[Editor's Note: Whereupon members sang the national anthem.]
Seven Canadian and seven Russian youths are taking part in this exchange program. The students are spending three months in Smiths Falls and Brockville, Ontario and then will travel to Russia for three months.
Canada World Youth, founded in 1971, is a non-profit organization that co-ordinates international exchanges and non-formal education experiences for youth. This program creates unique cross-cultural learning experiences, develops leadership skills and provides opportunities for young people to become involved with international and community development issues.
The seven Russian students are billeted with seven Canadian families for the three-month period. Volunteer work placements are sought to allow participants to learn how small businesses and community service organizations function.
I commend the organizers for their hard work and dedication which have made this exchange so successful for the last 25 years.
[Translation]
Under the old legislation, anyone who worked 15 hours a week or more was covered, but now there are workers who, while paying premiums and theoretically being eligible for employment insurance, will in fact never qualify because the number of hours of work required is excessively high. Nor will they qualify for a rebate on their premiums. This is a grey area.
In a region like ours, in Beauce, requiring so many hours of work to qualify is tantamount to excluding part time workers from the program. I suggest that the legislation be made more flexible so that part time workers are not made poorer still.
Indeed, Artqui Média has been promoting arts and culture for 10 years already. To mark this anniversary, a gala dinner under the theme ``Une fête en art, couleur d'Agate'' recently took place in Amqui, with 450 people in attendance, and Agate prizes were awarded on that occasion.
Since 1987, 129 people have been awarded these prestigious honours. We are not always aware of the contribution made by those who work very hard to brighten our daily lives and promote an awareness of beauty.
The 10 years of Artqui Média are evidence that, even in remote areas, the discovery, promotion and development of the arts is possible. I congratulate the artists who were awarded Agate prizes, and all the others as well. I also congratulate their big sister, Lise Bédard-Archambault, for her great success. Again, congratulations to all our artists.
[English]
The minister of immigration still refuses to offer a simple apology for the actions of her department which unfairly damaged the reputation of the people of Vegreville. The mistake was commissioning a third party study to deal with isolated charges of racism and sexism when these charges should have been dealt with quickly and firmly by management.
By calling for a study, her department was indicating that there was a widespread problem when that was not the case. The report verifies that there were isolated incidents only.
The deputy minister should have anticipated that a study which was as widely circulated as this study was, would be leaked and it was. The immigration department is responsible for unfairly tarnishing the reputation of the good people of Vegreville.
Will the minister show enough consideration for these people to apologize for the damage that her department has done?
As well, he calls into question the Liberal definition of infrastructure and points out that golf courses and canoe museums do not fit the definition.
When I was mayor I sat on the Federation of Municipalities Infrastructure Committee. We described infrastructure as roads, sewers, streets, bridges and any project that was connected to the environment. It is irresponsible to spend millions of dollars without proper accountability, no controls and a definition of infrastructure broad enough to build a golf course.
The Liberals' promise of jobs, jobs, jobs is still in the same state as roads and sewers: in decay.
I urge the Liberal government to be honest with Canadians. They have not produced 750,000 jobs. It is another red book promise not kept.
It is my hope that the collaborative efforts of our four artists and their artistic creation will inspire all Canadians to take to heart the message of Canadian unity. The message is simple. While Canada contains within it distinct regional and cultural identities, we can all work in solidarity for a strong and united Canada.
Wilfrid Laurier University finished first in the primarily undergraduate category in the proportion of students who entered university with an average of 75 per cent or better and in the proportion of students who graduate.
I congratulate the two universities in Waterloo, while being acutely aware that post-secondary institutions in Canada are under stress due mainly to diminishing financial resources. Funding for our post-secondary institutions has to be a national priority viewed as an investment in our collective future as a nation.
Such a university deserves world class leadership. I am proud to say that we have found it in our new president, Dr. Emoke Szathmary. Dr. Szathmary was installed as the 10th president of the University of Manitoba at the fall convocation. Prior to this
appointment, Dr. Szathmary was provost and vice-president academic at McMaster University. She has also served as dean of social sciences at the University of Western Ontario.
In her brief tenure as president, she has proved to be an effective advocate for the university. She believes strongly in academic excellence and equally strongly in community involvement. I was proud to participate in her installation and I look forward to working with her as she strives to make the University of Manitoba one of the best universities in the world.
Marie-France Bourgeois, the first Quebecer and Canadian to get a degree in international development from Long Island College, is now working in Africa, for the United Nations World Food Program. This young woman of 33 was mandated by the UN to co-ordinate food distribution to 670,000 Hutu refugees in Tanzania. Given the highly troubled political context, she must act with efficiency and diplomacy to alleviate the plight of these people.
I also wish to congratulate Jean Guilbeault, who was also named personality of the year. He is the first Drummondville resident to be a member of the famous Snowbirds, this select team of pilots.
To those two young people who make us proud, I wish a rewarding career and may all their dreams be fulfilled.
