Jack Frazer

[Department Of National Defence, September 16th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence accused my colleague of interfering with the process. I would point out that it was the minister who

drew the conclusions with regard to General Boyle before General Boyle had even finished testifying.

The Prime Minister campaigned on issues of leadership, integrity and accountability. Will the Prime Minister now admit that in continuously defending his hand-picked chief of defence staff by doing nothing, he is failing to give the Canadian forces the leadership, integrity and accountability it needs and deserves?

[Department Of National Defence, September 16th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the military is doing well despite rather than because of the leadership.

A good leader and in particular a good military leader must be trusted and respected by those who follow.

General Boyle's Somalia inquiry testimony indicates that his leadership includes misleading the military police, breaking the spirit of the Access to Information Act, accusing junior officers of lacking moral fibre and receiving preferential treatment from his department.

Will the Prime Minister now act to provide unquestioned leadership for the Canadian forces by removing General Boyle and the Minister Collenette?

[Committees Of The House, June 20th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to address three points. The member for Berthier-Montcalm indicated that in his opinion, the member for Okanagan-Similkameen-Merritt sent this matter to the committee. That is, in fact, incorrect.

Mr. Speaker, you heard the charge and decided there was a prima facie case. The House debated it and it was sent to the committee by 295 members of Parliament, not by one man.

Second, ostensibly the reason the member for Charlesbourg sent that communique to the Canadian forces bases was to advise

Quebec members of the armed forces that if there was a yes vote, there would be a job waiting for them in the Quebec army.

The member also clearly mentioned that Bill 1 spells out the fact that there was going to be a Quebec army if Quebec became a separate country. Why then was it necessary to send that communique?

[Merchant Navy Veteran And Civilian War-Related Benefits Act, June 20th, 1996]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-320, an act to amend the Merchant Navy Veteran and Civilian War-related Benefits Act and the War Veterans Allowance Act.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is introduced to ensure that wartime Canadian merchant navy veterans will henceforth receive equal standing, rights, privileges and benefits to those afforded to all Canadian navy, army and air force war veterans.

Current legislation limits recognition of merchant navy service benefits to service on a high seas voyage. This bill will address this injustice by amending the definition of "high seas voyage" under the Merchant Navy Veteran and Civilian War-related Benefits Act to include all areas where actual attacks by the enemy occurred.

The bill will also clarify the measurement criteria for time of commencement and termination of service for the eligibility of merchant navy war veterans.

Current legislation excludes merchant navy service benefit eligibility from time of capture or the involuntary termination of duty travel assignment which left them stranded overseas. For example, half of the merchant navy prisoners of war held in the Far East who were captured after landfall fell into this category.

Further, this bill will amend the War Veterans Allowance Act to include merchant navy war veterans, thus ensuring them the same recognition and benefits provided to navy, army and air force war veterans.

Time marches on and it is vital that Parliament moves now to correct these long overdue inequities before it is too late; the average age of merchant navy veterans is 76 years.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)

[Petitions, June 17th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my duty and honour to rise in the House to present two petitions, duly certified by the clerk of petitions, on behalf of 139 constituents of Saanich-Gulf Islands.

The petitioners humbly pray and call upon Parliament to ensure that the present provisions of the human rights act and the charter of rights and freedoms prohibiting amendments to indicate societal approval of same sex relationships, homosexuality and the undefined phrase of sexual orientation remain in force.

[Canadian Volunteer Service Medal For United Nations Peacekeeping Act, June 10th, 1996]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-300, an act respecting the establishment and award of a Canadian volunteer service medal and clasp for United Nations peacekeeping to Canadians serving with a United Nations peacekeeping force.

Madam Speaker, as was said, this bill is an act respecting the establishment and award of a Canadian volunteer service medal and clasp for United Nations peacekeeping to Canadians serving with a United Nations peacekeeping force.

This bill is introduced to correct a present oversight. The United Nations now issues medals to Canadians who serve on peacekeeping activities. Some time later, the Governor General declares that United Nations medal to be a Canadian medal.

However, many of our peacekeepers do not accept this as appropriate Canadian recognition, and desire that such service be properly recognized by the award of a purely Canadian volunteer service medal for peacekeeping.

Also included in this bill is the clasp which would provide visual recognition of the great honour that was bestowed on Canada by our peacekeepers when they won the Nobel peace award on September 30, 1988.

This bill would provide for a clasp to be affixed on the medal to indicate the people who earned that award.

All Canadians are justifiably proud of our contribution to peacekeeping and it is most appropriate that we provide pure Canadian recognition of that contribution to our world esteem.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)

[Canadian Armed Forces, June 4th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian forces have been under intense pressure of late with problems of scandal, senior leadership, aging equipment and the demands of frequent overseas rotations.

Despite these adversities, the individual men and women of the Canadian forces and their units stand out amongst others. Their performance is exemplary.

At a recent multinational military skills competition in Valika Kladusa, Bosnia a team of about 60 Canadian soldiers in competition with their British and Czech compatriots emerged as overall winners.

The six event competition was intended to sharpen performance and military skills while building team spirit and confidence. The competition included a 18 kilometre timed march, an obstacle course, a relay and a tug of war.

The training, commitment, team work, physical fitness and pride of our soldiers made the difference. They deserve our recognition, our praise and, most of all, our full support.

[Petitions, June 3rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, it is my duty and honour to present a petition which I have received and have had certified by the clerk of petitions on behalf of 75 residents of Ontario and Quebec.

The petitioner call on Parliament to consider the advisability of extending benefits or compensation to veterans of the wartime

merchant navy equal to that enjoyed by veterans of Canada's World War II armed services.

[National Defence, June 3rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, yet again it seems that DND is running the minister rather than vice versa.

Judge René Marin warned the minister about a serious problem of accountability in the military police. The minister knew the potential for abuse but has failed to rein in his department. Now questions are being raised about serious violations of Canadians' right to privacy.

Will the minister explain why the SIU has not ceased criminal investigations as DND promised six years ago? Will he now assure us that the SIU will immediately stop doing so?

[National Defence, June 3rd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, access to information documents show that DND's special investigation unit, the SIU, has been following, videotaping and eavesdropping on its civilian employees.

Several years ago the SIU was stripped of its criminal investigative function when a judge found it had abused its powers. Why is the SIU still up to its old tricks?