Tragically, 50 per cent of family violence, 65 per cent of child abuse and one in six family breakdowns in Canada are all directly or indirectly due to alcohol misuse.
The consequences of family violence and child abuse are devastating and long lasting. However, this is a societal problem which requires the resolve of both men and women working together to identify and eliminate the root causes of family violence.
Reducing family violence means healthier families, improved outcomes of our children, lower health care costs, lower social program costs, safer communities and stronger families.
Finally, strong families make Canada strong. Therefore I call on members of Parliament to pursue initiatives to restore the strength of the traditional Canadian family.
Cascades employees were responsible for much of the design, construction and installation of the equipment, and its operation. This company now has one of the most efficient secondary treatment systems in the pulp and paper industry. My congratulations to the management and employees of Cascades, which has now moved into the vanguard of environmental protection. Theirs is an example to be followed.
The Liberals have committed to pay approximately $3 million or 30 per cent of the total cost of the francophone games to be held in Madagascar. These games include medals for such events as sculpting, video production and even story telling.
We plan on spending over five times more than what we spent on the Commonwealth games which were held in Canada and over ten times more than what we spent on the 1996 Olympics.
Government waste of taxpayer dollars is indefensible. In bad times such as what we are in now when many Canadians are suffering, the government is hard pressed to-
The Speaker: The hon. member for Markham-Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Canadians are tired of excuses and slogans from this government. They want to see employment opportunities created regularly. Creating jobs for Canadians has to be the number one priority for this government.
Recently the Prime Minister stated that more than half a million jobs had been created since the last election. Nothing is ever said about whether this is the net total and not another flip-flop statistic. If these jobs have been real then let us see the true numbers from this government.
I hold this government personally responsible for the sad state of affairs of our economy.
Individual Canadians are not alone. The councils of 33 municipalities including Windsor, Rockland and Guelph, Ontario, Beaconsfield, Quebec, Chester, Nova Scotia, Cardston, Alberta and Logan Lake and Cranbrook, British Columbia have passed resolutions of support in the past three weeks.
Some of our country's greatest moments have involved our flag. Canadians love their country and the flag that flies proudly everywhere. Young and old, they have said this summer: ``The maple leaf forever''.
The bid is the result of months of work by hundreds of volunteers. It includes details of our sports facilities and of our expertise in sports management.
The bid points out that we have already hosted the Ontario Games for the Physically Disabled, the National Slo-Pitch Championships, the Memorial Cup Tournament and two Ontario Summer Games. We have decades of experience in hosting sports events.
This bid has the full support of the city and county councils, local municipalities, the Curve Lake First Nation and our sports organizations. The bid already has strong financial as well as moral backing.
Peterborough will ensure that the first Canada Games of the new century will be the best ever. I urge all members to support Peterborough's bid.
Maria Maunder as well as Phil Graham from my riding of St. John's East and Andy Crosby of Corner Brook each competed in the rowing events.
Maunder and her Canadian women's eight crew rowed to second place and received a silver medal. Graham and Crosby rowed in the men's eight and finished fourth.
I want to thank and congratulate each of these athletes for their contribution to sports in our province and as well for Canada. Their spirit and dedication stand as examples to all of us to try our hardest at whatever task is before us. Canada is proud of you.
University of Glasgow studies show neurological dysfunction in gulf war vets and the U.S. Defence Department confirms use of chemical weapons on seven occasions during the first week of the
war, including the area of Hafr Al-Batin where some Canadians served. These confirmed the 1991 Czech and French reports of the presence of chemical agents in this area.
On May 16 the defence minister said that veterans affairs would review gulf war veterans' disability applications, assuring that those who display symptoms will be given the benefit of the doubt for treatment and compensation.
However, current regulations accept only disabilities with medically recognized symptoms. These regulations must be changed to recognize the chronic and multiple disabilities from which our gulf war veterans suffer. Talk is not enough. Action is needed now.
Nevertheless, the Prime Minister and the minister of defence have been disappointing in their stalwart defence of General Boyle.
The Prime Minister is right to say that the inquiry should be allowed to do its work but the Prime Minister should do his work.
To question General Boyle is not to attack or criticize the enlisted men and women of the Canadian forces who are distinguishing themselves at home and abroad.
To imply that questioning General Boyle is an attack on all who serve in the forces is false and a cheap rhetorical tactic. To imply that all General Boyle's internal critics are only motivated by resistance to change in the department is also false. There is a legitimate question of leadership here and it is hard to argue that General Boyle is the one to provide it.
