Ronda Sparkes was recently awarded the Medal of Bravery by the Governor General of Canada for her unselfish and heroic act of bravery.
On November 30, 1993, Ms. Sparkes along with her friend Kelly Kramil, went to the aid of three people caught in a strong Pacific Ocean undercurrent at a resort in Manzanillo, Mexico. As soon as the two women realized that the swimmers were in deep trouble, they grabbed a life ring and jumped into the ocean in spite of the rough waters. Ms. Sparkes and Ms. Kramil managed to keep all three people afloat until a rescue boat arrived and brought the exhausted group back to shore.
I want to congratulate Ms. Sparkes on her Medal of Bravery and extend my praise for her courageous deed.
In the Lanaudière area only, these cuts will mean an $80,000 shortfall. Some 800 individuals will be affected, mainly students picking berries and canning vegetables. Moreover this will deprive vegetable producers of labourers who live far from their work place and have no other means of organised public transportation.
In order to maintain a program which has a significant impact on this sector of our economy, the federal government must contribute to its funding. If it withdraws, it should at least compensate Quebec financially.
even acknowledge the fact that since the introduction of the Young Offenders Act, youth violent crime has increased by over 400 per cent.
It does not take much to conclude that this Liberal oriented document simply is not working. Rather than address this legislation as unworkable, the minister's recent comments indicate the probability of punishing the provinces by removing funding if they do not change their ways.
He claims that 80 per cent of the funding goes to incarceration while only 20 per cent goes to alternative measures. He also claims that provinces are acting more like vigilantes than justice agents.
When will the minister wake up and realize the Young Offenders Act contributes to more law breaking than it prevents? Why does he not recognize the YOA is a joke to most youth? Why does he not scrap the Young Offenders Act in its entirety, introduce programs and measures that will prevent youth crime and penalties to indicate society is no longer prepared to handle youth crime with kid gloves? When will we send the strong message that youth-
The Speaker: The hon. member for Winnipeg Transcona.
The Liberals have allowed the most privileged and powerful in Canadian society to turn their backs on the children who make up Canada's next generation. Many Canadian families are under severe stress, while the prosperity of the new economy is blowing into executive pay packets but not into children's lunch buckets or into their educational opportunities.
The leader of the NDP, Alexa McDonough, has called for the restoration of balance into our economy. We are calling for a cap of $200,000 or less on executive salaries that can be deducted from corporate taxes as a business expense and to direct the tax savings to programs to reduce child poverty.
Doug Thomlinson, a former teacher at Fanshawe College, hosted a Czech technical college teacher. He familiarized him with training programs for entrepreneurs, community college courses and counselling services for small businesses. The visitor will develop a plan for the future tourist trade in the Czech republic.
CESO volunteer advisers are professionally skilled men and women, usually retired, who share their experiences with businesses and organizations in developing nations and aboriginal communities in Canada. Since 1967 some 7,000 CESO volunteers have completed over 30,000 assignments in more than 100 countries and throughout Canada. In 1995, their 19,000 days of service were valued at $7 million.
I thank Doug and all CESO volunteers for their significant contributions to international development and prosperity.
Mr. Evan Whitehead, accompanied by his wife Joan, went on assignment to Ghana in Africa. He had been asked by a stock brokerage and investment banking firm to train staff and to assist the firm in marketing its services.
Mr. Whitehead put in place a revised organizational structure with responsibilities well defined. He trained senior staff and management in marketing and also made recommendations to address computer software and hardware problems. He redesigned office space and layout, introduced the concept of weekly meetings and set up a recruitment program. Before Mr. Whitehead left Ghana, interviews were set up to recruit additional staff.
CESO is a volunteer organization supported by CIDA and hundreds of Canadian corporations and individuals who willingly share their years of experience with needy businesses and organizations in developing nations.
(1405)
My congratulations to Evan and Joan Whitehead who reside in the riding of Lambton-Middlesex.
over the harmful effects of pornography. I join them in an expression of anger and sadness that women, men and children are exploited through pornographic material and that such material continues to circulate in our society.
Pornography has a corrosive and damaging effect on our culture and it has pushed the margins of acceptability and decency.
The campaign against pornography is the people's attempt to push back. Due respect for the dignity for all persons is the strongest measure in seeing the blight of pornography removed from our society.
I applaud and support the efforts of those who are trying to raise public awareness on this sad but important issue.
In my riding, several women have managed to find work in occupations that traditionally excluded them. They are linewomen, welders, assemblers, surveyors, electricians, machinists, mechanics, truckers, engineers, and policewomen.
