Jean Chrétien

[Poverty, June 5th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, when the Canadian economy creates 430,000 jobs over a period of 17 months, one can hardly call this a monumental failure. We brought unemployment down from 11.5 per cent to 9.4 per cent. That does not mean we are satisfied. We have to keep trying to create more and more jobs. I think the budget we brought down in February showed that we intend to put public finances on a sound footing and make it very attractive to invest in Canada.

That is also why the Minister of Human Resources Development is preparing an income security reform proposals, so that we can combine our job creation programs and the way we operate our social services so the poor in Quebec and elsewhere will again have the dignity of a job, as soon as possible.

[Gross Domestic Product, June 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I will point out to the official opposition that, looking at these statistics, it is obvious that something happened which hurt the economy. We had a two-week long transportation strike which caused the economy to slow down.

At that time, we told the Bloc Quebecois that by refusing to pass the government bill, it was causing an economic slow-down. Today, the economy is paying for the Bloc's irresponsibility.

[Bosnia, June 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I just explained that the position taken yesterday by the Secretary-General of the United Nations is exactly the one we proposed to him over the weekend. I personally had a discussion with him on Sunday morning.

We are using all the channels available to us. In that case it is evident that the position of Canada was integral to reaching a conclusion. It is not one that is supported by all participants. We are in constant contact with the United Nations.

I have to say that the Secretary-General of the United Nations recognizes that of all the forces available anywhere in the world, when Canadians are there he can always rely on them because they are the best. He is listening to Canadians as he has done in that case.

[Bosnia, June 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the soldiers who are there and who know their colleagues are being held a few kilometres away from the base are trying to find a way to put an end to this situation. They are trying to find a way to end the deadlock. Last year, the situation went on for a few weeks, and the local commanding officer managed to find a solution that was acceptable to all parties.

For the time being, I would rather let the local authorities decide on the best way to obtain the release of the hostages or at least provide for maximum security, under the circumstances.

[Bosnia, June 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, Canada prefers the option recommended by UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. We believe the mandate should be redefined to make it possible for our troops to avoid the kind of position they are in now.

That is exactly what I said to the Secretary General when I spoke to him on Sunday. He preferred the option favoured by Canada.

[Security Intelligence Review Committee, May 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I think that the Solicitor General has already answered this question. This position will be filled very shortly. I am very surprised at the official opposition for making such allegations, considering that hundreds of people have lost their jobs in Quebec City because they did not believe in the separatist option.

In this case, the Solicitor General indicated that Mr. Laberge's wife was unfortunately among those who had to be laid off as part of the cuts imposed by the government.

I find the opposition's allegations incredible, having seen for example the firing of Mrs. Thibault, who was the president of an association for persons with disabilities, because she was a known Liberal supporter. If I were in their shoes, with the hundred or so shameful cases of patronage in Quebec over the past nine months, I would shut my mouth.

[Bosnia, May 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, there is no question at this moment of shifting the mandate of peacekeeping to enforcing peace in the way described by the hon. member. They are sending more troops there to protect their own troops.

I explained the Canadian situation. We are not in exactly the same position. Our troops are not as spread out as others. It is not a question at this moment of Canada's sending more troops.

The mandate is not to start a war with anybody but to protect the troops there, which is exactly what we are supporting.

[Bosnia, May 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I said we took an initiative on that. Last week we discussed the mandate with the United Nations.

I will repeat in the House that we have to make sure troops are not spread around like they are at the moment. We would like them to be concentrated in places where they can defend themselves and be defended by other people at the bases. That is the main preoccupation. When they are alone in observation towers, for instance, they are in some difficulty because they cannot readily defend themselves.

That is exactly what the UN is considering at the moment, to give peacekeepers a role more in relation to the means they have. The troops are under the command of the United Nations there and the secretary general is supposed to present new guidelines to the security council possibly later today.

[Bosnia, May 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I said that we participated in all the weekend discussions. I have been in contact with the leaders of the governments that have troops over there, like Great Britain and France, and with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Some of our soldiers are in a difficult position but they are not very far from the base in Visoko, and we are in contact with those who have been captured and those who are in a non-mobile position, so to speak. Two Canadians are held outside that area, one of them in Pale, and we were able to communicate with him in the last few hours.

Unfortunately, we have not heard recently from Corporal Lapalme, who is in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, and with whom we are currently trying to establish contact. So far, however, we can assure the families that we are staying in contact with everyone involved, with the exception of Corporal Lapalme, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that they remain alive. Our current approach is probably the best way of securing their release as soon as possible.

[Bosnia, May 30th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I explained that 25 countries are represented with troops in the former Yugoslavia, and that most of them are not in the contact group. These countries include Spain, Holland, Denmark, Canada, Pakistan and others that are there.

We are in contact with these people at the moment, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs is in contact with his counterparts in the group. A NATO meeting was held this morning; there will be another one tomorrow, I think. And there is talk of a meeting of defence ministers on the weekend. So the Minister of National Defence will be there, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs is already there. I said that, as regards the Canadian position at this point, there is no need to send new equipment; what we have there now is satisfactory.