Jesse Flis

[International Development Research Centre, May 12th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate the International Development Research Centre, better known as IDRC, on 25 years of service to Canada and the world since its inception on May 13, 1970.

The purpose of IDRC is to bring together research professionals from Canada and abroad to help solve the problems of developing economies. As a primary example, IDRC-sponsored scientific research has led to the development of disease-resistant and pest-resistant food crops. Consequently, the environmental impact caused by pesticides and fungicides is greatly reduced and developing economies are one step further toward food self-sufficiency.

In short, 25 years' worth of Canadian investment into the IDRC will pay dividends into the next millennium. I cannot think of a better gift to future generations.

Happy birthday, IDRC, and congratulations to past and present staffs serving at national headquarters and the seven regional offices in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, May 11th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. I also compliment him on the many years that he has been working with other nations on this topic in his membership with the Parliamentarians for Global Action.

Today is a historical day because in New York it was agreed to extend indefinitely the present NPT. The NPT will prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and it is very vital to Canadian security. All hon. members will be pleased to know that it was a Canadian resolution that won the support of more than 100 nations which led to this consensus.

[Epilepsy, May 5th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of meeting with one of my constituents, Mr. Richard Aihoshi, who represents the Epilepsy Association of Metro Toronto.

Having personal experience with persons affected by epilepsy I know the true nature of this disorder which has long been distorted by myth and fear. Epilepsy is a physical disorder; it is not a disease.

People with epilepsy can and do lead full, productive and accomplished lives. Alexander the Great, Richard Burton, Alfred Nobel and Agatha Christie all lived with epilepsy.

I therefore congratulate the Epilepsy Association in metro Toronto. We must all do our part to better understand the 280,000 Canadians that live with this disorder.

[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, May 4th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, over 160 nations are currently meeting at the United Nations in New York to decide the fate of the most important international arms control agreement in force today, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, the NPT.

Canada supports the indefinite unconditional extension of the treaty for three essential reasons. First, the NPT establishes a barrier to the further proliferation of nuclear weapons. Second, the treaty provides the framework for peaceful trade in nuclear technology by establishing a system of effective international safeguards. Third, the treaty commits the nuclear weapons states to work toward nuclear disarmament.

Those who argue that the NPT should not be made permanent keep open the possibility of its disappearance at some future point. This must not happen. We are now firmly on the road to a world with fewer nuclear weapons.

On Friday, Canada will table the resolution, joined by more than 80 nations, for the indefinite extension of the NPT. The treaty has served us well for 25 years. Now is the time to permanently enshrine the benefits for future generations.

[Parkdale Drug Awareness Week, April 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the week of April 24 to April 30 marks the sixth annual Parkdale Drug Awareness Week in my riding of Parkdale-High Park. Drug Awareness Week, which is organized by the Parkdale Focus Community Project, attracted over 3,000 participants last year.

The week is packed full of activities aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle among Parkdale residents, young and old, newcomers and long-time residents. For example, in our local Parkdale schools students will learn that a full, meaningful, and active life is possible without drugs and without alcohol. Events planned for this weekend will feature sports celebrities, theatre performances, piano and steel band recitals, and a pancake breakfast for the whole community on Sunday.

I would like to congratulate both the organizers and participants of Drug Awareness Week 1995. They are making a better life for themselves and for their neighbours in Parkdale.

[Employment Equity, April 6th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to set the record straight. The hon. member has raised three important issues. One is the Canadian delegation participating in the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Parliament on April 23. The other is the human rights violations against the Kurds in northern Iraq and against some parliamentarians, that he explained in detail. The third issue is the sale of the CF-5 aircraft to Turkey.

I would like to begin by addressing the first two issues. The hon. member received an excellent answer from the Prime Minister when he asked the question on March 28. The Prime Minister in his reply said: "It might be a good occasion for the ministerial delegation to raise the issue of human rights with the government when it is there". He also said: "Perhaps one way is to cancel the delegation or the other way is to send the delegation with a mandate to talk about it".

It is interesting what the member does when he sees human rights violations. He hops a plane and gets out there, whether it is the Middle East, China, Africa. He makes the headlines. He is the champion of fighting human rights violations. I compliment him for it.

