CANADA VOLUME 135 S NUMBER 088 S 1st SESSION S 36th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, April 20, 1998 Speaker: The Honourable Gilbert Parent CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) All parliamentary publications are available on the ``Parliamentary Internet Parlementaire'' at the following address: http://www.parl.gc.ca 5787 HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, April 20, 1998 The House met at 11 a.m. Inadequate attention and nurturing for our youngsters can often lead to subsequent developmental difficulties. With a poor start _______________ children may often wind up on the wrong side of the law. Since the federal government has a significant stake in the area of criminal Prayers law, together with our institutions of the police, the courts, the prisons and the parole system, there may well be a sufficient _______________ argument toward federal jurisdiction merely on the basis of criminal law. After all, the federal government should be interested in any opportunity which results in such successful crime preven- PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS tion whereby a dollar spent on providing a good head start results in the saving of many dollars down the road through decreases in our D (1100) criminal statistics. But as I said, this motion only proposes the development of the program along with the provinces. [English] D (1105) NATIONAL HEAD START PROGRAM The government has already implemented head start programs The House resumed from February 19 consideration of the among our aboriginal communities. They have been primarily motion. limited to reserves, but both aboriginal people living off reserve Mr. Chuck Cadman (Surrey North, Ref.): Madam Speaker, it and non-aboriginal people are also in need of such programs. is my pleasure to speak in favour of Motion No. 261 as proposed by my hon. colleague for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca. This government’s own National Crime Prevention Council has been very supportive of a national head start program. In its 1996 I am also pleased to hear of the support for this motion from report at page 2 of the executive summary it states: other parties. As has been stated many times, this is not an issue There is ample evidence that well-designed social development programs can that needs to attract political sensitivities. It is unfortunate that prevent crime and be cost-effective. Rigorous evaluations, mainly American, show members of the Bloc appear to be attempting to characterize this that crime prevention through social development pays handsome dividends. In proposal in that fashion. almost 30 years of participant follow-up the Perry Preschool Program in Michigan has been shown to be responsible for very significantly reducing juvenile and adult They referred to encroachment into the area of provincial crime. jurisdiction. They have tied this motion into the Canadian unity This motion proposes that the government explore models based debate. That is quite a stretch for the imagination. It may be an on the Perry Preschool Program, among others. example of paranoia, whereby the separatists now see every issue as an attempt to attack Quebec. This motion should and must be The Secretary of State for Children and Youth has already solely seen as an attempt to address problems experienced through- spoken to this motion. She commented on how successful the out our society. It affects all Canadians. aboriginal head start program has been. She pointed out that As to the issue of provincial jurisdiction, I would first like to funding had doubled due to its benefits. She encouraged further point out that the motion includes the words ‘‘develop, along with expansion to include the protection of all our children and to assist their provincial counterparts, a comprehensive National Head Start needy parents toward proper nurturing and caring of the next Program for children in their first 8 years of life’’. generation of our society. This motion is on all fours with the secretary of state’s comments. Just as with health and education, the federal government has an acute interest in the proper development of our children. As well, Additional comments have been made in this place about how a the primary purpose of this motion is to provide a good start for our national head start program can be a head start on the prevention of children. Extensive studies have shown that the first eight years of crime, about how it is like a registered retirement savings plan. life are critical in an individual’s development. Invest a dollar today to reap many more dollars in the future. 5788 COMMONS DEBATES April 20, 1998 Private Members’ Business The Minister of Finance should be the first to climb on board D (1110 ) and support programs of this nature. He should not concern himself solely with attempting to solve the problems of the Some of the facts presented were: present, but should plan ahead. By spending money today as an investment in our children he can save much more in the future Child maltreatment in Canada is estimated at one in five. through decreased health costs, crime costs and societal costs. There are 40,000 Canadian children in substitute care, such as The Minister of Health knows that well fed, well adjusted foster homes and group homes. children from sound families lead much more healthier lives. The Minister of Justice knows that this type of child is much less likely to come before our justice system. The Solicitor General will be Child welfare authorities are monitoring nearly 200,000 children very pleased to see less strain on his limited prison and parole who may be in unsatisfactory and unacceptable positions in their resources. homes. A couple of years ago the Minister of Finance recognized that an One sex offender in three suffered some kind of sexual trauma as investment in our children today would keep them out of jail in 20 a child. years. He said that caring for children should be Canada’s number one priority. This motion encourages him to do just that. Eighty per cent of female prisoners were physically and/or sexually abused as children. I note that recently the province of Ontario provided $10 million to fund a home visiting program for new mothers. It is known as The risk of drug abuse is seven times as high for children who Healthy Babies, Healthy Children. Hospitals will screen all new have been sexually abused as for children who have not, and the mothers to identify babies and families who may need extra risk of suicide is 10 times as high. support and services. It is to provide high risk families with the parenting help needed and to avoid child abuse and neglect. But The biggest factors in whether a parent will abuse a child are already health authorities are saying the funding is not enough. childhood experiences, social isolation and physical or develop- mental problems with the child. Everyone appears to be on side as far as need and as far as applicability. But, with all due respect, there is a definite require- Surely facts and figures such as these should be enough for all of ment for federal involvement. Pooling of resources will reduce us to address how we can better provide for a proper good start for costs of implementation. Ideas and successes can be shared. our children. They are the most defenceless and least protected National standards will ensure children from all parts of this members of our society. This motion is a good start toward country receive necessary assistance and protection. addressing some of the inadequacies toward these children. We will all benefit from the further developments as proposed by the Canada has come under criticism by the International Centre for member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca. the Prevention of Crime. It has been pointed out that Belgium, with a population of 10 million, spends $140 million a year on crime There is much demand across this country, and rightly so, to prevention. Canada, with nearly three times the population, spends strengthen the Young Offenders Act, especially as it relates to only $10 million. violent crime. Would it not be nice if we were able to head off the Crime costs Canadians approximately $46 billion a year. So far problems before they entered the realm of criminality? Would it caring for children through crime prevention measures, as pro- not be nice if we never had to invoke the Young Offenders Act or posed by this motion, has not become our number one priority. the Criminal Code in the first place? Of course we know that such a state is unattainable. It would be Utopian, but perhaps this House Back in August 1996 the former minister of justice commented could move the country one small step closer by supporting this about the justice system and how the harm has already been done motion. by the time people come before the courts. He stated ‘‘We must do more than deal with the symptoms of the problem. We must go to I urge my colleagues in this place to give it careful consider- the source’’. ation. Programs as proposed by this motion go to the source. In 1996 Mr. Lynn Myers (Waterloo—Wellington, Lib.): Madam the Child Welfare League of Canada argued the need to create a Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House comprehensive and permanent universal program cross Canada to today on Motion No. 261, advocating a national head start program address funding for early intervention measures to assist our for Canadian children. children. Sandra Scarth, executive director of this organization, in meetings with the former justice minister and solicitor general In the last decade we have learned a tremendous amount about pointed out the necessity to identify mothers and children who are early child development.