<s> debates of the senate ( hansard ) </s>
<s> 2 nd session , 36 th parliament , </s>
<s> volume 138 , issue 42 </s>
<s> tuesday , april 4 , 2000 </s>
<s> the honourable gildas l. molgat , speaker </s>
<s> table of contents </s>
<s> senators ' statements </s>
<s> prime minister of japan </s>
<s> plight of street children </s>
<s> senegal </s>
<s> new government </s>
<s> cancer awareness month </s>
<s> new government </s>
<s> routine proceedings </s>
<s> internal economy , budgets and administration </s>
<s> seventh report of committee presented </s>
<s> scrutiny of regulations </s>
<s> question period </s>
<s> delayed answers to oral questions </s>
<s> agriculture and agri @-@ food </s>
<s> farm crisis in prairie provinces @-@ flooding problem in manitoba and saskatchewan @-@ request for response </s>
<s> environment </s>
<s> residency requirement for job applicants </s>
<s> export development canada </s>
<s> china @-@ influence of environmental policy in granting of funds to three gorges dam project </s>
<s> national defence </s>
<s> orders of the day </s>
<s> nisga'a final agreement bill </s>
<s> third reading @-@ debate continued </s>
<s> motion in amendment </s>
<s> in the quebec secession reference </s>
<s> second reading @-@ debate continued </s>
<s> business of the senate </s>
<s> fisheries </s>
<s> marine liability bill </s>
<s> second reading </s>
<s> referred to committee </s>
<s> national defence act </s>
<s> bill to amend @-@ second reading </s>
<s> referred to committee </s>
<s> canadian institutes of health research bill </s>
<s> second reading </s>
<s> referred to committee </s>
<s> payments in lieu of taxes bill </s>
<s> second reading @-@ debate adjourned </s>
<s> canada business corporations act </s>
<s> canada cooperatives act </s>
<s> bill to amend @-@ second reading @-@ debate continued </s>
<s> financing of post @-@ secondary education </s>
<s> inquiry @-@ debate continued </s>
<s> religious freedom in china in relation to united_nations international covenants </s>
<s> inquiry @-@ debate continued </s>
<s> sudan </s>
<s> inquiry @-@ debate adjourned </s>
<s> adjournment </s>
<s> the senate </s>
<s> tuesday , april 4 , 2000 </s>
<s> the senate met at 2 p.m. , the speaker in the chair . </s>
<s> prayers . </s>
<s> prime minister of japan </s>
<s> condolences and wishes of early recoveryfrom sudden illness </s>
<s> hon. dan hays ( deputy leader of the government ) : </s>
<s> honourable senators , on saturday night , his excellency keizo obuchi , prime minister of japan , fell ill and was admitted to hospital . </s>
<s> as honourable senators are aware , prime minister obuchi suffered a stroke and is in a coma . </s>
<s> i know all honourable senators join me in offering sympathy to the japanese people and their government . </s>
<s> i have spoken to ambassador katsuhisa uchida to convey these sentiments , which have been acknowledged by acting prime minister aoki . </s>
<s> i extend our sympathy to his excellency 's family , especially his wife , chizuko obuchi , the members of the diet and of his party . </s>
<s> we wish his excellency a return to health , as the japanese people have been well served by his invaluable talents as a political leader . </s>
<s> prime minister obuchi 's political career and his long @-@ standing interest in foreign relations brought him into frequent contact with canada . </s>
<s> i met with the then foreign minister obuchi as minister axworthy 's envoy to japan to encourage japan 's participation in the convention against anti @-@ personnel mines . </s>
<s> minister obuchi not only received me warmly , but also actively encouraged his government to sign the convention . </s>
<s> he was in ottawa in december 1997 to sign the convention . </s>
<s> he also greeted prime minister chrtien and the entire team canada mission to japan with great warmth and ensured the success of the trade mission . </s>
<s> we will miss him as prime minister . </s>
<s> for one so young , he has had a notable and extraordinary political career . </s>
<s> we wish him our best . </s>
<s> plight of street children </s>
<s> hon. sharon carstairs : </s>
<s> the filmmaker is andre cazabon . </s>
<s> she is also the street child depicted in the film . </s>
<s> at the age of 14 , she took to the streets of ottawa , montreal and toronto . </s>
<s> through the efforts of operation go home and through the help and assistance of rideauwood addiction and family services , andre left the streets , received treatment for her addiction to drugs , returned to school and became a film producer . </s>
<s> she is one of the lucky ones . </s>
<s> the letters were written to her by her father , a teacher in orleans , which is just east of ottawa . </s>
<s> he wrote to her while she was on the streets . </s>
<s> his agony and that of his whole family is depicted in this film . </s>
<s> it is not an easy film to watch , but as lawmakers and service providers it is very important that we do so . </s>
<s> today , honourable senators will receive in their offices a letter from the honourable ethel blondin @-@ andrew explaining how to gain access to this film through the house of commons broadcasting branch . </s>
<s> honourable senators , in the question and answer session following the presentation , i asked andre why she had taken to the streets . </s>
<s> she said it was because of a sexual assault that took place while she had been on a visit to a farm . </s>
<s> physical and sexual assaults are reasons our young people turn to the streets , yet we have few treatment programs available for them . </s>
<s> every single agency in canada engaged in this work has a waiting list . </s>
<s> most provinces do not have residential treatment facilities . </s>
<s> there is one , for example , in all of ontario and it is located in thunder bay . </s>
<s> honourable senators , children as young as 10 take to our streets . </s>
<s> are they not worth saving ? </s>
<s> if they are worth saving , why are we not doing it ? </s>
<s> senegal </s>
<s> new government </s>
