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Summer 2002 Dear Constituents, Since my last householder, I have been very busy in Ottawa taking care of my responsibilities as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister responsible for Public Works and Government Services. My two-year term expires this summer and while I have enjoyed the experience of working closely with a cabinet minister, I very much look forward to taking on new responsibilities. I have been asked to serve on a new Standing Committee responsible for Estimates and Government Operations. This will involve scrutinizing government spending within each department as well as for Crown Corporations and other federal agencies. My background as a Chartered Accountant should be of great assistance and I expect to be working throughout the summer preparing for that work. In this householder, you will find a number of articles which I have written on matters which I hope will be of interest. They include features on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Military, greenhouse gas impacts in Ontario, telemarketing, stem cells and volunteerism. This summer, I will again be working out of my Mississauga office, meeting with constituents and preparing for the resumption of Parliament. There is much research and reading that I need to do and I plan to get together with friends and acquaintances across the Riding to catch up on what is going on in our community. I hope that you and your family have a safe and enjoyable summer and, as always, I welcome your comments and input on matters of importance to you. Sincerely,
When you fly in an airplane, visit a national park or by a product in the store, you are doing something that has been touched by a law made in Parliament. An idea to make a new law or to change an existing law starts out as a "Bill". Each bill goes through several stages to become law. At first reading, the bill is considered read for the first time and is printed so that interested parties can read it. There is no debate. At second reading, members of parliament debate the principle of a bill - Is the idea behind it sound? Does it meet the people's needs? If a bill passes at Second Reading, it goes to a committee of the House. Committee members study the bill carefully. They hold hearings to gather information. They can ask for government officials and experts to come and answer questions. The committee can propose amendments, or changes, to the Bill. When a committee has finished its study, it reports the bill back to the House. The entire House can then debate it. During report stage debate, members can suggest other amendments to the Bill. Once report stage is over, the Bill is called for third reading debate. Members who voted for the bill at second reading may sometimes change their minds at third reading after seeing what amendments have or have not been made to the bill. After a Bill has passed third reading in the House of Commons, it goes through a similar process in the Senate. Once both chambers have passed the Bill, it is given Royal Assent and becomes law. In recent months, Parliament has dealt with some important new laws. They include bills dealing with cruelty to animals, species at risk, public safety, pesticides usage and reproductive technologies. If you would like to know more about bills before Parliament, contact my office at 822-2111 or visit www.paulszabo.com.
In April 2002, Canadians mourned the tragic loss of four brave soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Their supreme sacrifice and their names should never be forgotten. They were: Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, age 25 Private Nathan Smith, age 27 Private Richard Green, age 22 Sergeant Marc Leger, age 29 Canada is widely considered to be a country experienced in peacekeeping, but in our history, we have also been peacemakers. Since the Boer War, including WWI, WWII, Korea and in peacekeeping missions, over 117,000 soldiers have died in the service of Canada. We must never forget them, the countless who were injured in battle or the families of these brave soldiers. Believe it or not, the Canadian army still has a soldier in Korea. Canadian troops fought in the Korean War from 1951 to 1953. After the armistice that ended hostilities between North and South, the United Nations asked Canada to contribute some military observers to help keep the peace. 49 years later, Canada still has a peacekeeping role in Korea. Since the end of World War Two, more than 100,000 Canadian Forces members have served on peacekeeping missions around the world. Over the past 12 years, they have been involved in 26 missions. The idea of using troops to prevent wars was popularized by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. He suggested using a multinational force of peacekeepers to supervise a ceasefire after the Suez crisis in 1956 and he was awarded a Nobel Peace prize for his efforts. As of January of this year, 3,679 Canadian Forces personnel were involved in peace support and peacekeeping operations around the world. They can be found in the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia, Cyprus, Iraq and Kuwait, Haiti and Cambodia. Peacekeepers