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House of Commons Debates, March 1, 1999 * * * [English] 3.14 LAND MINES Mr. Jim Hart (Okanagan-Coquihalla, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the people of Okanagan-Coquihalla to congratulate Canadians for brokering a treaty banning anti-personnel land mines. This law takes effect today. But there is still a lot of work ahead. Canada must take a continued leadership role and invite more nations to become signatories to the anti-personnel land mine agreement. Canada must encourage signatories to abide by the treaty provisions and assist in the removal of anti-personnel land mines from war torn countries like Cambodia and Angola. I congratulate the official opposition member from Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca who first raised the issue in the House. The good doctor spent many years treating land mine victims around the world. He has been a champion for banning anti-personnel land mines in order to save lives and limbs. Canadians and this House have been well served by the tireless efforts of our official opposition colleague from Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. * * * * * * 3.17 LAND MINES Mr. Ted McWhinney (Vancouver Quadra, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the land mines treaty enters into legal force today, a scant 15 months after it was opened for signature in Ottawa on December 1, 1997. It has already been signed by 134 states. 1415 While attention focuses on the few holdout states, which include key permanent members of the security council, it may be argued that because of the wide representation, among its signatories, of all main political, ideological, cultural and regional groupings of the world community, the treaty has already entered into general customary international law and has become legally binding as such on signatory and non-signatory states alike. Dicta in recent jurisprudence of the World Court confirms such a legal thesis. * * * 4.11 LANDMINES Ms. Raymonde Folco (Laval West, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Ottawa convention on landmines comes into force today and becomes international law. Could the minister explain to the House the changes this law will mean for the people in countries where there has been conflict in recent years? [English] Hon. Lloyd Axworthy (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce today that the international convention is now a permanent part of international law around the world. More importantly, since the time the Ottawa process began, close to 14 million land mines have been destroyed and 98 de-mining projects and 25 countries have been sponsored. The number of casualties has also dropped. What is more important is that basically the export of land mines has stopped. As the Prime Minister said today, it is a good day for the good guys. * * *
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