Anita Neville

[Aboriginal Affairs, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to inform the House of one of the outcomes of the national Urban Aboriginal Strategy workshop that I was pleased to attend in Winnipeg on March 30 and 31.

The UAS workshop brought together aboriginal community representatives from each of the 12 UAS pilot cities across the country. One observed such diverse aboriginal communities as the Haida Nation of British Columbia working diligently with the Ojibway Clan of Manitoba to produce new strategies to assist the many thousands of aboriginal peoples now residing in urban centres.

One of the most important outcomes of the UAS gathering will be the creation of an aboriginal caucus for the UAS. The aboriginal caucus will advise the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs and his officials on how best to move this increasingly important strategy forward in the future.

I wish to express my congratulations and thanks to the UAS pilot city representatives for their hard work and thoughtful presentations and most of all for their willingness to work together to develop an urban aboriginal strategy that will benefit all Canadians.

[UN Commission on Human Rights, April 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, Canada and the world increasingly view the United Nations Commission on Human Rights as a failure.

Tasked with the protection of human rights worldwide, its members now include Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe and even Sudan. Hypocritically, it fails to task these and other serious human rights violators. Instead, it criticizes Israel, the only place in the Middle East where Arabs have recourse to independent courts for alleged abuses.

On March 14, the Minister of Foreign Affairs alluded to the integrity problems of the UNCHR stating, “the credibility of the Commission on Human Rights, in particular, has been challenged”.

Even UN Secretary General Kofi Annan stated last Thursday, “the commission's ability to perform its tasks has been undermined by the politicization of its sessions and the selectivity of its work”.

The UNCHR must reform. Its agenda should shift to thematic resolutions and membership should be granted only to countries with a good human rights record.

[Pope John Paul II, April 7th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, this week Catholics worldwide and Canadians of all faiths are remembering the life of Pope John Paul II.

An inspiration to millions, in many ways he was ahead of his time. Overseeing the transition of the Catholic faith into a televised age, he defended its relevancy in face of modern distractions. He managed to reach out to many millions through his travels and the media to personally touch Catholics themselves.

His contribution is not limited to Catholicism. Pope John Paul II built bridges with other Christian denominations and different faiths. His outreach to Jews worldwide both in terms of healing past wounds and in building a friendly and meaningful dialogue must be praised and acknowledged.

He was a friend to all humanity. Now with his passing he will be deeply missed.

My sincerest condolences to Catholics throughout Canada and the world.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, April 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Farm incomes across the country have dropped considerably for farmers over the last few years because of a number of factors: BSE; a strong Canadian dollar; high energy costs; et cetera. Farmers across all sectors are hurting.

Could the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food expand on what he has done to help address this issue?

[Natural Resources, March 22nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Boundary Waters Treaty is one of the oldest and most valuable Canada-U.S. agreements. In less than three months, in direct contravention of the treaty's principles, a newly constructed outlet from Devils Lake, North Dakota, will begin sending foreign biota and poor water quality northward. This poses unknown and potentially catastrophic risks to Manitoba waters.

What is the government doing to protect the treaty and to stop this outlet from becoming operational at least until its--

[Racial Discrimination, March 22nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and yet in Canada we continue to be confronted by a rising tide of anti-Semitism.

Last Tuesday the League for Human Rights released its annual audit of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada. The data is disturbing, confirming a longstanding trend of escalation.

There was a 46.7% rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents to 857 last year. The League states that only 10% of all cases are reported, turning this alarming figure into a potentially frightening 8,570.

In my home city of Winnipeg, the number of anti-Semitic events tripled to 54 incidents. Vandalism cases increased sevenfold and five instances involved synagogues.

It is important for the general Canadian society to stand alongside their Jewish-Canadian neighbours in a united front against bigotry. We cannot turn a blind eye to this blight.

[International Women's Day, March 8th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, a special day that lets us reflect on the progress we have made in advancing women's equality worldwide.

In 1995 Canada, along with 187 other countries, adopted the Beijing platform for action, a plan for addressing women's poverty, economic security and health.

A commitment to greater equality requires a commitment of resources for programs. Accordingly, several of the 2005 budget measures help advance this agenda. These include an accelerated increase in the GIS, increased support for immigrant settlement and integration, a doubling of the caregiver tax credit, $5 billion for early learning and child care, $850 million for health care, $735 million for aboriginal families and recognition of the needs of women entrepreneurs and women's economic independence.

Equally important is the increase of the basic personal exemption to $10,000, which will remove 860,000 low income taxpayers, most of them women, from the tax rolls.

[Canada Export Awards, February 22nd, 2005]

Madam Speaker, I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to a constituent and a friend, Mr. Ed Shinewald, who, as president of Melet Plastics in Winnipeg, has just been awarded the 2005 Canadian manufacturers and exporters excellence award.

Melet Plastics, a company that specializes in injection moulding, moulds up to half a million plastic parts per day which are used in automobiles, medical devices, agricultural equipment and other unique products.

Melet's secondary line, AmbuTech, produces a line of canes and accessories for the visually impaired which are being sold around the world. In the last three years its export sales have soared by 180%, clearly a Winnipeg company well led, well run and helping people in all corners of the world.

I congratulate Ed and all of the very dedicated employees for this notable achievement.

[Child Care, February 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to learn that the member for Edmonton—Spruce Grove agrees with the concept that women have earned the right to make their own choices.

However, she and her party support only one approach to helping parents care for their children while they are working. Tax cuts are not a program but a mechanism that disproportionately benefits high income parents. Where is the choice in this?

On the other hand, the Liberal approach offers real choice for parents by providing a safe, regulated, and supportive environment that incorporates early learning with care. It provides choice and opportunity for parents to pursue both education and economic stability for their families.

The Conservative Party should stop pretending to advocate equality for women when it speaks about choice, when in reality, it advocates turning back the clock to a time when women had little or no control over their lives.

[Petitions, February 10th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition from many members of my community in regard to the matter of missile defence.

My community is concerned that missile defence is designed to be a step toward weapons and war in space, including nuclear weapons and war.

The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to maintain Canada's multilateral approach to security and reaffirm this country's support for non-proliferation arms control and disarmament; to reject any and all plans for weapons and war in space, including plans for missile defence; and to seek Canada's withdrawal from any discussion of or participation in missile defence and the weaponization of space.