CANADA House of Commons Debates VOLUME 138 Ï NUMBER 028 Ï 2nd SESSION Ï 37th PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Wednesday, November 20, 2002 Speaker: The Honourable Peter Milliken 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 1647 HOUSE OF COMMONS Wednesday, November 20, 2002 The House met at 2 p.m. In an elected Senate we have the opportunity to reinvigorate Canadian political life by better representing Canada's regional Prayers diversity. An elected Senate would provide a much needed source of opposition to the expanding power in the Prime Minister's Office. Ï (1400) Canadians deserve no less; they certainly should not have to pay for and support an organization that often resembles little more than [English] a retirement home for Liberals. The Speaker: As is our practice on Wednesday we will now sing O Canada, and we will be led by the hon. member for Portage— *** Lisgar. Ï (1405) [Editor's Note: Members sang the national anthem] HUMAN RIGHTS Mr. Irwin Cotler (Mount Royal, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the recent Human Rights Watch report entitled “All Our Hopes are Crushed: STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS Violence and Repression in Western Afghanistan”, and that of [English] Afghan-Canadian women decrying the absence of security and justice, even in Kabul, particularly for Afghan women, are ominous UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH signs of a “re-Talibanization”. Mrs. Brenda Chamberlain (Guelph—Wellington, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, last week Maclean's magazine released its annual It includes: first, the division of Afghanistan into provincial university edition. The magazine evaluates Canadian universities fiefdoms presided by warlords complicit in war crimes; second, a according to three categories: primarily undergraduate, comprehen- pattern in western Afghanistan of widespread political intimidation, sive, and medical doctoral. arrests, beatings, torture and extortion, and complete denial of any freedom of expression or association; third, a continuing violation of I am pleased to say that Maclean's this year has ranked the women's rights with the reinstallation of Taliban-like departments of University of Guelph as the number one university in its vice and virtue; a fatwa against Dr. Sima Samar; the rocketing of comprehensive category. However, I must say that many of us in four schools for girls; and women denied access to health, Guelph—Wellington have known for a very long time that our employment and other basic human rights; fourth, the targeting of university is indeed number one. Maclean's states: the Pashtun minority for special abuse; and fifth, a climate of fear What distinguishes Guelph is a strong sense of community... it places a high and insecurity. priority on ensuring students' academic success... and ensures that students have a chance to become involved. The Canadian government should: reaffirm principles of justice and accountability as the basis for human security in Afghanistan; I am pleased that the values of my community are reflected in our ensure no development aid be funnelled through warlords; ensure university. The University of Guelph is an outstanding institution that the ISAF presence extends throughout the country; and protect and I applaud it for receiving this recognition. women's rights as a test of the new Afghanistan. *** *** SENATE OF CANADA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Mr. Brian Fitzpatrick (Prince Albert, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, one of the cornerstones of Canadian Alliance policy Ms. Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, remains our commitment to an elected Senate. At the convention that I want to bring to the attention of the House the work of the National gave birth to the Reform Party our members saw the need to Research Council's Institute of Biodiagnostics in downtown overhaul an institution that was detached, unaccountable and Winnipeg. The work of the institute is under the leadership of Dr. obsolete. Fifteen years later the Senate is even less relevant to Ian Smith, the Director General and Dr. Roxanne Deslauriers, the Canadians. That must change. Director of Research. 1648 COMMONS DEBATES November 20, 2002 S. O. 31 The research teams at the Institute are involved in leading edge Today I ask the justice minister, for the sake of the children, to research in the field of magnetic resonance imaging or MRI. In ensure that the concept of shared parenting becomes the premise on groundbreaking research they are developing a one-stop multimodal which all judgments in custody and access disputes are based. procedure for the detection of breast cancer which includes identifying a lesion undetectable by traditional x-ray methods. *** As well, another of the institute's research teams is conducting Ï (1410) research in the area of colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer related deaths among men and women. Again using magnetic [Translation] resonance spectroscopy the team is developing an early detection procedure that is non-invasive and will provide a biochemical NATIONAL CHILD DAY fingerprint. The research teams of the institute are to be congratulated for their Ms. Raymonde Folco (Laval West, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, today, world class research in non-invasive medical diagnostics. November 20, is National Child Day, proclaimed in 1993 by the Government of Canada to mark the adoption of the UN Declaration *** of the Rights of the Child and the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. NATIONAL CHILD DAY Mr. Mac Harb (Ottawa Centre, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, in the In 2001-02, some 2.6 million children of low-income families Speech from the Throne the Prime Minister noted that Canada's benefited from the national child benefit. This was a reiteration of future rests in the hands of our children. We must therefore provide our commitment to help children and families. families with the tools they need to plan for our children's future. November 20 is National Child Day. I would like to review with The government released two reports, one on Government of my colleagues the steps the federal government has taken to support Canada activities and expenditures for early childhood development children and families. and the other a Government of Canada report on child welfare, 2002. We have committed $2.2 billion to the early childhood National Child Day is an excellent opportunity to remind us that development agreement with the provinces to focus on healthy we need to honour our children, who are Canada's future. pregnancy, birth, parenting, family support, and early childhood development. We have doubled the length of maternity leave from 6 I trust that mebers will join with me in marking this important day. to 12 months, and increased parenting benefits to give fathers more flexibility in helping to raise a family. In addition, the federal government has continued to increase the Canada child tax benefit to *** help poor and middle income families, but sadly, there are still too many children who go to bed hungry at night and much more VANESSA BILODEAU AND CATHERINE MONGEAU remains to be done. Mr. Richard Marceau (Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier, BQ): The investments we make today will make a better tomorrow for Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to welcome to Parliament Hill today and all of our children. tomorrow the MPs for a day for Charlesbourg—Jacques-Cartier, Vanessa Bilodeau and Catherine Mongeau. *** NATIONAL CHILD DAY These two young ladies tied as winners of the fifth edition of the Mr. Larry Spencer (Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, Cana- MP for a day contest, winning out over close to 1,200 other fourth dian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate National Child Day. year secondary school students in a test of general political On this special day we honour our country's most precious resource, knowledge. our children. I rise to speak on their behalf. During their stay in Ottawa, they will have an opportunity to find Often it is easy for elected officials to ignore those who do not out more about what MPs do in Parliament and to have a closer look exert direct influence on the democratic process. Since children do at the exciting life here on the Hill. They and their mothers will have not vote, often their opinions are not valued. the honour of a private meeting with the leader of the Bloc Quebecois and will also have the opportunity to meet the members Today, in the name of all children of divorced parents I want to of our entire caucus. plead with our justice minister to heed the call of thousands of children across this country who want to access both parents and both sets of grandparents. For too long the adversarial winner-take- You too, Mr. Speaker, will have the opportunity to meet and talk all model of our family law justice system has robbed children of with the two of them after question period this afternoon. their right to access both parents. Most children of divorced parents could care less about their mommy's and daddy's squabbles, but they On behalf of all my colleagues here in the House, welcome to love mom and dad in spite of their differences. Parliament. Enjoy your time among us. November 20, 2002 COMMONS DEBATES 1649 S. O. 31 [English] Admired by the people, Laurier was a member of Parliament for 45 years, and holds the longest unbroken tenure as Prime Minister. SIR WILFRID LAURIER Respected by his colleagues, Laurier was also the Prime Minister Mr. Bryon Wilfert (Oak Ridges, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, in 1998 I who led his party for the longest period. stood in the House to call for a national day of recognition for Sir Wilfrid Laurier's birthday.