VOL. XLVII No. 6A - 1:30 p.m., MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1997

Monday, March 10, 1997

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Monday, March 10, 1997

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

Mr. Clerk (William Remnant): I must inform the House of the unavoidable absence of Madam Speaker, and therefore, in accordance with the statutes, would call upon the Deputy Speaker to take the Chair.

(Mr. Marcel Laurendeau, Deputy Speaker, in the Chair)

PRAYERS

Messages

Commonwealth Day Message

Mr. Deputy Speaker: Today, the second Monday in March, is Commonwealth Day. Prior to going into Routine Proceedings, I have a message from Her Majesty the Queen, Head of the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Day theme this year is "Talking to One Another." It is a fitting choice, because 1997 is a year when more people than ever before in the Commonwealth will have the opportunity to communicate with each other.

Modern travel has made it easy to meet and talk face to face. Many from throughout the Commonwealth will take advantage of this in 1997 for sports tours, youth exchanges, science conventions and other gatherings. Here in Britain, for instance, the city of Edinburgh will be the host to the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting later this year. At the same time, Commonwealth nongovernmental organizations will be meeting there, so Commonwealth people will be getting together at all levels to exchange ideas.

But improved and easier travel is only one development. Recent advances in communications technology now enable us to talk to each other and to see each other without even needing to leave home. The Commonwealth uses this sort of technology for its distance education program, especially through the Commonwealth of Learning based in Vancouver. Through communications like these, the barriers of distance can be removed and we can talk together, almost as if the whole Commonwealth was in one room.

Many years ago, my grandfather first spoke to the Commonwealth by radio. Today my message is speeding its way around the world by radio and for the first time on the Internet.

Of course, having more ways of communicating and faster ways of doing so does not necessarily mean that we understand each other better. Technical advances do not automatically bring improvements. "Talking to One Another" is a not a one-way process: We can explain our own points of view, but we should also listen to the views of others. Commonwealth countries have an advantage in doing this because we have shared views of right and wrong and because we use the common language of English. This makes it all the easier to listen, to exchange knowledge and to share opinions and feelings with others whose daily lives may be very different from our own.

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When we talk to one another, we can meet together in one place or we can use technology to hold discussions across the world. Whichever way we choose to communicate, the important point is that we keep talking and keep listening. By doing so, we ensure that the Commonwealth continues to grow as an informed and open-minded community of nations.