I read to you a quote from the Liberal red book: ``After nine years of Conservative rule, cynicism about public institutions, governments, politicians and the political process is at an all-time high. Integrity in our political institutions must be restored''.
The Liberals have expelled an MP for keeping his word. They are now taking action to expel their own party members who choose to support their duly elected member of Parliament. So much for restoring integrity, another broken red book promise. It is now crystal clear: Liberal, Tory, same old story.
It is time for a fresh start. It is time to elect a Reform government that gives a guarantee with its promises.
Put simply, the Liberals created this mess when they were in power in the early 1980s by uncritically and gullibly embracing deregulation as the great panacea, the be all and end all for Canadian air transport. I remember only too well the current Minister of Foreign Affairs gushing about all the benefits that deregulation would bring and Tory Mazankowski followed the Liberal lead.
(1410)
It is time to face up to the fact that deregulation has not worked as it was supposed to and act accordingly.
It is imperative that the federal government find some way of giving relief to those lower income Canadians who are now subject to a 25.5 per cent withholding tax on their U.S. benefits but not entitled to a tax refund for overpayments.
This policy unfairly penalizes Canadian residents and most, as seniors, at a time in their lives when they can ill afford it. Indeed, many are trying to survive on less than subsistence incomes.
I appreciate that amendments to international treaties require lengthy and laborious negotiations. Nonetheless I implore the finance minister and the government to make every effort to bring needed change to this unfair U.S. tax policy.
The 1996 tax year is rapidly drawing to a close. It is imperative that affected Canadian residents receive confirmation of tax relief. They require this now.
It is not just a statistic. It is a tragic human reality with lasting repercussions. We know that the effects of poverty on children are significant and long term. We know that such children have more risk factors and fewer supports.
It is not a simple problem in need of a simple solution. It is a complex crisis that requires comprehensive intervention on a number of fronts with a wide range of initiatives. We need to listen to the suggestions of all the experts: academics, administrators and front line workers.
It is time that all members from all parties assumed a collective leadership role to move forward with concrete programs to eradicate child poverty. Let us give meaning to our words and let us build a path to a better way of life for our nation's future, our children.
With only 23 nations supporting a global ban on the use of anti-personnel land mines, they have become the weapon of choice in guerrilla type operations. They are cheap, at $3, easy to set and highly effective.
Land mines are indiscriminate in their action. The United Nations has estimated that land mines are ten times more likely to kill or injure a civilian, primarily women and children, after a conflict, rather than during combat situations.
Last week at a meeting of the North Atlantic Assembly I was named Special Rapporteur for the Science and Technology Committee to present a paper on anti-personnel land mines at their next session. I am very pleased to have been chosen to represent Canada in this forum and proud of Canada's lead role in the struggle to achieve a global ban on these weapons.
[Translation]
In 1993, the red book stated, and I quote: ``Since 1984, the Tories have systematically weakened the social support network-Not only have they taken billions of dollars from health care and from programs that support children, seniors and people who have lost their jobs, but they have set us on a path to becoming a polarized society, divided into rich and poor, educated and uneducated, with a shrinking middle class. This is not the kind of country where Canadians want to live in''.
This assessment can be applied word for word to the Liberals' performance in the fight against poverty. The situation is even worse than it was before.
If the government seriously wants to do something about poverty instead of making pompous speeches, it should first stop the cuts in social programs and transfer payments to the provinces.
It makes no legal sense to let the independent employment insurance system finance general Liberal overspending. It makes no economic sense to let the premiums mask the need for more cuts in program spending. It makes no social sense to let premiums put the main burden of deficit fighting on workers. And it makes no commons sense to forgo the job creation benefits of lower premiums.
(1415)
I once thought the Minister of Finance and his cabinet colleagues had sense enough to do what is right, legally, economically, socially and for Canada. I was wrong. They have no sense.
members of the Quebec National Assembly passed a resolution urging banks and department stores to reduce credit card interest rates.
Last week, a group of more than 80 members, including myself, representing the majority of federal political parties, came together to put pressure on banks and department stores to bring down their interest rates.
At a time when interest rates are at their lowest level in 30 years, it is inconceivable that rates charged on credit cards are still at 16 per cent and 29 per cent.
Banks and department stores should also make a contribution to the economic renewal of our country, and we are confident that, with the support of the other provincial legislatures, we will convince them to do so.
It is true that when, as lending institutions, they take advantage of fluctuations in interest rates and exchange rates and earn money in the process, it is all part of the rules of the game. But when we are talking about service charges for consumers and small businesses, that is something else. For instance, whether we are talking about $1.10 for an automatic withdrawal, $3 per month plus 25 cents per cheque cashed, and up to $20 for a cheque that is refused or $4.50 for a certified cheque, the charges are enormous.
The growing tendency for the banks to increase their service charges must be controlled if the Canadian public is to maintain its confidence in our Canadian banking system.