Georgette Sheridan

[Health Care, October 28th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, October 1996 marks the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' national public awareness campaign on menopause.

Supported in this important initiative by partners such as the Osteoporosis Society of Canada, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association and the North American Menopause Society, the SOGC has launched a four-week campaign called "Menopause: Let's Talk About It!"

Thanks to the co-operation of Canadian cable industry members like Shaw Cable, a cross-country series of public dialogues will be televised to ensure maximum community awareness.

Founded in 1944, the SOGC, a voluntary, scientific, non-profit corporation, remains committed to education initiatives for both the public and health care professionals.

Once a taboo subject, menopause has become a topic of great interest. Women are bombarded with information from lay sources, the media and the medical community. To help sort fact from fiction the SOGC's national awareness campaign is designed to inform women of choices available to them during menopause, to provide greater access to information to allow informed decision making and to raise public awareness of menopause and its impact on women's lives.

While the national campaign is-

[Petitions, October 23rd, 1996]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I have the pleasure to present a petition signed by some 10,000 Canadians whose signatures form part of a petition with 70,000 names.

These Canadians are concerned about the plight of endangered species in Canada and that there are compelling ecological, economic and ethical reasons to save Canada's irreplaceable wild species. Therefore they call upon Parliament to enact enforceable legislation that will protect Canada's endangered species.

[Persons Case, October 23rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, October is Women's History Month. What better time to recall the historic Persons case of October 18, 1929. On that date the British Privy Council overturned the decision of the Canadian Supreme Court which excluded women from public office, pursuant to its interpretation of the British North America Act.

Having decided women were not persons, the court said that women could not be appointed to the Canadian Senate. Dismissing this interpretation as "a relic of days more barbarous than ours" the privy council opted for a more modern view that women were "people too".

If we do not remember our history, we shall be condemned to repeat it. In the telling of this tale we can be encouraged by the increased numbers of female parliamentarians, over 50 MPs and more than 20 senators. While it is an improvement over 1929, the lesson of the Persons case is that we can do better.

I look forward to a time when the proportion of female representation in government is a true reflection of the general population and like the privy council, we can look back on today's modest numbers as a relic of days gone by.

[Jeanette Dean, October 10th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, Jeanette Dean of Saskatoon has been selected to receive the Canada Volunteer Award Certificate of Merit presented in

recognition of valuable voluntary contributions toward improving the health and social well-being of her fellow Canadians.

In 1987 Mrs. Dean retired from teaching at the Saskatoon School for the Deaf. She did not stop working, however. She joined the Saskatoon UNICEF chairing two committees. She was involved with no less than three Canadian Federation of University Women clubs, did volunteer teaching for the deaf, was national director of Educators of the Hearing Impaired, and helped set up the Saskatchewan hearing aid plan.

She now teaches speech reading in low cost housing projects, works with immigrants and children at the Saskatoon Open Door Society. She works with refugees and is involved with amateur theatre, seniors and the library.

What I wonder is what does this woman do with her spare time?

[Seager Wheeler Historical Farm Society, October 4th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Seager Wheeler Historical Farm Society. Named for Seager Wheeler, the internationally renowned plant breeder, the society was one of only 10 organizations to receive a Parks Canada award in 1966.

These awards are presented by the Government of Canada in recognition of exception or innovative achievement in the protection, preservation and presentation of Canada's natural and cultural heritage.

The recipients of these awards must have made a contribution in at least one of the following areas: responsible action and stewardship, education, research or policy development. The Seager Wheeler Historical Farm Society excelled in all categories.

Today Larry and Doreen Janzen will attend a special Parks Canada awards ceremony in Banff, Alberta to accept this prestigious award on behalf of the many volunteers like them whose tireless efforts have safeguarded and enhanced this Saskatchewan heritage treasure.

[Cjvr Melfort, September 17th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to CJVR Melfort, the 1996 Canadian country music station of the year in the secondary market class.

Chosen from over 100 other applications, CJVR excelled in all categories, particularly for its community involvement in helping with the 1996 Royal Bank Cup for its promotion of Canadian country music by hosting "Saskatchewan Country Sunday".

General Manager Gary Fitz attributes CJVR's success to its 24 member staff, a hard working, cohesive team of dedicated professionals with deep ties to the station and commitment to their community.

CJVR is getting used to the winner's circle, having been named the Saskatchewan Country Music Station's radio station of the year in 1995.

Today I offer my congratulations to Gary, Brent and all the rest of the superstar staff at CJVR.

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

I know, it is the other side of the story. It is not perfect and that is why the minister has put together a panel chaired by a very competent individual and people representing all the stakeholders involved on all sides of the issue. We can put a thoughtful view on this, as opposed to whatever it is that comes out of the Reform Party.

I wonder if my colleague could explain to Reformers one more time why there is strength in numbers, why 130,000 farmers acting together with an improved board to sell their grain would be more useful than every man for himself. I do mean every man for himself when I talk about the Reform Party.

[Supply, June 19th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the comments made by the members of the third party this evening.

It is somewhat ironic that it takes a member of the Bloc Quebecois to explain to the third or fourth party the destructiveness of what it is Reform members are advocating this evening.

The member from the Bloc mentioned, and I quote from some of his comments, that the Reform Party was out of touch. That is abundantly clear when we have many western producers who favour not the dismantling of the wheat board but having a close examination of it to see how it could be improved in a sensible, logical, carefully thought out way. It is anathema to the Reform Party. Carefully thought out is not in the Reform Party handbook.

My hon. friend also mentioned that what the Reform Party is up to is political mileage. The other side of that is short term thinking. I guess if one is the fourth party, short term thinking is about all one can afford to do because one will not be around that long anyway.

The other term that was used by my colleague was Reform mania. I know we are here speaking about wheat and not mad cows, but it occurred to me as I listened that their solution to this is because there some problems with the wheat board and they cannot think their way out of this, so just dump it. That is the Reform Party's simplistic, short term, Homer Simpson-like solution.

Of course the wheat board is not perfect-

[Agnes Boros, June 13th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the volunteer efforts of Agnes Boros.

Agnes spent six weeks in Panama City with CESO, an agency supported by CIDA, the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and by hundreds of Canadian corporations and individuals.

Agnes had the task of reviewing the expansion plans of an outdated, overcrowded cancer treatment centre.

Her efforts brought about real change. After discovering that the only expansion site was the antiquated laundry facility of an adjacent hospital, Agnes worked out a compromise that will allow both hospitals to share a new laundry. Agnes also provided a detailed cost estimate that facilitated agreement from various authorities for a construction plan. She developed the concept plans for both the bone marrow and intensive care units.

Like other CESO volunteers, Agnes has professional skills and experience that she willingly shares with needy businesses and

organizations in developing nations, emerging market economies and Canadian aboriginal communities. Well done, Agnes.

[Auto Leasing, May 7th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of the House the concerns of many of my constituents regarding banks being allowed to enter the auto leasing industry.

My riding is an urban-rural split. While that sometimes results in a polarization of viewpoints, on this issue my constituents, rural and urban alike, are saying the same thing: Keep banks out of the auto leasing business.

I have had calls and letters from throughout the riding and the province objecting to these changes. All feel that allowing the banks into this field would deal a mortal blow to the car dealerships, the small businesses that currently handle this business. These businesses employ people in the community, contribute to community events and support the volunteer efforts that make a community strong.

The big banks and car manufacturers do not need people like me to lobby for them; they have highly paid professionals to do that job. The people I am concerned about are the small businesses in Saskatoon-Humboldt and elsewhere in the province of Saskatchewan. On their behalf I urge the government not to change the Bank Act to allow banks into the auto leasing business.