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I extend
special thanks to my friends Senator Lowell Murray and Senator
John Lynch-Staunton for their kindness, reassurance and
generosity to me, not only on swearing-in day, but also during
my first several uncertain days in these unfamiliar
surroundings. De plus, mes
remerciements très sincères vont à mon ami associé, l'honorable
Maurice Riel, ancien Président du Sénat et à l'honorable Marcel
Prud'homme, un collègue du parlement universitaire de Montréal,
il y a 35 ans, pour leurs paroles chaleureuses lorsque j'ai pris
mon siège.
To the many
other such expressions already accorded to them, I am happy to
add my own sincere congratulations to His Honour on his
well-deserved accession to his new position of honour, prestige
and responsibility, and to the Honourable Senators Joyce
Fairbairn and John Lynch-Staunton upon their becoming Leader of
the Government and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
respectively. I wish all three of them much wisdom,
cooperation and success as they carry out their key leadership
roles during this critical period in the Senate's history.
Following my
appointment to this place, I had occasion to consult briefly
with my eminent predecessor, who was the Quebec Senator from the
district of Alma for 38 years. I speak of the Honourable
Senator Harland de M. Molson. I consulted him on the
current state of the Senate and sought his counsel in my
capacity as a new and enthusiastic, but thoroughly inexperienced
Senator. He expressed to me several deep and substantial
concerns about changes that he felt had occurred here in recent
years.
This will
come as no surprise to you, honourable senators, given that when
he announced his resignation as dean of the Senate here last May
26, just three days short of his 86th birthday, Senator Molson
referred to these changes, stating that some of them had left
him with a "sense of regret, and disappointment." He
observed that there had been "a very obvious deterioration in
the atmosphere of the house... with a substantial, almost
catastrophic, decrease in public respect and support."
What he
deplored the most, honourable senators, was his sense that
basic good manners and heretofore mutual respect and decency
among senators had deteriorated substantially in recent years.
Not wont to using hyperbole or misplaced emphasis, I have no
doubt Senator Molson knew whereof he spoke. His sage
suggestion to me was that, if Senate reform is to succeed, if we
wish to make a difference in building the future Canada, we
must, as a first step, start acting with more dignity at the
human level.
Honourable
senators, we might do well to recall Senator Molson's admonition
when we sense that our enthusiasm over some partisan or other
point is starting to get the better of us.
At this
point, honourable senators, I wish to record a brief word of
tribute and thanks to Senator Molson. We can all learn a
great deal from this remarkable Canadian who has devoted so much
of his life, both in peacetime and in wartime, to distinguished
public service in this nation. He is a unique individual
who has been able to combine his qualities as a patrician
gentleman of high intelligence and talents with a real zest for
life and living, a quixotic sense of humour, humility,
tolerance, compassion for and understanding of his fellow human
beings and a responsible but self-effacing sense of public
service and duty.
Senator
Molson is a discreet, modest and private individual whose quiet
and often anonymous eleemosynary works and activities are legion
in this country. As well, he is tough-minded, courageous,
loyal and of strong moral and physical fibre. He is a man
you would always want to have on your side, whether in wartime
or at the Montreal Forum cheering on your favourite hockey team.
The Senate is surely a better place for his having been here. Let
us heed his counsel and not disappoint him.
I am here
because I love Canada, Canadians and the Canadian way of life.
I am also here because I earnestly whish to contribute to and
participate in this nation's economic renewal, the national
reconciliation of our profound regional and cultural diversities
and the Canadian people's adaptation to fundamental change, all
of which are so necessary if our wonderful country is to
flourish and prosper, and remain independent and free in the
twenty-first century and beyond.
Canada is
characterized by extraordinary regional, social, cultural,
geographic and economic disparities. We have become a
truly pluralistic society and are becoming more so almost every
day. Theses features are not liabilities; they are assets,
and they are strengths which distinguish us from other nations.
We must preserve these assets by continual accommodation,
combined with sensitive mutual understanding and respect amongst
our various regions and peoples.
J'habite
depuis maintenant 48 ans, dans la belle province de Québec.
Ma famille et moi nous y sommes installés en 1946, après un bref
séjour à Toronto, où je suis né, puis au bord de l'océan à
Chester, en Nouvelle-Ecosse et à Shediac au Nouveau-Brunswick
pendant la dernière guerre mondiale. Je me considère donc
comme un québécois.
I am one of
that diminishing species, honourable senators, an
English-speaking Quebecker; an anglophone.
Ainsi,
honorables sénateurs, j'ai eu la chance de me trouver dans une
situation où j'ai pu apprendre à connaître mes concitoyens
canadiens français et découvrir, apprécier et respecter leur
façon de penses, leurs inquiétudes et leurs aspirations.
