beginning to celebrate the 50th anniversary of various events that led up to the end of the second world war in 1944, it seems unreasonable to leave the grievances of aboriginal veterans unresolved. These grievances concern the benefits aboriginal veterans received for their services in the first world war, the second world war, and the Korean war and these grievances are long standing.

The National Indian Veterans Association and the Saskatchewan Indian Veterans Association have worked hard to bring these issues to the attention of the public. Aboriginal veterans have told their stories many times before. They have told about Canada's demand that a person of aboriginal descent had to give up their Indian status to contribute to the war efforts. They have told about the bureaucratic nightmare that resulted from the clash of Canadian laws and policies derived from the Indian Act, the Soldier Settlement Act and the Veterans Act.

Aboriginal leaders have told about the uneven distribution of veterans benefits to First Nation and aboriginal veterans. They have told about the educational and vocational assistance that was not provided to them and they have told about the unequal granting of hospital and medical benefits because they were Indians under the jurisdiction of the Indian Act.

These grievances are not easily dismissed. We have even been told about the surrender of First Nations land that was later used for soldiers settlements after the war, the surrender of land that was Indian land to begin with.

A number of proposals have been put forward to help resolve these issues and I would like to ask the government to respond to these requests immediately. The first short term recommendation is that Canada make available resources in order for the aboriginal war veterans associations, the Legions and other organizations in the regions of Canada to be annually represented at ceremonies in the nation's capital on Remembrance Day.

In the longer term Canada must continue to address the benefits issues and make available to all aboriginal veterans the same benefits that were available to all returning Canadian war veterans. This must be researched and reimbursement of those lost benefits must be paid to these people if they are living and if not, to their descendants.

I think there are other remedies that must be considered, not the least of which are the payment of compensation for expropriated land and the reinstatement of offspring of First Nations aboriginal war veterans who were affected by the involuntary loss of status associated with their joining up with the forces.

First Nations people willingly volunteered their services in the belief that they were helping Canada. Now Canada must take the opportunity to right the wrongs and the injustices.

When I first raised this question in the House of Commons earlier this month the minister responsible for veterans said that he was not aware of any such injustices. As we speak, Mr. Speaker, you and most members of this House are aware that the members of the Senate are conducting public hearings on this very important subject and in just a few days the Indian veterans

are meeting in conference in Saskatoon to further add to the growing evidence in support of their arguments.

In this regard I call upon the government, not just the minister responsible for veterans, but the entire government, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, any minister in the government across the way to recognize the seriousness of this question and take steps immediately to begin the process of resolving these important matters.

[Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act, June 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the Reform Party has said on several occasions this afternoon there was not enough time to prepare for this debate. Was the Reform Party not aware that this agreement was signed a year ago and that implementing legislation would have to be brought to the House at some point? Did Reform members not prepare and do their homework prior to the introduction of the bill so they would be prepared for the debate knowing it was coming forward?