Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the whip of the Reform Party, I would like to advise the House that pursuant to Standing Order 43(2) our speakers on the motion will be dividing their time.
In speaking on today's opposition day motion which addresses the economic equality between men and women, I am drawn back to my 30 years in the classroom where I hope I successfully taught our young people that they did not deserve special treatment because they were women or that the young men did not deserve special treatment because they were men. I hope I set high standards in my classroom. The only qualifications for achievement were hard work, the ability to respect all fellow students and the ability to accept responsibility.
By now it is obvious that while I hold women in high regard, I also hold men in high regard. Part of this respect comes from my father, a military man of four wars: the Irish rebellion, the first world war, the Palestine uprising and the second world war.
I do not remember him telling any of his nine children, six of them girls, that there were any restrictions on what they could do with their lives. I only remember one strong message given to each of his children: a man or a woman is worthy of their hire. Do not be asking how much pay you are going to get. Work hard, your employer will like your responsible attitude. If you treat others as you wish to be treated, this usually holds true.
My mother never went out to work, enjoyed her home, raising her children, president of the PTA, and encouraged all her children to work hard. Although she never learned to drive, she encouraged her children to, and her daughters to carry their own weight in society. I remember while she was on the PTA our school board served hot lunches every day to each student through the help of volunteer parents and the community. The government did not pay for these hot lunches.
Why am I saying all this? There are a lot of members in this House who, like me, are over 50 and who can attest to these strong teachings given to us by our parents of all cultures and all nationalities. These parents if still alive are grandparents and some great-grandparents. Many of us here today are grandparents. 1994 is the year of the family and I can think of no better way to celebrate International Women's Day than to pay tribute to grandparents around the world.
In many cultures our senior citizens are treated with much more respect than here in Canada. They are given a position of honour and respect in the family. If we look at various cultures around the world we see the importance of grandparents in raising children. With the British Columbia Indians, for example, traditionally the grandparents raise the young people. Also in the Chinese culture and many other cultures around the world.
Throughout the history of mankind societies throughout Asia, Europe and North America, all of them, had concerns for the children. Throughout all these societies, whether a modern society or aboriginal people, there was always a place in the old days where the elders were respected. The elders helped train the children. They passed on tradition, culture and heritage. It went way beyond that. It went to the point of giving the feeling of security, the feeling of love and warmth.
In today's world of broken marriages and single parents we need the support and the stability of our grandparents more than ever before.
In this year of the family there are no special interest groups. Rather we must look at the whole family from the youngest to the oldest. It is very significant that grandparents seem to have a real natural regard and concern for grandchildren.
Not so long ago this subject was debated in the Alberta legislature. Mrs. Hughes quoted a study by Jim Gladstone at the University of Guelph. He conducted a study in 1986 that reinforced the importance of grandparents to grandchildren. The report concluded that when marriages break down grandmothers have more contact with their grandchildren than perhaps ever before. Gladstone believes that this means that grandparents have an innate tendency to respond to the needs and the emotional upheaval of their grandchildren and their children.
Previous research on children of divorces suggested that young children have very little opportunity to talk about the breakup.
Gladstone goes on to say that through the child's unique relationship with the grandparents they can obtain the kind of counselling, comfort, reassurance that they need providing they have access, continuous access.
Therefore there is a necessity for creative legislation that protects access for both grandparents. We can that see that grandparents have a great deal to contribute to the life of these children of broken marriages.
I understand that article 611 of Quebec Civil Code states:
In no case may the father or mother without serious cause place obstacles to personal relationship between the child and grandparents.
This is in Quebec civil law. It is the only province thus far that has enshrined it in law.
We also need to look at precedents in legislation. For example 50 states in the United States have similar types of legislation. Last week I had the honour of meeting with Nancy Wooldridge, president of Canadian Grandparents Rights Association, British Columbia Branch, formed in 1986. Nancy Wooldridge successfully defended her rights as a grandparent in the courts in 1984.
The purpose of the association is to promote, support, and assist grandparents and their families in maintaining or re-establishing family ties and family stability where the family has been disrupted, especially those ties between grandparents and grandchildren.
We could give many practical examples of how grandparents have been obstructed through the court system from contacting children when they could have had a very positive effect on them. The Grandparents Rights Association has many documented cases.
Again because of time we are not going to go into them today. In many cases it is a personal tragedy for the grandparents but more important for the grandchildren who are deprived of this most important asset.
Therefore it is important that we have legal protection for our grandchildren. We can recognize that all grandparents are not beneficial to grandchildren but there are times when they should have direct access. However this can still be established by the courts. We do not suggest we change this.
This would be a very positive step toward protection and development of the child. It is something that lawmakers in Canada could contribute to. I am asking the government in any consideration of future legislation to consider including the rights of grandparents in a fair and legitimate manner.
I would be remiss if I did not recognize the past efforts of other parliamentarians who have brought to the House the concerns of grandparents. The hon. member for Ottawa West, one of our Liberal members, presented petitions and Stan Wilbee of the last Parliament presented Bill C-332 to amend the Divorce Act to protect the rights of grandparents as well as grandchildren. Now is the time for all members of the House to recognize the rights of the complete family in this 1994 year of the family.
Tomorrow I will be presenting a petition containing over 3,000 names in continuing support for the complete family and in support of our grandparents. At this hour I am awaiting news from British Columbia that my seventh grandchild has been born.
I would like at this time to move:
That the motion be amended by adding immediately after the word "conditions" the following:
"through measures that support equality of opportunity without resorting to gender discrimination of any kind"