In my
opinion, all -- or at least the vast majority -- are proud
Canadians who would not support, or even consider, separation
unless provoked or frustrated beyond reason, to the extent that
if a referendum were held, their decision would be based more on
emotional considerations than on logic and reason. They
are sensitive and sensible, with a wealth of common sense and
insight, and they can usually be counted on to make the right
decision in the crunch.
They will be
there in the crunch, honourable senators. French
Canadians, at least the ones I know -- and I intended to address
this to the Honourable Senator Thériault -- are a loyal,
passionate and creative people who understandably revere their
language, their culture, and their distinct status as guaranteed
at the time of Confederation. To accommodate their
legitimate aspirations is not, in my respectful view, an
unreasonable price to pay to preserve the integrity of our
country.
Des gestes
provocateurs tels que le rejet de l'Accord du lac Meech et la
menace inopportunée de fermer le Collège militaire de St-Jean,
sont imprudents et ne contribuent pas à la réconciliation
nationale que nous visons. Je partage les inquiétudes de
mes collègues, les sénateurs Rivest et Beaudoin et de certains
autres honorables sénateurs qui ont, au cours des derniers
jours, fait appel, dans cette Chambre, à la prudence. Il
existe présentement au Québec une situation potentiellement
instable.
I would thus
urge the government to keep the national unity file open and on
the government agenda, in lieu of ill-conceived and poorly timed
shut-downs of highly visible and symbolic institutions.
Over the past
35 years, but more particularly in the last decade, we have
witnessed rapid and almost unbelievable change at all levels in
Canadian society. This has not been exclusive to us, but
rather has been part of a global phenomenon brought about by the
"shrinking of the world," the development of the "global
village," the communications revolution and all of the other
related, extraordinary technological breakthroughs. For
example, today "information superhighway" are buzzwords.
It is difficult to imagine that only two or three years ago the
expression was virtually unknown.
Our most
basic institutions and values are being affected, questioned and
challenged. Canada's legal and constitutional framework is
being critically tested over and over again; our educational and
health systems now are feeling remarkable pressures. Much
of the infrastructure and the technology of our natural
resources and other basic industries has become obsolete.
Our economy has been, and continues necessarily to be,
restructured; old alliances and mutual support systems between
the regions have broken down; international trading patterns
have been revolutionized and our transportation network is in
total disarray. Canadians are being called on daily to
meet enormous challenges involving the need to adapt to
fundamental change at all levels of society; challenges which
involve as well finding a way to maintain the underlying fabric
which is Canada -- respecting and supporting each other as we go
forward together, still accommodating and compromising from time
to time , as is necessary in the interests of national survival
and integrity.
As I
indicated earlier, the Senate has not been exempt from the
stresses of change. We too must meet the challenges which
beset this institution. We must adapt to the changing
times and adjust to the new order of things in a responsible and
effective fashion so that, as in the past, this unique element
of our Parliament can enjoy the trust, the respect and the
confidence of the Canadian people and play a role -- perhaps
different, but useful and significant -- in the positive growth
and development of Canada into the twenty-first century and
beyond.
Honourable
senators, I hope you will not find it overly presumptuous of me,
as a new senator, to say that I have been most encouraged these
past few months to observe here, on both sides of the chamber, a
genuine will to meet these challenges, a spirit to reform and
preserve this fine institution and to have it regain the public
respect and confidence it so evidently has lost. This
spirit will, I trust, be maintained and nurtured. In this
regard, I heartily subscribe to the message so articulately
expressed in Senator Ghitter's February 9 contribution to this
Throne Speech debate, especially when he summed up on Senate
reform with the following words:
"We are
focusing on the wrong issues. We should be focusing on
ways to get better people into political life, people of
background, talent, wide experience and business acumen.
Our parliamentarians are running the biggest enterprise in
Canada. We have the challenge of dealing with a debt of
half a trillion dollars. We must spend less time fighting
each other on issues of little consequence or financial moment
and more time building up our institutions and the people who
serve them."
Honourable
senators, I have mixed feelings about the Speech from the
Throne, and will be observing with much interest as the
government attempts to flesh out or provide some substance
around what was very much a thin or bare-bones listing of
alleged policy objectives. Like Senator Ghitter and
several other honourable senators who have spoken before me in
this debate, I applaud the government's commitment to enhance
the credibility of Parliament. My earlier comments about
what we can do, and seemingly have already started to do in the
Senate reflect this. Also, I am encouraged that the
new government claims to be focused on preparing Canada and
Canadians for the new century which will soon be upon us.