keep a close watch on disputed borders. They intercept arms smugglers, protect refugees, and help local police keep order during elections. They clear mine fields and bring food and other aid to civilians who have been struck by natural disasters. Most important of all, they try to keep people in war-ravaged countries safe while they are trying to rebuild their lives. Peacekeeping is not for the weak. Our forces often work under very difficult conditions. During Operation Eclipse on Eritrea last year, Canadian soldiers had to build all their own facilities from scratch, in temperatures that reached 45 degrees celsius in the shade. They also had to contend with constant blowing dust and a plague of flies that got into their food. Our Canadian forces personnel sometimes take serious risks when they put themselves between armed and angry opponents. Sometimes they can get caught in crossfire. 108 Canadian Forces members have died on peacekeeping missions. Peacekeeping is important to Canadians. We are the only country in the world to have a peacekeeping monument in our capital city. It features a figure of a soldier looking through field glasses. The statue symbolizes our peacekeepers' commitment to keep a watchful eye on the sometimes troubled world. It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. That is why we all, in our own way, should look for an opportunity to praise our heroes and remember their names at least once, each and every year. The sacrifice of the fallen and of those who serve, or have served, has earned the rights and freedoms that we all enjoy today.
Bill C-56 is a piece of legislation respecting reproductive technologies which was introduced in the House of Commons on May 10th of this year. This Bill is a long time coming and basically reflects much of the work done by a Royal Commission between 1989 and 1993. Currently Canada does not have any legislation on reproductive technologies and therefore it is an important Bill because it bans cloning, genetic alteration and surrogacy for profit. It also prohibits the purchase and sale of gametes (sperm and ova) and human embryos. These are important provisions which I support, however there are other aspects of the Bill which caused me some concern. The legislation would permit the use of human embryos for research purposes. Those embryos would come from so-called surplus embryos left over after the process of in vitro fertilization. Many Canadian couples have difficulty conceiving a child. Approximately 80% of them will get assistance from fertility clinics and naturally conceive a child. The remaining couples will look to in vitro fertilization in an attempt to have a child. Many of these couples have waited too long to have children naturally, have diseases which make it difficult to conceive or have other physiological problems. As such the success rate of in vitro fertilization is less than 50 percent. The procedure for in vitro fertilization involves giving a woman high doses of drugs to cause the woman to hyper ovulate. Normally a woman releases one egg per month. With these drugs, a woman can release a larger number and these are harvested by the fertility clinic. Some are immature and cannot be used. The balance are fertilized with sperm to create embryos. These are used for implantation. Up to four embryos would be implanted in the woman's uterus in the hope that one would take. Should more than one embryo survive and only one child was wanted, a fetal reduction would be performed which involves aborting the unwanted implanted embryos. This does not guarantee that the remaining embryo will grow until term. As such, the remaining fertilized embryos are cryogenically frozen for later use if the first implantation does not work or if the couple would like to have a second child. Unfortunately, 50 percent of the frozen embryos will not survive the thawing process. Once the in vitro fertilization is over, there may be frozen embryos remaining. It is these embryos that researchers would like to have for experimentation. In all human embryos, there are special cells called stem cells which researchers believe can be used to create other types of cells for the treatment of diseases. Stem cells are also found in the placenta, umbilical cords, umbilical cord blood and in virtually every organ in the human body. Researchers have told us that only 2% of embryos will yield stem cells that would be useful for research. However, harvesting the stem cells destroys the human embryo. These embryonic stem cells also have a different DNA than a prospective patient, which means that they would be subject to immune rejection and require lifelong anti rejection drugs. They also have a tendency to create spontaneous tumours. Stem cells from non-embryonic sources, commonly known as adult stem cells, do not have these problems. Additionally, laboratory research has shown that non-embryonic stem cells also have great potential for cures and therapies. My view is that research should first pursue non-embryonic stem cells which have already shown significant progress. This Bill will still be in Health Committee hearings when the House of Commons resumes in the Fall and I will keep you informed.