The Partance group and its board of directors recently published a directory containing information on and statements by 49 women holding non-traditional jobs.
I commend these women as well as the co-ordinator and counsellors of the Partance group, who, through their work, show that change is possible when the desire is strong enough. This is an example the people of my riding of Drummond follow with pride.
Bill C-216 has moved just a few metres down the hall to the other place and, lo and behold, our unelected and unaccountable senators are playing games with this bill.
I ask citizens and consumers: What is the similarity between backroom events in this House and in the other House? Lobbying. Lobbying on the part of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the CRTC and powerful lobbying buddies, former politicians and bureaucrats. All these unelected senators and lobbyists are working overtime to bury a bill which was passed by the elected members of the House of Commons.
If there are any responsible members in that other place I would urge them to stand up and be counted on the side of consumers and quit their shameful blockade of the will of the Canadian public.
The Speaker: Colleagues, I would remind you about criticism of the other place. We are getting very close to the line. Please be very judicious in your choice of words.
The CCIP bid, which was spearheaded by Renaissance Economic Initiatives, links eight economically interdependent communities which include the cities of Brantford and Burlington, the regional municipalities of Haldimand-Norfolk and Hamilton-Wentworth, Six Nations of the Grand River, the towns of Grimsby and Lincoln and the township of West Lincoln.
By strengthening access to equity capital for small business in what is now referred as the inter-lake economic corridor, we are creating more opportunities for jobs and growth.
I would like to congratulate Renaissance Economic Initiatives, my caucus colleagues and all the community partners not only for their dedication and hard work in making the CCIP bid successful but also for the model which they have established for future inter-regional partnerships.
The Secretary-General of the UN, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, called on Canada to step forward and lead this crucial humanitarian effort. Canadians believe that this nation has a moral responsibility to do all that we can to prevent the loss of life in central Africa.
I have had considerable input on this crisis from my constituents of London-Middlesex. While there are dissenters, the vast majority of my constituents, and I believe of all Canadians, support our leading this humanitarian effort.
(1410)
Although we have economic problems at home, Canadians know that our so-called problems pale in comparison to the tragedy in central Africa. Given the rapidly changing nature of this crisis, obviously there is uncertainty about the exact nature of this mission. However, there is no uncertainty about the fact that
Canadians are proud that the government and the nation will do all they can to prevent the loss of life in this troubled region of the world.
The Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region lags in the job creation department. Year after year, our region posts the highest rate of unemployment in the country. At the same time, greater use is made of health care services in our region than in others.
The regions' level of economic development must be boosted in order to improve the health of the population. More must be done to create jobs. Putting people back to work will reduce health costs in our region. This is true not only for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region but also for all the other regions. It makes sense: give people work, and health costs will go down.
Racism and sexism cannot be tolerated. However, the government report portrays the entire community of Vegreville as being racist because of the alleged actions of a few people. By unfairly labelling an entire town, this report is doing to the people of Vegreville what the report claims the people are doing to some of the workers at the centre. Is the government unfairly stereotyping the people of Vegreville for political gain, to have an excuse to move the centre to a Liberal riding?
The truth is that Vegreville is one of the best places in this country in which an immigrant and his family could find a home. Just ask the thousands of immigrants who have done that over the years.
[Translation]
According to Mr. Picher, the Export Development Corporation will release tomorrow its five year projections, and it is expected that the annual growth rate of our exports will be slightly above 8 per cent.
As you know, the Export Development Corporation is a Canadian crown corporation whose primary mandate is to provide financial and risk management services to exporters. According to the EDC, 40 per cent of Canadian production will be exported in the coming years.
Given that exports provide five million jobs in Canada, including 1.2 million in Quebec, we have every reason to be pleased by the EDC's projections.
In response to this statement, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois might tell us whether Mr. Turp's statement represented the party's official position on the Parti Quebecois. If this is the case, would the Bloc leader provide details on the sources of friction between his party and that of his former leader, Lucien Bouchard?
The movement of dispute currently dividing militant separatists in the Parti Quebecois and the Bloc makes it very clear that these people are unable to put the interests of the public ahead of their ideological battles.
A Conservative backbencher apparently demanded an opposition colleague speaking French speak English.
(1415)
According to a report in the media, this is the third time the Conservatives have made such remarks in the legislature since their election last year.
[English]
It is unacceptable that Premier Harris does not intervene in this abusive situation toward the francophone community. And that, under his very nose, in his own legislature.