Philippe Paré

[South Africa, November 3rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all the Bloc members, I am pleased to speak on the issue of South Africa. The Secretary of State is giving us this opportunity, this morning, with her outline of the new interim program Canada is beginning to implement in that country. We must welcome this new Canadian commitment very favourably. Indeed, South Africa needs the constant support of the international community to be able to pursue successfully its democratization process.

As I mentioned in this House on April 26, while for the first time, Blacks in all the villages, towns and cities of South Africa were starting to vote in order to elect representatives, as parliamentarians, we cannot remain indifferent to the testimony of an elderly citizen who told us: "Now that I have voted for the first time in my life, I can die".

As indicated by the Secretary of State, governance, human resources training, strengthening the civil society, and economic growth in South Africa seem to be well-targeted priorities. We are confident that they will make it possible to sustain coherent development, which will bolster lasting peace and social justice.

This three-year $20 million program is very timely. We believe that Canada, in addition to its foreign aid action and its remarkable involvement in UN peacekeeping, must make the promotion of human rights and democracy one of the key areas, if not the cornerstone of its foreign policy.

Canada's recent turnaround on this fundamental issue does not augur well. If the Secretary of State is as concerned about promoting democracy as she would have us believe this morning, can she tell us what she really thinks of her government's drastic change of direction on this issue, a change which is far from identifying democracy and human rights as one of the main elements shaping Canada's foreign policy?

I want to take the opportunity given to us this morning to call upon the Secretary of State to intervene. Her government's lack of leadership on the issue of human rights is an outright shame. I urge her to ask her Prime Minister not to renege on Canada's international commitments such as those made at the 1989 Dakar Francophone Summit, where the 42 French-speaking countries passed a Canadian resolution to give basic objective status to the protection of human rights in the international community.

Indeed, respect of individual rights was confirmed as a determining factor in the granting of international assistance at the 1991 Commonwealth Summit in Zimbabwe. So, on behalf of the thousands of Chinese people who have been left to rot in prison unjustly, I call upon her, I urge her to ask her Prime Minister to raise publicly the issue of human rights violation during his visit to China. It is her duty to do so, unless she too is afraid that Canada will be laughed at.

But the example of South Africa speaks for itself. This shift the government is making will unfortunately cause the issue of human rights to be discussed behind the scenes, to humour certain nations, particularly potential commercial channels for Canada. We suggest that Canadian action should be consistent. Canada should have the courage of its convictions if it hopes to be respected and to maintain its credibility around the world.

[Air Transportation, October 28th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, would the minister agree that stricter control measures such as surprise inspections and monitoring carriers that are at risk are necessary in order to guarantee passenger safety?

[Air Transportation, October 28th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Transport.

According to a Transport Canada inspection report, there were major irregularities in the maintenance control system for aircraft owned by Royal Aviation Inc. The report even mentions that Royal operated aircraft that would not have received an airworthiness certificate if they had been inspected at the time.

What explanation does the minister have for the fact that an air carrier can operate aircraft without an adequate maintenance control program, and what does he intend to do to ensure passenger safety?

[Interparliamentary Delegations, October 25th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegates to the Interparliamentary Union. This report was prepared by the official delegation which represented Canada at the 92nd Inter-Parliament Conference held in Copenhagen on September 12 to 17, 1994.

[Ferries, October 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport. Yesterday, the

Minister of Transport stated with respect to the safety hazards encountered by Canadian ferries of the same type as the Estonia that he would meet with the president of Marine Atlantic to make sure necessary action was being taken to improve safety. Can the minister tell us what exactly he intends to do to remedy the problem and make these ferries safer?

[Social Security Programs, October 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve has demonstrated that the Canadian fiscal position has constitutional connections. In view of this fact, is the slow, stop-and-go approach the government is planning to take in this reform not paradoxical? One gets the impression that it is trying to put things off until after a certain event has taken place in Quebec. I would like my hon. colleague from Hochelaga-Maisonneuve to comment on this.

[Eritrea, Ethiopia And Egypt, October 7th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I would first of all like to thank the Secretary of State for Latin America and Africa for the report she just gave us on her recent trip to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Egypt and on Canada's aid initiatives in those countries.

In the first place, let me point out the respect which the Secretary of State has for the work of the joint committee that is reviewing Canada's foreign policy. I would like to thank her for this. Her colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, shows little respect for the committee's work, which he himself initiated, need I remind you, and which is not yet finished; he is making choices and setting foreign policies that take for granted the results of a major review which is not yet complete. At least the Secretary of State has the decency to tell us that she intends to wait for the committee's findings before developing new bilateral aid and partnership programs.

