[asia-apec 734] Cda. Hansard, Sept.29/98 re: APEC'97

[Sharon R.A. Scharfe]

September 29, 1998

Hansard
Excerpts from Official Transcript (English version)
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada


...

ORAL QUESTIONS

...

APEC SUMMIT 

Mr. Bob Mills (Red Deer, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, yesterday the foreign affairs
minister said “Canada is very concerned about the use of the Internal
Security Act to restrict the freedom of speech and the freedom of assembly
in Malaysia”. He was talking about Malaysia. 

Why did he not express those same sentiments of freedom of speech and
freedom of assembly when it came to APEC? 

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the
fact of the matter is, that is exactly what we did during APEC. 

This government provided substantial support to ensure that a people's
summit was held. The people's summit brought together Canadians and people
from around the world to discuss APEC, those who were in favour and those
who were against. The people's summit had an opportunity to present its
findings to ministers and to the Prime Minister. It was the most open
people's summit ever held under APEC. 

Mr. Bob Mills (Red Deer, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, a long, long time ago, when the
foreign affairs minister was a young man, he believed in human rights and
democracy. When he was a kid he  even marched in civil rights marches in
Alabama. Back then there was a bigoted sheriff. His name was Bull Connor. He
sicced the dogs on the protesters. 

What happened? Why did this 1960s hippie turn into a 1990s sheriff Bull
Axworthy? 

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have
to admit that at heart I really am still a hippie. 

                                    *  *  *
...

APEC SUMMIT 

Miss Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, a purely riveting
statement from another Liberal. Even hippies at heart should have the right
to protest peacefully. 

I would like to make a comment about this foreign affairs minister who
supposedly supports Canadian values of free speech and democracy when he is
travelling around the world, but at home it is a very— 

Some hon. members: Oh, oh. 

The Speaker: The hon. member for Edmonton North. 

Miss Deborah Grey: This foreign affairs minister talks about free speech and
democracy all around the world but just does not happen to do it at home. 

Why is it that he cannot practice at home what he preaches abroad? 

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I take
it that this is a question coming from the resident biker of the House of
Commons. 

Some hon. members: Oh, oh. 

The Speaker: Perhaps we could leave our outside activities out of the House
of Commons. 

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy: Yes, Mr. Speaker, I would be more than happy to. I hope
members will understand on this very crucial question that during the APEC
meetings the Government of Canada went to great lengths first to hold a year
long consultation inviting Canadians from all walks of life to participate
in exactly what they thought the direction of APEC should be. 

Second, we supported a people's summit. 

Third, we told all the leaders and their delegations that there would be
demonstrations and that we would establish the proper sort of setting in
which Canadians could express themselves.  urthermore, we maintain that
right of free speech not only everywhere in the world but here in Canada. 

Miss Deborah Grey (Edmonton North, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the minister talks
tough here on the floor of the House of Commons but what we see on TV is
quite a different picture than that. 

When the minister is visiting a foreign dictatorship he does not talk about
those except maybe privately he lets us know that. He missed a chance to
show dictators from around the world what real democracy should look like. 

Just what lesson did the minister hope these foreign dictators would learn
when he pepper sprayed
peaceful protesters? 

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker,
frankly the premise of the hon. member's question is absurd. 

The whole question about what happened on the UBC campus is under
investigation by a  commission. It will determine who is responsible. 

I want to make very clear to the hon. member, because I do not think she
understands, that during all these meetings we were able to demonstrate very
clearly that the openness of this country was
expressed at APEC. We raised issues that Canadians asked us to raise. 

To use a comment of a previous speaker, her question was a lot of— 

The Speaker: The hon. member for Acadie—Bathurst. 

                                    *  *  *

...

[English] 

                              APEC SUMMIT 

Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, PC): Mr. Speaker, last
night the Prime Minister proved once and for all that his government really
is the home of the whopper when he  said that his government had never been
involved in scandal in the last five years. 

We now know that all but one of the RCMP public complaints commissioners
were appointed by the Prime Minister. Why should Canadians have any faith
that the public complaints commissioner will get to the bottom of the APEC
peppergate scandal when this is not arm's length or accountable? 

Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I think it
is very inappropriate for a member of parliament to say that anybody who
wants to do public service for their country to get to the truth in this
matter can somehow not be independent. I do not accept that premise and I do
not think Canadians accept it either. 

Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, PC): Mr. Speaker, not even
the Prime Minister's imaginary homeless friend believes that the government
is not involved in this APEC matter. The mandate of the RCMP Public
Complaints Commissioner is not holding him back. He admitted as much
yesterday in his statement. 

Will he commit to making a ministerial statement in the House to convene a
public inquiry if the commission confirms next week that its mandate does
not include the involvement of political interference? 

Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the kind
of interference the hon. member is suggesting is exactly the kind of
interference he is condemning. 

                                    *  *  *

...


[end]




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