André Bachand

[Kosovo, April 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I suggest that the minister call Kingston.

On a related matter, whether we like it or not, the Kosovo Liberation Army is, and will continue to be, an increasingly important player in the conflict in Kosovo and in the possible solutions to that conflict.

That is why I would like to hear the Minister of Foreign Affairs tells us what he thinks of the Kosovo Liberation Army, commonly known as the UCK. In his opinion, is it a real or potential ally for NATO against Milosevic, is it too extremist to be an ally, or is it a group of no importance which might do more harm than good?

[Kosovo, April 13th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, a number of things confirm that the Kosovo conflict is spreading to more regions, perhaps even to others countries, which means that sending ground forces would appear to many to be increasingly necessary, if not the only solution.

Yesterday, we learned that the Yugoslav government has voted in favour of the federation joining the union of Russia and Belarus. This morning, through the media once again, we learned that the Serbian army had crossed the Albania-Kosovo border, in order to confront the Kosovo Liberation Army in three villages and put an end to the fighting between the two. Today, my colleague for Compton—Stanstead tells us that Canada has moved far further ahead than planned.

My question is for the Minister of National Defence. Does he deny that a meeting of officers was held in Kingston in order to prepare an offensive—

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I share the frustration felt by the leader of the Bloc Quebecois with regard to information and consultation.

It is an extremely important issue. There is a lack of information. How can we be totally convinced of what is going on in Kosovo, in terms of the involvement of Canada and NATO? We cannot be convinced of anything because we do not have the necessary information.

During the first week of the conflict, I received one phone call a day. I was asked if I had watched the news on CNN. That is where the information came from. During the second week, I received one call every two or three days. During the third week, I received one call every four days. It has now been six days since I last received a call.

How can I keep my staff informed? How can my staff keep my constituents informed?

If it was so important, why did the leader of the Bloc Quebecois not support our request to recall the House during the Easter break?

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we often hear the Prime Minister talk about ethnic cleansing. It is now official, what is going on in Kosovo is genocide. We should no longer call it ethnic cleansing, but genocide.

Often, the solution to genocide is war. In the Prime Minister's opinion, in view of the genocide taking place in Kosovo—his very own words—is Canada at war?

My second question is this: by talking about genocide, is the Prime minister not backing international diplomacy into a corner? How can we sign a peace accord with a president and a regime the Prime Minister of Canada is accusing of crimes against humanity? Genocide is the worst crime against humanity.

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

That is not true.

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should check his facts. There will be no petty politics, but he should put real politics at the service of Canadians and the Kosovar people and have a real debate in parliament.

The Prime Minister is not up to date, but we turned down a debate like the other two debates. What parliament needs is to speak officially. What is going on in Kosovo is serious.

Might the Prime Minister be afraid to do this with parliament? Might he be afraid to tell parliamentarians and Canadians what is going on in Kosovo?

[Kosovo, April 12th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, in 1991 when the international community under the UN flag was about to strike against Iraq, the then opposition leader and now Prime Minister who was personally briefed by the prime minister accused him of rolling the dice with Canadian lives during a real debate on a votable motion.

Is the Prime Minister prepared, in a real debate with a real vote, to put the question of Canada's and NATO's intervention in Kosovo?

[Bank Act, March 19th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I think that all parties in the House could learn from the experience of the Progressive Conservative Party's openness, in its leadership race.

Mr. Orchard's contribution was to look at all the repercussions and to always be mindful of all the treaties signed. His candidacy kept us open to the world so that the world would be open to Canada. At the same time, it should not be forgotten that Canada is more than a name. It is inhabited by people and we must not lose sight of this.

I think that Mr. Orchard introduced many very human elements to the leadership race and, make no mistake, this sensitivity to the people who make up this country is a legacy that remains.

[Bank Act, March 19th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, on the topic of credit ratings, various polls showed the Progressive Conservative Party last in the polls. I think we were even right off the scale and certainly out of credit at one point. We are doing better now.

No, I will not be joining another party. It is true, however, that the Progressive Conservative Party often has similar concerns as well as ideas on the Quebec issue.

What we hope, however, is that the hon. members of the Bloc Quebecois would also share certain ideas, certain interests and a certain plan for Canada with the Progressive Conservative Party in the future.

[Bank Act, March 19th, 1999]

As for the numerous international agreements that were signed, it is true that, at some point, we begin to wonder about what is going on. I remind the NDP member that one the candidates for the Conservative Party leadership, Mr. Orchard, raised that issue and often said “To regain our sovereignty”.

This makes us realize that we will have to be much more sensitive to what is going on when the time comes to sign futures international agreements.

Do we feel we are losing part of our sovereignty at the expense of globalization? We must never forget that we cannot afford to lose that sovereignty. If that concern surfaces, then we will have to react.

Earlier, I mentioned that we must face international competition even within our country. This may sound strange, but there is international competition within a country. Such is the result of the many treaties that we signed.

I am not saying we should revisit the agreements that we signed in the past. We made the right decisions. However, opening markets through international agreements such as those does carry consequences. It impacts on those who live in our country. Some people benefited from these treaties, but let us not forget that others were adversely affected.

If we are aware of that, then we can continue to be a key player on the international scene, while being even more sensitive to the impact of any agreement or contract that is ratified.