That being said, I think that Canada's efforts and initiatives, of which the Secretary of State has just informed us, should be well received. Canada must provide continuing tangible support for the colossal efforts that the Africans are making to establish peace and democracy in the Horn of Africa.

I would like to take a moment to talk about Eritrea. As you know, Eritrea became a sovereign state following the April 1993 referendum, in which Eritreans answered a very clear question: "Do you want Eritrea to become a sovereign and independent state?" The result was dazzling. Over 90 per cent of the vote was for sovereignty.

Canada was one of the first countries to recognize the achievement of independence in Eritrea and we should be proud of this. Canada must make a clear commitment to recognize such democratic decisions when these are made in a context that meets criteria that appear to comply with the rules of democracy.

This being said, we think that the government of Canada should feel a special duty to Eritrea, in that it represents a promise of peace and stability in the Horn of Africa region. In our view, this would warrant the allocation of special assistance to a long-term development and recovery program. Indeed, Canada should undertake to grant substantial assistance to this sustainable development and recovery program.

I listened to the hon. Secretary of State as she told us about the strategic research unit in Qanater, north of Cairo, one of the projects in which Canada is involved. I sincerely feel this is a step in the right direction. In fact, sustainable development must be an objective that transcends Canadian foreign policy. I would even go as far as to say it should be the basic objective of Canadian official development assistance.

We welcome the Canadian government commitment to help Ethiopia and Eritrea make the transition from humanitarian assistance to economic recovery. One of the main goals of our international assistance must indeed be to promote the development of self-reliance in assisted countries. We have to help these countries set up structures and institutions, including a constitution which will allow them to govern themselves more democratically and peacefully. The Secretary of State recognizes this essential condition.

Finally, we must absolutely, through dialogue and co-operation programs, seek to reinforce respect for human rights, democratic development and good government. The promotion of sustainable human development and human rights must be at the centre of our policies. The Bloc Quebecois insists on that aspect. We feel that these factors are the key elements of any Canadian foreign policy.

The commitment made by the Secretary of State towards Egyptian women and the announcement of a $14.9 million contribution to primary education for girls in 15 African countries, through UNICEF, is a step in that direction and we applaud that initiative.

In conclusion, we believe that the government must nevertheless make other concrete commitments, including the promotion, through existing Canadian and UN programs, of the development of Erytrean NGOs and the use of local expertise in reconstruction and rehabilitation initiatives. These efforts must be pursued.

[Social Security Programs, October 6th, 1994]

Madam Speaker, I have lots of sympathy for the Liberal members who must rise in this House and speak in favour of a bill which is not justifiable. It is unjustifiable because it does not state things clearly.

When they talk about such a bill being compassionate, when they pretend its intent is to meet people's needs, when we know quite well it is meant to save money, I might agree with the idea of saving money, but they are not telling it as it is, and I do not agree with that.

During the election campaign, the Bloc Quebecois said we should cut government spending by $10 billion. The government adopted part of our ideas and is trying to cut back, but in all the wrong places. Instead of reducing government spending, they cut into the social safety net we painstakingly set up by paying out large sums of money and they do not touch the machinery of government. Who will benefit ultimately? Students who will see their tuition fees increase? How can they pretend this bill meets their needs? Women who will now receive unemployment benefits only if they prove their spouse is not earning too much? How can this bill meet the needs of those people? How will the frequently unemployed who will see their benefits decrease-

[Social Security Programs, October 6th, 1994]

Madam Speaker, during Question Period, the Minister of Human Resources Development practically admitted that the proposed social program reform would translate into savings of about $15 billion over the next four, five or six years. I was very surprised to hear the previous speaker talk about employment in such a context and I have a specific question to ask her. Could she explain to me briefly how this reform will impact on employment?

[Manpower Training, September 21st, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, when the people of Quebec make a little noise and threaten to walk out, you can always find some well-intentioned English-speaking Canadians to tell them that their Canada includes Quebec. The fact of the matter is that the rest of Canada usually greets Quebec's claims with: "Your demands are inadmissible and unacceptable. But we really like you and would want you to remain within Canada."

That is precisely what happened yesterday at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce convention, where the delegates from English Canada rejected a resolution from the Sainte-Foy Chamber of Commerce asking that manpower training be transferred to the provinces. "Quebec, we love you", said the Premier of Alberta yesterday.

For an increasing number of Quebecers, the English Canadian mermaid's song is losing its appeal and fast.