
CANADA VOLUME 135 S NUMBER 108 S 1st SESSION S 36th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Monday, May 25, 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 7091 HOUSE OF COMMONS Monday, May 25, 1998 The House met at 11 a.m. Start Program, Hawaii Head Start Program, and PERRY Pre-School Program; and (c) ensure that the program is implemented by the year 2000. _______________ We in the official opposition are pleased that the motion is receiving so much support in the House. Prayers _______________ The motion clearly states that the federal government should develop a national head start program along with its provincial counterparts. This would be a comprehensive program for all PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS Canadian children in their first eight years of their life. As a member of parliament I have divided my mandate into four D (1100) components of society which I would like to focus on. They are: [English] youth, senior citizens, families and women. I find this helpful in my work because, for example, I find that I learn a great deal about NATIONAL HEAD START PROGRAM youth when I meet with students at schools. The House resumed from April 20 consideration of the motion. We should provide a good start in life for our children. Our Mr. Peter Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to Leader of the federal government tries to help all children through our health and Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, education programs. The motion simply asks the federal govern- discussions have taken place among all parties and the member for ment to concentrate on our children in the first eight years of their Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca concerning the taking of the division on life, which is a critical stage in a child’s development. M-261 scheduled for today at the conclusion of Private Members’ Business and I believe that you will find consent for the following: We know that inadequate attention and nurturing for our young- That at the conclusion of today’s debate on M-261, all questions necessary to sters can often lead to subsequent developmental difficulties. We dispose of the said motion shall be deemed put, a recorded division deemed know that with a poor start the life of a child is at risk of winding up requested and deferred until the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the wrong side of the law. Our federal government should be today. interested in any opportunities that result in successful crime The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland): The House has heard prevention. We spend more money dealing with criminals than on the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the early detection and prevention of crime. The dollars spent on motion? providing a good head start for our children will result in the saving of many dollars in the future that would have been spent dealing Some hon. members: Agreed. with anti-social and criminal behaviour. (Motion agreed to) The government has already implemented head start programs D (1105 ) for our aboriginal communities. They have been primarily limited to reserves, but most aboriginal people living off reserve and Mr. Gurmant Grewal (Surrey Central, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, I non-aboriginal people also need this kind of program. We should rise on behalf of the people of Surrey Central to speak in favour of treat all Canadians equally. Motion No. 261 as proposed by my hon. colleague from Esqui- malt—Juan de Fuca. We have head start programs for our aboriginal children. Why The motion states: are head start programs not available to other children who are not living on reserve? That, in the opinion of this House, the government should: (a) develop, along with their provincial counterparts, a comprehensive National Head Start Program for children in their first 8 years of life; (b) ensure that this integrated program involves This motion proposes that the government explore models based both hospitals and schools, and is modelled on the experiences of the Moncton Head on the Perry Preschool Program, among others. 7092 COMMONS DEBATES May 25, 1998 Private Members’ Business This government’s National Crime Prevention Council has been This brings us to the heart of the role of our federal government. very of supportive a national head start program. On page 2 of Far from being threatened, Quebec should be anxious to share its the executive summary of its 1996 report it states: technology and some of its successful programs with the rest of the country. The Bloc members should also support this motion. D (1110 ) Our federal government should pursue this motion and pool our resources to reduce the cost of implementation. Ideas and successes There is ample evidence that well-designed social development programs can prevent crime and be cost-effective. Rigorous evaluations, mainly American, show could be shared. National standards would ensure that children that crime prevention through social development pays handsome dividends. from all parts of this country receive the necessary assistance and protection in a national head start program. In 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 crime. Back in August 1996 the former minister of justice commented about the justice system and how the harm has already been done by the time people come before the courts. He stated ‘‘We must do The Secretary of State for Children and Youth has already more than deal with the symptoms of the problem. We must go to spoken to this motion on behalf of the Liberals. She acknowledges the source’’. Programs, as proposed by this motion, go to the the success of the aboriginal head start program and pointed out source. that funding had doubled due to its benefits. In 1996 the Child Welfare League of Canada argued the need to We need to expand our efforts to include the protection of all create a comprehensive and permanent universal program across children and to assist needy parents to properly nurture and care for Canada to address funding for early intervention measures to assist our country’s children. our children. I would like to give an example. Sandor Nyerges was a constitu- The motion we are debating should be supported by all members ent of mine and a veteran of the two great wars. He was deaf, mute, of this House, but especially by Liberals. The motion is not in 80 years old and lived alone. He became the victim of a ferocious conflict with the comments made by the secretary of state. attack by an assailant who has a long record as a young offender. My constituent died in the hospital from that attack. The alleged assailant was apparently intoxicated, a youth, possibly on drugs. It is known that healthy babies become healthy children. Hospi- tals could screen all new mothers to identify babies and families D (1115 ) who may need extra support and services. The constituents of Surrey Central and I are furious. In Surrey Supporting this motion would pave the way for providing high and elsewhere we hear about such crimes day after day. We have risk families with the parenting help needed to avoid child abuse had another murder in Surrey, a caretaker at the Sikh temple, and neglect. another victim of youth. If our federal government had been acting in a timely fashion in The official opposition justice critic spoke on this motion during the direction of the motion we are debating today, maybe Sandor its second hour of debate. He recounted that during the justice and many other Canadians might not have been assaulted or committee’s recent 10-year review of the Young Offenders Act the murdered. committee travelled across the country. It listened to witnesses. It heard experts, professionals and lay people who have an interest in At the Princess Margaret Senior Secondary School in Surrey in the whole area of the development of youth and the prevention of March 1998 I met with students shortly after Sandor died. During youth crime. During the hearings experts told the committee that my meeting with these students they raised the issue of crime as a teachers could detect aberrant and over-aggressive behaviour in major concern. children as early as grades one, two and three. This is just another example of how the government continues to The Bloc fears that the motion encroaches into the area of put the rights of the accused first and the safety of Canadians provincial jurisdiction. As such, it has tied this motion into the second. The government does not have a national head start Canadian unity debate. That is unfortunate. program. In closing I would like to say that Canadians are suffering. We In Quebec the justice committee found programs that are far want safer streets and safer communities. We want the Liberal ahead of some of the other provinces. That province has done an government to respond to society’s justice needs. That is why we excellent job. There are programs in Quebec that ought to be should all support Motion No. 261. looked at and perhaps emulated by other provinces if they have a real concern about dealing with early detection and preventive Mr. Scott Brison (Kings—Hants, PC): Mr. Speaker, it is with programs. great pleasure that I rise today to speak on Motion No. 261 put May 25, 1998 COMMONS DEBATES 7093 Private Members’ Business forward by the member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca.
Details
-
File Typepdf
-
Upload Time-
-
Content LanguagesEnglish
-
Upload UserAnonymous/Not logged-in
-
File Pages104 Page
-
File Size-