In this case, for other Canadians, he says: "Don't go there. It's okay for me to go there, but don't go there. You Canadians stay home; don't go there". I think the hon. member would agree with me that the best way to address these human rights violations with Turkey is to go and present it to them face to face.

We have continually made representations to the Turkish government through our ambassador in Ottawa, through the embassy in Ankara. As far back as last June the Minister of Foreign Affairs raised the issue with his then Turkish counterpart, Mr. Çetin, who is now the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey.

I am sure these kind of direct interventions, face to face interventions, go a long way. Boycotting that country and not talking to them is not going to give them the message. We have to get there and approach them eyeball to eyeball on this situation. That addresses the first two issues.

As far as the sale of the CF-5s is concerned, again I do not know why the member is making such a fuss over the issue. Just after question period today I asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs about this. There is no sale of CF-5s to Turkey. That is as recent as today. I hope the hon. member will pass that on to his constituents and to other Canadians. Yes, we have surplus planes. Yes, countries are interested in purchasing them. The price is a little lower because they are surplus and used. As of today, there is no sale of CF-5s to Turkey.

I thank the hon. member for his intervention, but I hope he will not be hypocritical-

[Government Spending, April 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know why but every time a member of Parliament or someone representing Canada goes to another country somehow members in the opposition feel it is a junket. This commitment was made in November of 1994. When we as a country make a commitment to another country we must honour and respect it.

To call this a junket is an offence to Canadians representing Canada abroad.

[Credit Union, April 3rd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Sunday, April 2, the members of St. Stanislaus-St. Casimir's Polish Parishes Credit Union held their 50th annual meeting in the constituency of Parkdale-High Park.

Founded in 1945 by Father S. Puchniak, pastor of the St. Stanislaus parish in Toronto, the Polish Parishes Credit Union takes pride in being today the largest parish based credit union in the world, with over 37,000 members and total assets of $223 million.

This unique credit union provides a full range of financial services, including personal, mortgage and business loans, RRSPs, RRIFs, OHOSPs, and automated teller services worldwide.

The success of this progressive credit union, with branches in Toronto, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Hamilton, Kitchener, Guelph, Oakville and Windsor, reflects the growth and prosperity of Canada.

It is creating together opportunity not only for its members and families but for Canadians generally.

[Budget Implementation Act, 1995, March 31st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is contradicting himself. He said that to have a healthy federalism we have to centralize things more. On the other hand, he is talking about two nations.

My wife comes from the province of Quebec. She has many relatives there, nieces, nephews, and we meet with them quite regularly. I am so proud of Canada when my nieces and nephews visit us and speak three languages. They speak French, English and Polish.

Is it not wonderful that in a country such as ours, in la belle province, people can grow up fluent in three languages? If we nourish this further, we will be the envy of the world. The United Nations has named Canada as the number one place on this planet in which to live. Why would the hon. member talk about two nations? It took us 125 years to reach the level we are at now. Now that the world recognizes that we did this properly and Canadians have the best standard of living, why would we want to dismantle this?

I would remind the hon. member also to talk to the ambassadors here in Ottawa of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I keep in very close touch with them. They went through the same phase. When they were talking about separation they were talking about the same currency, no obstacles at the border, common defence and so on. The minute they separated they had to print their own currency, they had very strict custom controls. It was the most painful thing they had ever gone through. They are recommending not to let happen to Canada what happened to the former Czechoslovakia.

I am wondering if the hon. member would rethink and answer who is representing my nieces, my nephews, my grand-nieces, my grand-nephews because they do not want two nations. They want to live and grow in this beautiful country as it is now. They do not want to move out of la belle province but they will if we go the two nation route.

[Budget Implementation Act, 1995, March 31st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to the hon. member. I thank him for his intervention.

He complained about the transfer payments from the federal government to the Quebec government being reduced. I wonder if he could share with us how as a country we can reduce the deficit and the heavy debt which is plaguing the country. If we could balance the books, as six provinces have already done and if we could wipe out the public debt, we could put a lot more money into such programs as the hon. member is talking about, for example, helping people affected with AIDS and so on.

Somehow the provincial and federal governments have to work more efficiently, more co-operatively to try to avoid any duplication. Then we will reach the goals that he wants to reach not only for Quebec but for the entire country.

Could he share with us what concrete recommendations he and his party have for balancing the books, as the six provinces have done, and for reducing the public debt eventually to zero?