Madam Deputy Speaker:

The hon. member may want to continue once we resume Government Orders later today.

It being eleven o'clock, pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House will now proceed to Statements by Members pursuant to Standing Order 31.

Mr. Don Blenkam (Mississauga South):

Madam Speaker, over one year ago the government recognized Croatia as an independent state, but the government has yet to initiate diplomatic relations despite the fact that the government maintains a consulate in Zagreb.

The House will know that the consulate in Zagreb is a consulate to the embassy in Belgrade and a virtual state of war exists between Croatia and Serbia.

I call upon the minister of external relations to immediately open diplomatic relations with Croatia, to make our consulate in Zagreb an embassy, and to quit the pretence that Zagreb is really a consulate for our embassy that deals with the Republic of Yugoslavia which for all intents and purposes no longer exists.

Mr. Jack Iyerak Anawak (Nunatsiaq):

Madam Speaker, late last year the RCMP Public Complaints Commission issued a report recommending among other matters that the Commissioner of the RCMP apologize to Kitty Nowdluk-Reynolds.

Kitty, Canadians will recall, is the young Inuk woman who was victimized twice in 1990. She suffered a vicious sexual assault and was then subjected to horribly insensitive and inhumane treatment by the Canadian justice system.

In January the commissioner apologized to Kitty for the inconsiderate and unacceptable behaviour of certain members of the RCMP. He expressed regret over their unprofessionalism and their failure to respect the basic tenets of human kindness. I thank the commissioner for his apology, but there are many other recommendations in the commission's report that need to be acted upon in order to improve the criminal justice system.

For Kitty's sake and for the sake of all victims I urge the government to implement these recommendations which deal with the special needs of persons who are victims of crime. Kitty's ordeal must never again be repeated.

February 19, 1993

Mr. Bruce Halliday (Oxford):

Madam Speaker, I want to say a word this morning about the issue of world population and the failure of the UNCED meeting in Rio last June to address the appropriate issues there.

On December 30, 1992 Anita Gordon, media advisor to Maurice Strong, Secretary-General at the UNCED meeting in Rio who by the way is a Canadian, and co-author of the book It's a Matter of Human Survival, in discussing the failure of the earth summit at UNCED and referring to Agenda 21, the agenda for that meeting, said:

In fact, if you examine Agenda 21 carefully, you'll see that what it does is talk about our symptoms. It does not talk about our basic problem'. It talks about water quality. It talks about deforestation. It talks about loss of species. It does not deal with the fundamental problem, the thing that is sort of setting everything on fire on this planet, and that's the human species.

It does not talk about how we ourselves are expanding on the planet. It doesn't talk about overpopulation and it doesn't- certainly not -talk about overconsumption, which is the problem in the West. And, because it doesn't deal with those two basic fundamental things, it really does not attack the root of the problem.

What we need is more foreign aid directed toward education and health care.

Hon. Marcel Prud'homme (Saint-Denis):

Madam Speaker, yesterday, Thursday, February 18, together with several colleagues, I had the honour to meet Mr. Varaztad Avoyan, member and General Secretary of the Armenian Parliament. Mr. Speaker Fraser even introduced him to the House. Later that day, he met some of those responsible for external affairs in my party to inform them of the terribly difficult situation in Armenia.

Without partisanship, we strongly hope that the Hon. Secretary of State for External Affairs of Canada will urge that this issue be put on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. We ask that Canada raise the question of access for humanitarian shipments with our

NATO ally, Turkey, and that initiatives be taken with the Russian Republic to consider with them an airlift to help these desperate people.

Madam Speaker, the situation is serious and I hope that hon. members of this House as well as the distinguished representatives of the national press will inform the Canadian people about the gravity of the situation.

Mrs. Edna Anderson (Simcoe Centre):

Madam Speaker, over the past few years we have watched socialist governments around the world flounder, fail and fall as the people living under these antiquated regimes struggle to survive. All these are the results of decades of socialist ideology.

However, here in Canada we were treated by the federal NDP leader to a litany of socialist ideas outlined in yet another five-year plan for economic ruin.

In Canada we watch the NDP Ontario government and the NDP B.C. government struggling to keep their heads above water by blaming their mismanagement on the federal government, but the simple truth is that socialism does not work. Do not take my word for it; check the annals of history where there is ample proof.

Mr. Rod Laporte (Moose Jaw-Lake Centre):

Madam Speaker, what do you do with a million pennies? Well, just ask Ernie Penny. He is chairman of the Penny Project, a fund-raiser launched by the Foundation for Centre in the Park. The objective is to help raise some of the $262,000 which represents the foundation's share of the cost of expanding and renovating the Moose Jaw library and art museum.

Ten thousand dollars worth of copper is ambitious but in a vault in downtown Moose Jaw, I might add a vault with a strong floor, the pennies continue to mount.

Ernie Penny, A1 McEwan and all the others associated with the foundation are to be congratulated for coming up with this marvellous idea, an idea which has received

February 19, 1993

national attention including a feature on CBC's What on Earth.

We have even managed to bring them some pennies from Ottawa. Now Ernie Penny and his committee should be especially proud of this accomplishment. Since I have arrived on the Hill there have been all kinds of groups that have been unable to get even one red cent out of Ottawa. The foundation however has managed to get a whole jar full.

Mr. Peter L. McCreath (South Shore):

Madam Speaker, is there no limit to the ingenuity of Canada Post to find ways to infuriate the Canadian public and to induce phone calls to the offices of members of Parliament?

Canada Post says that if a letter is delivered to you in error it is now your responsibility to place it in a new envelope, readdress it, put a new stamp on it and put it back in the mail.

It is nonsense. It is an outrage with which Canadians will simply not put up, nor should they. This measure will not result in Canada Post getting its revenues in order. It will simply result in a lot of mail being thrown out that should be delivered.

I call on Canada Post to immediately remove this silly directive.

Mr. Mac Harb (Ottawa Centre):

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my disappointment over the government decision to launch a study on how best to collect tax on prepaid funeral trust funds.

By imposing yet another tax this government has shown its lack of compassion to the seniors of Canada. As it is, people must pay the GST on all funeral costs including headstones and caskets. Surely prearranged funeral costs should be spared from any unfair taxation.

People who prepay for funerals want the peace of mind that goes along with it. By taxing these trust

deposits there is no incentive for persons to prearrange their funerals.

The government has unfairly taxed everything from books to women's hygiene products and now it is attempting to tax prearranged funerals.

I call on the government to stop its attack on our seniors who built this country. Surely our seniors have earned the right to peace of mind.

Hon. Lome Nystrom (Yorkton-Melville):

Madam Speaker, I was disappointed to learn the other day that the parliamentary committee studying the North American free trade agreement has decided to cancel a hearing in Saskatchewan.

I have a letter from Mr. Paul Brassard, co-ordinator of the Rural Life Ministry. He wrote:

The tour to Saskatchewan has been cancelled. We were missed in

April and now again. What is happening to our democratic process?

We are a part of Canada and insist that we be heard on NAFTA.

Those are the facts from Paul Brassard, co-ordinator of the Rural Life Ministry, a highly respected group in Saskatchewan.

They have the right to be heard. The people of Saskatchewan have the right to be heard on NAFTA. I insist that a parliamentary committee go to our province and let the people speak. I am not sure what the government is afraid of or what the opposition is afraid of, but these people have the right to speak.