Bill C-56 is a piece of legislation respecting reproductive technologies which was introduced in the House of Commons on May 10th of this year. This Bill is a long time coming and basically reflects much of the work done by a Royal Commission between 1989 and 1993. Currently Canada does not have any legislation on reproductive technologies and therefore it is an important Bill because it bans cloning, genetic alteration and surrogacy for profit. It also prohibits the purchase and sale of gametes (sperm and ova) and human embryos. These are important provisions which I support, however there are other aspects of the Bill which caused me some concern. The legislation would permit the use of human embryos for research purposes. Those embryos would come from so-called surplus embryos left over after the process of in vitro fertilization. Many Canadian couples have difficulty conceiving a child. Approximately 80% of them will get assistance from fertility clinics and naturally conceive a child. The remaining couples will look to in vitro fertilization in an attempt to have a child. Many of these couples have waited too long to have children naturally, have diseases which make it difficult to conceive or have other physiological problems. As such the success rate of in vitro fertilization is less than 50 percent. The procedure for in vitro fertilization involves giving a woman high doses of drugs to cause the woman to hyper ovulate. Normally a woman releases one egg per month. With these drugs, a woman can release a larger number and these are harvested by the fertility clinic. Some are immature and cannot be used. The balance are fertilized with sperm to create embryos. These are used for implantation. Up to four embryos would be implanted in the woman's uterus in the hope that one would take. Should more than one embryo survive and only one child was wanted, a fetal reduction would be performed which involves aborting the unwanted implanted embryos. This does not guarantee that the remaining embryo will grow until term. As such, the remaining fertilized embryos are cryogenically frozen for later use if the first implantation does not work or if the couple would like to have a second child. Unfortunately, 50 percent of the frozen embryos will not survive the thawing process. Once the in vitro fertilization is over, there may be frozen embryos remaining. It is these embryos that researchers would like to have for experimentation. In all human embryos, there are special cells called stem cells which researchers believe can be used to create other types of cells for the treatment of diseases. Stem cells are also found in the placenta, umbilical cords, umbilical cord blood and in virtually every organ in the human body. Researchers have told us that only 2% of embryos will yield stem cells that would be useful for research. However, harvesting the stem cells destroys the human embryo. These embryonic stem cells also have a different DNA than a prospective patient, which means that they would be subject to immune rejection and require lifelong anti rejection drugs. They also have a tendency to create spontaneous tumours. Stem cells from non-embryonic sources, commonly known as adult stem cells, do not have these problems. Additionally, laboratory research has shown that non-embryonic stem cells also have great potential for cures and therapies. My view is that research should first pursue non-embryonic stem cells which have already shown significant progress. This Bill will still be in Health Committee hearings when the House of Commons resumes in the Fall and I will keep you informed.
