Mr. Merrithew:

John, you will never change.

Hon. Gerald S. Merrithew (Minister of Veterans Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, first allow me to state that I deem it a distinct pleasure to take part in this very historic debate in this place.

As Canada's Minister of Veterans Affairs I have the privilege of dealing each and every day with the veterans of Canada and their families. No one knows better than our veterans the value of a free, prosperous and united Canada. Veterans know all too well the price of preserving our nation and the awful consequences of allowing our unity to be broken.

Each day that I meet with them they remind me that they fought so hard and sacrificed so much for our Canada. As they answered the call with unfailing loyalty and determination, so now they set the same high standard for this generation to preserve the nation and to keep united that which was forged with the bonds of blood and sweat in times of conflict.

The Royal Canadian Legion was one of the first national organizations to form and finance its own national unity campaign, much to its credit.

Veterans risked all they had for Canada. Now, they are asking us to take a risk. It is a heavy responsibility that I take seriously.

Canada is so vast geographically and so diverse in its peoples it is impossible to impose upon her one narrowly defined vision about how we define ourselves as a country. We are composed of many visions, visions that incorporate social justice, economic vibrancy, individual freedom and collective responsibility.

The compromise that was reached in Charlottetown enables all of these visions to flourish. This is the Canadian way, to compromise and to find solutions amidst an array of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

I believe all Canadians are united in the hope that we

can resolve this issue and move on. Our nation pays a

September 9, 1992

heavy price when the threat of separation hangs constantly over our heads. It erodes investor confidence, draws our attention from other problems and saps our goodwill.

Now is the time to stop the bickering and get on with the building. It is time to turn from the disappointments of the past to the exciting promise of the future. With this in mind, I would like to convey my congratulations to all of the participants in the Canada round for a job well done. No one doubts the enormity of the task they faced. The remarkable consensus they have achieved is a testament to the sincerity and goodwill of all of those who took part in that long and arduous discussion.

The result of a process so gruelling and extensive is never perfect, but it is truly remarkable how many advances have been made in the true Canadian spirit of common sense and honourable compromise.

As a representative of Atlantic Canada in the federal cabinet I would like to highlight some of the aspects of this agreement which might be of special interest to citizens back home in Atlantic Canada. However, before I do so I want to emphasize our love for and our commitment to this nation.

Atlantic Canadians are Canadians first and last, and we rejoice in any agreement that strengthens our Canada. We do not expect or request special treatment and hopefully we will not be dissecting this agreement to look for major winners and major losers. An agreement to preserve this great nation makes winners out of all of us. I suspect that most Atlantic Canadians will say without hesitation that what is good for Canada is good for Atlantic Canada.

Were this country to separate into something smaller no one would feel the isolation and the loss more keenly than the Atlantic region. I know that in this hour of decision Canada can count on us to stand by her.

That said, there is much in this agreement that will be very encouraging to Atlantic Canadians.

First, we have the preservation of the federal government's ability to act decisively in the national interest, to introduce new programs where needed, and to maintain our national standards. There are strengthened provi-

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sions for national cost shared programs, allowing more stability and predictability in areas of shared jurisdiction.

Thus Atlantic Canadians are assured of a continued strong federal presence to ensure that we receive a fair share of Confederation's benefits and largess.

However, at the same time, this agreement allows for a new degree of flexibility with more room for made-in-Atlantic Canada solutions. The success of ACOA, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, has shown Canada has little to fear and much to gain from improved regional responsiveness and greater sensitivity of government initiatives to the areas they seek to serve. Giving our regions room to stand on their own where needed will benefit all of Canada.

Second, the Charlottetown agreement emphasizes again and again our commitment to equality: the equality of women and men, of races, of ethnic groups and the equality of provincial communities. Our diversity is acknowledged and celebrated for what it is, and that is one of Canada's great strengths.

This commitment to equality is more than mere rhetoric. Through concrete entrenchment of the government's commitment to equalization and to the provision of regional development assistance Atlantic Canada is seeing equality of opportunity fully entrenched in our Constitution for the first time.

It is quite unprecedented and is a very major step forward in strengthening the ties of our region to the nation.

As for the Acadians who fought bravely and proudly to gain recognition as equal partners in New Brunswick, they should be doubly happy. First, they know better than anyone how tragic it would be to split this beautiful country of ours and, second, the recognition now afforded to the equality of their rights is stronger than ever before.

Third, Atlantic Canadians can celebrate because this commitment to equality has found new expression in a strong voice for our region in Canada's national affairs. The Charlottetown accord acknowledges the principle of provincial equality as a fundamental characteristic of Canada.

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Atlantic Canada will hold nearly 40 per cent of the seats in the new Senate. This provides opportunities to ensure that our needs, our concerns and our aspirations are understood and addressed in Parliament.

Finally, all Canadians will benefit from the strengthened economic union, and some lowered interprovincial trade barriers, which will allow our country to move ahead to face the challenge of global competition through quality education, improved competitiveness and strengthened partnerships among all Canadians.

This agreement does justice to many submissions that Atlantic Canadians, many of them, made throughout the extensive public consultative process. This indeed has been the Canada round and the result is an agreement that typifies all that is so great about Canada.

This has been a very busy and moving year for me as Minister of Veterans Affairs. We have just observed the 50th anniversary of the Dieppe raid and before that the 75th anniversary of our astounding victory at Vimy.

The men and women who gave up so much and did so much for Canada did not feel their sacrifice in vain for so great a cause.

The French people we have encountered during our visits had no doubt about the role of Canada, neither in the past nor in the future.

I will only say I wish all hon. members and all Canadians could have joined us on this year's pilgrimages. To stand at the Vimy monument beside 93 year old veterans, some in wheelchairs, many bearing the physical scars of that battle, to gaze at the beaches of Dieppe and remember how many young Canadians gave everything in the cause in freedom caused one to acquire an overwhelming sense of perspective.

It is tremendously humbling to look at row upon row of headstones and be reminded of the heavy prices paid for so many of the things we all tend to take for granted.

At the same time there is an exhilaration in the knowledge that to be Canadian is to be part of something greater than ourselves, something historic, something noble and courageous, something very special, something worth fighting for, something worth even dying for.

Thankfully our history is not one of civil war or bloodshed or brother fighting brother. Events around the world remind us of how fortunate we are in this case, how we have built this history through openness of mind, through generosity of spirit, through broadness of vision and above all by trying to understand and accommodate the views of others which may differ from our own.

We must resist the efforts of those who would make our vision, our nation and thus ourselves something narrower, something smaller, something less.

In the next few weeks all Canadians will be asked to keep faith of those who went before. Thankfully the sacrifice of those who went before means the test of this generation will come at the ballot boxes and not on foreign battle fields. That happy fact does not make this test any less important, however, nor does it diminish the tragedy if it were to fail.

I am reminded of the charge of Sir John A. Macdonald who stated: "Whatever you do, adhere to the union. We are a great country and shall become one of the greatest in the universe if we preserve it. We shall sink into insignificance and adversity if we suffer it to be broken".

The torch is now passed to us. I urge all Canadians to give sincere consideration to this agreement and pray they will stand by me in giving a resounding yes to Canada's bright future. God bless Canada.

Mr. Merrithew:

It is.

Mr. Merrithew:

It is the most efficient in the world.

Hon. Gerald S. Merrithew (for the President of the Treasury Board) moved:

That the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31,

1993, laid upon the table on Thursday, February 27, 1992, less the

amounts voted in Interim Supply, be concurred in.