The Prime Minister should be wary that his twisting, evasive and often shallow defence of General Boyle is enough to make some Canadians wonder about his leadership abilities. It is time he stopped bragging about his standing in the polls. Pride goeth before a fall.
[English]
As of September, Acadia University is the first fully wired campus in Canada.
The use of IBM ThinkPad computers is now an integral part of first year courses in business administration and computer science. By the end of year 2000 a high end lap top will be a standard part of every student's admission package. Acadia University recognizes that computers are no longer the wave of the future. They are the way the world communicates now.
With the help of their partners in this project, IBM Canada Limited, MT&T, Mariott Corporation of Canada Ltd. and American Express special teams, students will be equipped to learn the skills they need to compete successfully in a demanding world.
Acadia University is truly taking a leadership role in innovation among Canadian universities.
This little village of barely 300 people is to be congratulated for its initiative in encouraging reflection on the conditions fostering the development of rural villages and towns.
We are sure that this first forum on rural local development will draw from accumulated knowledge in this field to consolidate the actions needed for a rural renaissance.
Congratulations. We wish you every success in your undertaking.
I congratulate DND on its ongoing willingness to shop Canadian when seeking the finest expertise and equipment available. It is clear that the Minister of National Defence takes his job quite seriously. The minister has displayed tremendous strength and tenacity as he works to make Canada's defence department the best it can be.
I had the recent pleasure of participating in launching a new Canada Post Corporation stamp in Fredericton. The new stamp is a partnership effort between CPC and ABC Canada, a non-profit organization that helps raise awareness of literacy and promotes private sector involvement in supporting the cause.
The new stamp costs 50 cents, with five cents from every stamp going to ABC Canada.
I wish to commend Canada Post for this novel and creative way to support literacy in this country. It is once again helping us raise funds on a community basis. New Brunswick has been a leader in the promotion of literacy and I hope it continues to lead by supporting the use of this new stamp. If all 10 million stamps are sold literacy groups across the nation will benefit to the tune of $500,000. If one in three Canadians buys just one booklet of stamps they will sell out.
The member for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell did not settle with funding civil disobedience in Quebec using federal public moneys, he called upon sponsors such as Canadian International, the official carrier for all those who love Quebec, The Ottawa Sun, famous for its Quebec bashing, and the parliamentary channel, which is funded by Canadian cable companies.
No matter how hard the government whip tries to look like a rock star and how many heritage minister's flags he waves on stage, his government's music will always sound off key to Quebecers.
[English]
Well, Mr. Speaker, the summer is over
The Liberals thought they were really in clover
Three months back home to talk to the folks
Would give them the chance to garner some votes
What do you know, the people were mad
A brand new government they thought they had
But when listening closely it was the same old tune
Liberal, Tory, just two sides of the same old loon
We want jobs, real jobs, not an infrastructure scheme
We want leaders to really say what they mean
We want violent criminals to do their time
But the government says, hey, everything's fine
The military is crumbling from the top down
The general blames the troops on the ground
The minister says I'm proud of that man
He should be let go, not given a hand
Let's get on with how to fix this land
Let's get people to work-let's give them a hand
Let's show the world if you commit a crime
The consequence is you do the time
Let's prove to the world that our country is one
And quitthis fighting the separatists have begun
Canada is good butlet's make it great
Times running out and the people can'twait.
How can the Bloc leader be taken seriously when he said exactly the reverse, on December 22, and I quote again: ``Mrs. Lalonde wants to convince Canada of the benefits of an economic partnership with Quebec. For my part, I believe it is more important to be in Ottawa to defend Quebec's interests and show to its people that federalism as it stands is not in their best interest, so that they will vote yes at the next referendum''.
Who is telling the truth now? The member for Roberval who wanted to become leader of the Bloc Quebecois or the member for Roberval who is trying to get re-elected?
[English]
A few weeks into the campaign spokespeople for the separatists began to send the message that perhaps they would not be able to guarantee a position for all public servants. In the end federal public servants were told it would be unrealistic to guarantee work for anyone in an independent Quebec.
[Translation]
Last week, at the PQ regional convention held in Quebec City, delegates asked that the clause concerning the automatic integration of federal civil servants be withdrawn from the agenda, since it was, in their views, the biggest blunder in the PQ strategy in the Quebec City area.
[English]
What else is new? They never keep their promises. The hypocrisy and the flip-flops of the separatists never cease to amaze us and do little to improve the image of all Quebecers.