Special personal messages of congratulations may be requested for those Birthdays and Anniversaries listed below. As these events are very important occasions, you may want to request a message, when applicable, from Her Majesty The Queen, the Governor General and the Prime Minister of Canada. Greetings from Her Majesty the Queen are available for 100th Birthdays and every 5th year thereafter, and 60th Wedding Anniversaries and every 5th year thereafter. Please note that copies of birth certificates and marriage certificates are required by Government House for messages from The Queen. Birthdays 75th and over - message from the Prime Minister 90th - 99th - message from the Governor General 100th and over - message from Her Majesty The Queen (copy of birth certificate required) Wedding Anniversaries 25th and over - message from the Prime Minister 50th - 59th - message from the Governor General 60th and over - message from Her Majesty The Queen (copy of marriage certificate required)
On Sunday, June 9, 2002, I was pleased to join the family and friends of Mrs. Lavinia Nablo in recognition of her 50 years of volunteer service to the Girl Guides. During those years, Lavinia has been a Guide leader in seven different Guide units, a Cadet leader in five different Cadet units, District Guider, District Commissioner, Division Senior Branches Adviser, Provincial Senior Branches Coordinator, Area Archives Chair, and Area Trainer. She is currently a member of the White Oaks Area Archives Committee and the Credit River Trefoil Guild. What an impressive breadth of contribution. It was a wonderful celebration including glowing tributes and mementos as well as a special letter of congratulations from the Prime Minster. There was a large number of well-wishers, family, friends and co-workers on hand to share this very special day. I had an opportunity to speak with many of them who themselves had distinguished records of volunteerism. Lavinia's husband also has an impressive record of community involvement and it makes me wonder how this lovely couple find the time they need for each other and for themselves. Volunteerism is the backbone of a healthy community. What would we do without all the people who give so generously of their time and expertise to guide our youth and to help those in need? The value of their service is immeasurable but they do it for the great satisfaction that they feel from making a contribution. Most who have been involved in some voluntary activity, will say that they get far more benefit from the activity than they ever put into it. If you are involved
in a group or organization which is recognizing someone for their
unselfish volunteer service contribution, I would be happy to learn
about the event and support your celebration.
Telemarketing is a nuisance and we have all received those annoying calls by strangers selling windows, furnace cleaning, vacuum cleaners and all kinds of special deals. This is also becoming one of the highest growth areas for fraud. With the use of computers and the buying and selling of so-called "sucker-lists" of potential victims, more and more Canadians, particularly seniors, are becoming victims of fraud where you send them money or give them credit card information without having received any goods or services. Consumer anti-fraud education is available in Ontario thanks to the joint sponsorship of the Ontario Securities Commission and Phonebusters. There is also national access to Phonebusters through their toll-free line 1-888-495-8501 and a website www.phonebusters.com. Experts advise to just say "no thank you" to telemarketers if: 1. It sounds too good to be true. 2. You must give personal financial information. 3. You are asked to send cash or a money order (both of which are untraceable) 4. The caller acts personable and chummy, while trying to pressure you to buy something. 5. You are told you'll miss out on a limited opportunity. Legitimate telemarketers have nothing to hide but they all use high-pressure tactics. So if you have any doubt, your best defence is simply to say "no thank you" and hang up.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that was proposed in the early 1980's by then Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. On April 17th, 1982, the Charter was proclaimed, changing the face of Canada. The charter expanded on the protection provided by its predecessor, the Bill of Rights which was enacted in 1960. The 1982 charter protects the 34 basic rights and freedoms for all Canadians. These liberties are as fundamental as freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and religion, freedom to gather in peaceful groups, the right to live free from discrimination, the right to receive services from the Government of Canada in English or French, the right to vote and run for office and the right to live and work anywhere in Canada. The charter reflects the pride of Canadians in the multicultural fabric of our society. It protects the rights of women, aboriginal people and minority language groups. Although the Charter is young, it has had a profound effect on the evolution of human rights, making Canada a better country. At the time of signing of the Canadian Charter of Rights and freedoms, Prime Minister Trudeau was quoted as follows: "We must now establish the basic principles, the basic values and beliefs which hold us together as Canadians so that beyond our regional loyalties there is a way of life and a system of values which makes us proud of the country that has given us such freedom and such immeasurable joy." In celebration,
framable copies of the Charter have been produced and you are welcome
to receive one by contacting my office.
Recently I came across an article which caught my attention because it involved the challenge of raising children. Here is a small extract from that article: When your children
are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you
will tell them that you had the meanest parents in the world. Then your children will realize that none of them had ever been in trouble at school, caught shoplifting, vandalizing property or ever arrested for any crime. Now that they have left home, they are all well educated, honest adults. Today they are
doing their best to be mean parents just like Mom and Dad were because
they really loved us.
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Constituents may write to any Member of Parliament or Cabinet Minister postage free. Simply address your envelope to the particular Member, c/o House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6. Your views and suggestions are important.
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