The native marsh Arabs, Shia Muslims, are being harassed, arbitrarily arrested and detained, tortured, killed and systematically starved to death. Women, children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. We as Canadians of conscience must uphold the human rights of the Shia Muslims and express our outrage and indignation to the Iraqi government and to the United Nations, immediately addressing this matter of genocide and ecological disaster. During this week in Peterborough riding and across Canada recognition events are being held to honour volunteers who do so much to maintain our standard and quality of life. Volunteerism is one of the unwritten secrets of democracy.
Healthy democracy demands the full and free participation of all citizens.
That is why during in this particular volunteer week, while remembering all Canadian volunteers, we should save a special thought for Canadians helping with the election in South Africa. These people, including members of the House, people from my riding and many others, are a special reminder to us all of the importance of volunteerism in 1994. They are an example to us all. The firefighters are asking for a number of things, all of which I support, but today I would urge the government to act as soon as possible on a number of them. There is no good reason for delay on setting up the system for tracking hazardous materials and right to know legislation.