Lawrence MacAulay

[Veterans Week, October 31st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise in my place today as November 11 approaches to pay tribute to Canadians who gave their lives for their country in two world wars, the Korean war and in peacekeeping operations around the world. Their sacrifice protected the democracy Canadians cherish today.

On Monday, November 11 we will pause for a minute of silence to mourn the loss of these Canadians. At cenotaphs from one end of the country to the other and in cemeteries around the world where Canadians lie, we will remember them. But today as I remind this House of the coming ceremonies to mark the sacrifice of those who never returned from war, I would also like to remind our colleagues that in the coming week we are also going to pay tribute to the people who did come home.

The Prime Minister has declared the week of November 3 to 11 as veterans week. It is an occasion when people across the country can reflect upon the achievements and sacrifice of Canadians during wartime and in peacekeeping operations around the world.

Canadian veterans have served with distinction, winning respect and gratitude. I would remind this House that these Canadians were drawn from the entire country. They built the foundations of our national spirit.

Hon. members will recall that last year Canadians celebrated veterans week as part of the Canada Remembers program which marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the second world war. Veterans Affairs Canada was very pleased to help co-ordinate many of the events which paid tribute to our veterans. I know many

individual Canadian men and women enjoyed the opportunity to re-create emotions, both happy and sad, from their youth.

Perhaps most important of all, the Canada Remembers celebrations last year gave many of today's young Canadians their first history lesson about what our country accomplished during the war. It gave an opportunity for one generation to speak to another. Young Canadians have grown up without the spectre of war casting its chill over their future. They could be excused for taking our cherished freedom for granted.

I hope that during this year's veterans week we will once again create the bond between the generations that will invite an older generation to tell its stories to a younger generation. I hope too that teachers across the country will use this week to talk to students about Canada's proud history and the important role we played on the international stage during these years.

Finally, I hope that Canadians of all ages will take time to honour those who gave so much of themselves, both overseas and on the home front, to bring Canada through those trying times.

I invite all members of this House to help us honour Canada's veterans during veterans week and indeed all year long.

[Veterans, October 22nd, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, my officials are working with the Government of Ontario and the workers at the Perly and the Rideau Health Centre to make sure that the interests of veterans are well protected.

We have an agreement with the province of Ontario to ensure that we have 250 beds in this institution. I fully expect that the province of Ontario will stand behind this commitment.

[Criminal Code, October 3rd, 1996]

moved that Bill C-55, an act to amend the Criminal Code (high risk offenders), the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Criminal Records Act, the Prisons and Reformatories Act and the Department of the Solicitor General Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[Questions On The Order Paper, September 16th, 1996]

Insofar as the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is concerned, a number of steps have been undertaken to respond to the concerns expressed by the Auditor General (AG) in his November 1995 report to Parliament.

-ACOA's multi-year plan emphasizes results measurement in response to the AG report. This will be reflected in the Agency's second five-year report to Parliament. The plan incorporates improvements in the Agency's program information and reporting structure;

-ACOA has commenced the development and application of intermediary indicators which link mandated objectives of jobs and earned incomes to the Agency's program and project activity. The Agency is also evaluating its non-commercial activities to improve knowledge regarding their economic impact. These indicators relate to several key economic criteria which will guide the measurement of Agency programming success;

-ACOA continues to undertake periodic surveys as a means of identifying trends in employment and commercial achievement. The establishment of Economic Benefits Monitoring Policy and Procedures will become a guideline for all of ACOA's program activities;

-ACOA is laying the ground work for successful monitoring and evaluation by developing and implementing evaluation frameworks for all of the Agency's major program activities and by assigning responsibilities and accountability for evaluation and monitoring;

-Quality Assurance Reviews, which are being done annually, will help ensure that monitoring efforts take place and results measurement indicators are applied consistently, and;

-A statistical sampling approach to monitoring projects is also being developed. A pilot project is underway and full application is anticipated for the near future.

[Regional Development, June 11th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is a development agency with an excellent record.

Procurement is one of the many roles that it is involved in and it costs very few dollars. This is an area where ACOA will make sure that Atlantic Canadian firms are aware of major federal government contracts and have an opportunity to be involved in them.

ACOA also promotes the capability of Atlantic firms for the international market.

[Government Contracts, May 30th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the minister will be in the House tomorrow and will respond to any questions dealing with the gentleman who dealt with the file on the Greek community across Canada.

There are a number of veterans affairs offices across Canada which deal with specific issues. This was a major change in legislation that affected a lot of people. That is why this individual was hired.

[Government Contracts, May 30th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the minister will be back in the House tomorrow. He will respond to questions involving the individual who handled the file for the Greek community across Canada.

It is important to note that the changes that were brought about by the 1995 budget brought the War Veterans Allowance Act back to its original intent. That was not to pay resistance fighters from foreign countries. It was to pay the allied veterans who became Canadian citizens and our Canadian veterans. This move saves $30 million for the Canadian taxpayer.

[Employment Insurance Act, May 14th, 1996]

moved that Bill C-12, an act respecting employment insurance in Canada, be read the third time and passed.

[Questions On The Order Paper, April 22nd, 1996]

(a) 282 as of December 31, 1995 (including survivors); (b) 2,097 as of December 31, 1995; (c) 2,097 as of December 31, 1995; (d) 483 as of December 31, 1995 (including survivors); (e) merchant navy veterans, like all veterans, must apply for benefits before service eligibility is determined. It cannot be known how many clients under the pre-1992 legislation would have merchant navy veteran eligibility were they to apply under the new legislation. (f) Of the 648 disability pension applications received up to December 31, 1995, 351 were declined. For war veterans allowance, including treatment only, as at March 31, 1996 there were 3,109 applications, of which 756 were declined. For the veterans independence program, as at March 31, 1996, there were 1,212 applications, one of which was declined.

[Questions On The Order Paper, April 16th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.