Hon. John Bosley (Don Valley West):

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. As the House heard earlier from the member for Burnaby, the Standing Committee on External Affairs did have a meeting this morning. It has asked me to attempt to bring to the House at this point its 10th

May 6, 1993

Business of the House

report. Normally tablings are in the morning and it is entirely understood. I am therefore seeking the consent of the House to revert at the moment to tabling to file our report. It is entirely conceivable, if that were to succeed, that I would be seeking further consents.

With respect to the December 31, 1991 deadline for filing applications for the federal sales tax inventory, (a) how many businesses filed their rebate after the deadline (b) what would be the estimated cost to the treasury of retroactively extending the deadline to December 31, 1992 so that all cases of double taxation could be redressed?

April 22, 1993

Hon. John Bosley (Don Valley West):

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay special tribute to the Greek community in Canada as it prepares today to celebrate Greek Independence Day.

The roughly 350,000 Canadians of Greek descent are proud to celebrate that day in 1821 when their ancestors rose against the Ottoman empire, which had held a stranglehold on their homeland since 1453.

The Greek national consciousness went through a period of reawakening, led by the poets, scholars, writers, and revolutionary leaders of the day.

The 1821 revolt in Moldavia and the Peloponnesus inaugurated a decade of revolution and civil war in Greece. Most of the population picked up arms, while the commercial fleets of Greek merchants and islanders built a navy.

With independence achieved, surely no nationality is more in tune with the passion for freedom than the Greeks. It is indeed an honour and a privilege that so many of them have chosen Canada as their home.

We are the better for them and we wish them all a happy Greek Independence Day.

Hon. John Bosley (Don Valley West):

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Secretary of State for External Affairs.

The report of the UN truth commission on El Salvador both names and condemns those on both sides who committed heinous atrocities during the war years and attempts to contribute to reconciliation by recommending inter alia that all of the persons named be barred from public office. Yet last Saturday, almost before the ink on the report was dry, President Cristiani moved to grant amnesty to all those named, including apparently those already convicted and in jail for the infamous murder of the Jesuit priests.

Will the minister undertake to convey to President Cristiani that many Canadians who care about the peace process and who have seen him exercise constructive leadership in the past feel betrayed by this action? Will Canada urge him to implement the recommendations of the report in full?

Hon. John Bosley (Don Valley West):

Madam Speaker, the second petition is signed by 71 residents of Toronto, 5 of whom live in my riding.

The undersigned petitioners humbly pray and call upon Parliament to take the actions necessary to reaffirm its commitment to seek the elimination of poverty among children in Canada by the year 2000 and to develop a plan for the implementation of this commitment.