In this
regard, I sincerely hope the government will pursue and build
upon the important initiatives begun through the previous
government led by the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney. So
far, I have detected some positive signs that it will.
After much initial negative rhetoric before, during and
immediately after the election campaign, the Liberals now appear
to have recognized the many virtues of those decisions, and the
profound importance for the future of Canada and its people of
the free trade agreement with the United States and of NAFTA.
As well, the Liberals seem now to acknowledge the importance for
Canada of having finally joined the Organization of American
States and thus becoming a full-fledged player in the social,
cultural and economic interaction within our own continent and
on the north-south axis.
As to
Canadian-American relations, I submit, honourable senators, that
one of the Mulroney government's truly outstanding and necessary
accomplishments was to re-establish open, civil and pleasant
relations with our good friend, neighbour and key trading
partner to the south. By the early 1980's, Canada's
relations with the United States and its peoples on many levels
was in a deplorable state. In some major international
matters of mutual concern, we were not even being consulted by
the Americans, and the atmosphere between our senior government
people and the departments was cordial but frosty and strained
at best. Prime Minister Mulroney and his government
addressed this pitiful state of affairs right from the outset as
a priority foreign policy issue. This was carried out in a
determined and professional manner, not in an obsequious or
kowtowing manner, as the naysayers, cynics, ultra-nationalists,
and political opportunists would have us believe. The
result is a happy one indeed, for today Canada and the US are
working positively and openly together on a wide range of common
issues --
The Hon.
the Speaker: Honourable senators, I am reticent to interrupt
an honourable senator when he is making his maiden speech, but
the rules oblige me do so. However, anyone who has lived
in Sediac should be entitled to have a chance to conclude.
Senator
Angus: I thank the honourable senators for their
consideration. I will try to be brief.
The result of
this improved relationship with our neighbour to the south has
had a happy result, for today Canada and the US are working
positively and openly together on many issues. The
mistrust and negative Big Brother attitude have disappeared and
have been replaced by a spirit of cooperation, mutual respect
and constructive understanding. This augurs well for the
future. We should all hope that this government will
nurture and sustain this most valuable relationship.
As I
conclude, honourable senators, I come to one of my great
disappointments with the Speech from the Throne. Although
the government's agenda is said to be based on an integrated
approach to economic, social, environmental and foreign policy,
there is no mention whatsoever -- not a word --about Canada's
troubled transportation system, or of any plans or policies to
deal with it. Canada has developed and become strong and
prosperous in no small way as a result of its vast
transportation network on land, at sea and in the air. The
massive infrastructure that was built up includes great railway
lines, maritime ports and terminals, grain elevators, shipyards,
airports, the St. Lawrence Seaway, huge roads and highways,
bridges and tunnels. These have all contributed to the
growth of our nation.
Honourable
senators, the system is fast becoming dysfunctional. It is
deteriorating. In some cases it is becoming obsolete.
In others it is needing to be closed down because of better and
more cost-effective and competitive alternatives elsewhere,
usually in the US. Canada has sadly neglected its
transportation sector. Repeated warnings have not been
heeded. If something is not done immediately, we are in
danger of not having a viable and competitive system for moving
our goods in international trade.
This
government needs to act urgently on the many recommendations
that are already before it from government and private sector
bodies alike, as well as from joint government-industry task
forces. In the maritime sector alone there has been no
clear statement of policy by our federal government since 1949.
Mixed messages are constantly being sent out -- messages of hope
on the one hand, but messages of despair on the other. If
current trends continue, the St. Lawrence Seaway-Great Lakes
system could soon become a non-viable trading route. The
result is much uncertainty and a lot of pain in our once proud
transportation sector.
Honourable
senators, we need now a comprehensive and integrated policy for
all modes of our transportation industry. Time does not
permit me to elaborate on this today, but I intend to do so here
at the first appropriate opportunity. In the meantime, I
urge this government to heed the increasingly strident warning
signals, and to develop a transportation policy both worthy of
our vast trading nation and appropriate for the new order of
things now, and as we enter the twenty-first century.
In closing,
honourable senators, I wish the government well in its
endeavours to prepare this great nation and the Canadian people
for the twenty-first century and to help us deal with the
monumental and often disruptive changes that are affecting all
aspects of our daily lives. At the same time, I give
notice that I will be doing my utmost, in the spirit of
cooperation referred to earlier, to ensure that this government
carries on the many sound policies and essential initiatives
commenced by the government of Brian Mulroney.
I thank
honourable senators for their attention and for their indulgence
as I exceeded the time limit.
Some Hon.
Senators: Hear, hear!
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