Jean Chrétien

[Bosnia, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian position is a very clear one. It is to stay there and try to bring about peace. This is why they have been able to help a lot in the last three years. There was a debate in the House of Commons. Everybody was consulted. The majority of the House wanted the Canadian group to stay there and fulfil its mandate.

We will be negotiating with our allies, but we have decided that the best course is to be with the others to try to install peace there. It is not Canada's role to engage in war. They are not there to make war; they are there to bring about peace.

[Bosnia, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian troops have played a very useful role there. When we look at the deployment of the Canadian soldiers to Bosnia, they have been called upon in very difficult circumstances to hold some very responsible posts.

They have been delivering food and medication and are still trying to mediate a possible peace. They are not there to make peace; they are there to supervise peace. There is no peace at the moment.

Yesterday I was very clear that everyone wants a ceasefire. We want the activities on both sides to stop so that Canadian troops, as part of the United Nations group, can play their role. I think they will serve to the end of their mandate because when Canadians say they will do something they stick to their word.

[Hibernia Project, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I want to repeat what I said earlier. I was informed yesterday that this contract might have been awarded without tender. We intervened immediately. We asked the chairman of the consortium to review the decision and to allow other Canadian shipbuilders to bid on the contract.

We acted immediately. The member's accusations are unjustified.

[The Economy, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, we have a program that is very clear. We have cut expenditures and we will keep cutting expenditures. We are making sure at the same time that we have growth in the economy.

If tomorrow we were to eliminate the deficit from $42 billion to zero there would be a huge recession in Canada. The wise thing is to do it in a progressive way. We are doing that.

There are a lot of people complaining because we have too many cuts but we will achieve our target of 3 per cent of GDP by the third year of our administration.

[Mil Davie Shipyard, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, we have been in touch with the consortium to the effect that it should review its decision. We made it very clear. There is one representative, not directly of the federal government but of a corporation connected with the federal government, and we will give him instructions to vote in favour of changing the decision.

[Mil Davie Shipyard, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I was informed of this regrettable incident yesterday. I agree with the hon. member that the contract should not have been awarded directly to Saint John Shipbuilding. I have asked the Minister of Natural Resources to immediately contact the chairman of the consortium and ask him to review the decision. Some claim that there was legal authority to act as they did, but they certainly violated the spirit of the agreement, to the effect that everyone should have a fair opportunity. We hope that they will review the decision and allow MIL Davie to bid, like other interested parties.

[Bosnia, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, our Minister of Foreign Affairs is now in Moscow. He talked with his Russian colleagues a little earlier today. Everyone agrees that we must try to find a negotiated solution and that a ceasefire must be declared as soon as possible.

[Bosnia, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations issued very specific rules of engagement to every group operating under its authority. They can retaliate against any real attack, but I hope that they will not have to use their right of self-defence.

[Bosnia, November 29th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, we have no indication that the Serbs are about to resume their attack on the base in Visoko. We hope that everyone will stay calm, that the fighting will end and that a ceasefire will be declared as soon as possible.

The Canadian troops are there not to wage war but for humanitarian reasons, to distribute food and medicine to the population. They have done a great job so far, and neither the Serbs nor the Muslims have any reason to attack our brave soldiers.

[Bosnia, November 28th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have always made it very clear to the President of the United States and the American people that the position of Canada and other members of UNPROFOR on the ground that we do not think there should be a lifting of the arms embargo and that no one from the outside should participate in this war.

We always made it clear that if everybody on the outside were to mind their own business and let the troops there handle the search for peace the best they can, it would be much better. It is

exactly what I always said and we said to the President very clearly in June, and it is not only the Canadian position but others, that it is unwise to lift the arms embargo at this time. It will not create peace there, it will just accelerate war.

This indication that the embargo may be lifted has just created the situation of war again. Everybody says that if we maintain the embargo and the UN troops there peace will probably come back faster.