Iraq  Mr. Speaker, as Saddam Hussein continues to defy international law, the Liberals sit on the fence. They do not send a message to our allies. After immediately sending ships, air support and hospital units in 1991, what will this government do in 1998 if in fact we need to send military forces?

Iraq  Mr. Speaker, to begin with let me correct the record. As members just heard, the prime minister had a direct conversation with the president of the United States on Friday. We have been in active consultation with a number of allies over the past two or three weeks. I met with British foreign secretary Robin Cook 10 days ago.

Iraq  I would encourage all hon. members to make their questions so that they are not hypothetical.

Iraq  Mr. Speaker, we have a proud tradition and I believe that is being put in jeopardy because of the way this government is sitting on the fence. What specific resources will we commit if in fact we are asked for them?

Iraq  Mr. Speaker, the proud tradition of this country is to evaluate and assess the facts, not to engage in hypothetical speculation. Canadians expect us to be realistic. What we are doing is taking a realistic approach to the situation. We have indicated our support for the necessary action to get Saddam Hussein to live up to his obligations.

Iraq  Mr. Speaker, with all respect it is not the position of the Russians, the French or the British that we are interested in. We are interested in what is the position of the Canadian government. Contrary to the practice of this government, this is not another Kyoto and it should not be.

Iraq  Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Conservative Party said that he is in favour of a diplomatic solution. That is the position of the government. If ever there was to be a war, we would be facing this question and there would be a debate in the House of Commons at that time.

Iraq  Before.

Iraq  There is no war and there is no demand by anybody for us to be in a war. I have said that we want Saddam Hussein to respect the resolution of the United Nations Security Council because the situation cannot remain like it is. It is a very clear statement, but there is no request at this time by anybody to start a war in which Canada will be involved.

Gasoline Prices  If our government exchanges surplus Canadian wheat for Iraqi oil I can assure the House it would go a long way toward providing food and medical supplies for the thousands of sick children and women in Iraq while helping some 30 million Canadians by reducing their gasoline prices to 45 cents per litre. We could save the lives of innocent children in Iraq and boost our economy. It would be a win-win situation.

Criminal Code  Speaker, may I just in preface say, adding to my previous answer, that no application has been received for an export permit to Iraq by the Department of Foreign Affairs from the Kanata company's group. Responding to the hon. member for Frontenac—Mégantic, I do apologize. I have just seen this text now and there is no French version.

Iraq  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Last month UNICEF reported that nearly one million Iraqi children are suffering from chronic malnutrition and thousands have died of hunger and shortage of medical supplies as a result of the impact of UN sanctions.

Anti-Personnel Mines Convention Implementation Act  Furthermore, he said he would not sign out of a concern for protecting American troops stationed in the Korean peninsula. Like everyone else, I watched the televised reports of the armed conflict with Iraq in 1991. In view of the high tech arsenal the United States have at their disposal, how can the U.S. president claim that they need weapons as primitive as land mines to defend American troops?

Anti-Personnel Mines Convention Implementation Act  Inexpensive, easily produced and effective, these weapons were used in a good many conflicts. It will be recalled that the war between India and Pakistan, the war between Iraq and Iran, the Gulf War and the domestic conflicts in Cambodia and Angola demonstrated the destructive power of anti-personnel mines. First used as defensive weapons in international conflicts, they formed a protective barrier essentially designed to slow enemy progress.

Anti-Personnel Mines Convention Implementation Act  These land mines are currently deployed in over 70 countries, most of them developing countries. Countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Cambodia, Croatia, Eritrea, Iraq, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan and Vietnam are all affected. There are approximately 100 million mines that are waiting for their next victim. With the variety of land mines in existence, there are over 350 different types of land mines.