Merci, Madame Lalonde.
Mr. Minister.
Evidence of meeting #15 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was lebanon.
Evidence of meeting #15 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was lebanon.
11 a.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We are for an immediate ceasefire. We want to see the cessation of violence. But it's not enough to just say the words; there has to be a plan that follows. There has to be, in my view, a robust international intervention that is going to stand between these factions. There has to be a plan in which we see some movement, I would suggest, on the part of Hezbollah to return kidnapped soldiers. There has to be a plan that is going to assure the longer-term stability of the region. Simply mouthing the word “ceasefire” is not going to make it happen.
As far as the tragedy, and the toll, and the destruction that has been inflicted upon civilians, inflicted upon in particular the innocent people in Lebanon, are concerned, I hope you're not suggesting, and I don't think anybody in this room would suggest, that any government would favour that type of devastation. And the family members—and I've spoken to the family members in Montreal—are victims in every sense of the word. Their loss is something that, unless you've experienced it yourself, you can't appreciate. And I don't pretend to be able to say that I've ever experienced anything like that. But I expressed to them, in the most personal way I could, the Canadian government's and my own condolences for what has happened.
I think in the context of the statement that you've referred to, made by the Prime Minister, it's important to note that he made that statement on his way to the G8 summit, in St. Petersburg, at the very start of this conflict. At the end of that international gathering he was a signatory on behalf of our country to a statement that specifically calls for the cessation of violence and a ceasefire. That is Canada's position.
11:05 a.m.
Bloc
Francine Lalonde Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Thank you, Minister.
You mention this conference, but we can't forget that in this country, the press was reporting that Mr. Harper was isolated and was forced to change his position, a position that he alone maintained. I wanted to point this out because you continue to state that action is warranted. Of course that's true, but an immediate ceasefire is also needed. Otherwise, those -- I say those because there are people on both sides -- wishing to achieve the objectives of war will continue to act as long as they have the support of countries like the United States and Canada. International pressure must therefore be brought to bear for both sides to agree to an immediate ceasefire followed by political negotiations with the parties involved.
11:05 a.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
I agree with you. The task that the United Nations, specifically the Security Council, now has before it is to bring about a negotiated solution, to bring about a ceasefire that has to involve all parties.
11:05 a.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
Yes, we can say the word “immediately”. We can say it repeatedly.
11:05 a.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
It doesn't make it happen. Obviously there has to be the participation of all parties. There has to be, in my view, a willingness and a commitment from both sides in this conflict to make that happen.
Let me remind you, Madame Lalonde, that we are dealing with terrorists. We are not sure who speaks for Hezbollah or whether they would even begin to keep their word in a ceasefire. The difficulty throughout this entire period has been that when there is any indication on the part of Israel that they are going to pull back, we see an increase in rockets going into a sovereign state. Lebanon, on the other hand, is caught in the crossfire. Its government, its people, more importantly, are the victims of this.
In the past, as you know, resolutions have come from the UN Security Council, resolutions that have been debated at the United Nations, which called for the exercise of sovereign authority over all of Lebanon. Resolution 1559 calls for the disarmament of all militants, which would include Hezbollah. Again, it is not simply a matter of words, resolutions, or international calls for the cessation of violence; there has to be participation by those who are involved in the actual killing there.
In my view, the willingness of one party to simply state that a ceasefire has to occur is one thing. I agree with you absolutely that a ceasefire has to occur. Putting those words into effect is something entirely different and something more demanding.
11:05 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Madame Mourani, you have approximately three and a half minutes of question and answer.
11:05 a.m.
Bloc
Maria Mourani Bloc Ahuntsic, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Minister, I don't want to talk about terrorists. I want to talk about the Lebanese and Canadians who are still trapped in Lebanon. I want to discuss very specific cases because my riding office was transformed into a kind of evacuation unit.
Take, for example, the Adhmad Roueida family. Mrs. Rouedia is pregnant. Along with her five children, she walked from Aytaroun to Tyre to catch a boat because all vehicles, including Red Cross vehicles, had been bombed by Israel.
Sir, since you have drawn up a range of plans, what do you intend to do to help those still trapped in villages in southern Lebanon, the children, the pregnant women, the elderly who are without their asthma puffers or the insulin to treat their diabetes?
11:05 a.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
Thank you for your question.
What we intend to do is what we've done throughout this time, and that is to provide safe passage to people who, through our embassy, through our contacts, through the people--volunteers in many cases, particularly in the south--who pass that information on to us, have expressed the desire to leave . Unless we have some form of contact with them, we can't know of their pain, their suffering, and their fears.
Nobody has cornered the market on compassion in this. I have felt the fear; I have talked to people who have returned from Lebanon, and I've heard the horrific stories, as have you. I suggest all of you around this table have talked to people directly affected by this. We have, in my view, undertaken every effort available, every means available, to get people out.
There was an exercise that involved--
11:10 a.m.
Bloc
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
If you would, just let me finish.
We put in place in the past a plan that put a ship into the port of Tyre. It was a small number of Canadians who showed up, despite our best efforts to contact people within that region. As you know—and I'm stating the obvious here—the damage to infrastructure, the havoc that has been wreaked in the south, has made many people simply hunker down in their basements. They're not in contact with anyone—their neighbours, let alone the Canadian embassy—so to reach them is extremely difficult. To send people into that region to provide assistance is very difficult.
We have sought, I have personally spoken to the Israelis about, a ceasefire that would allow for a period of time to get evacuees from the south out.
The Biqaâ Valley is another specific area near the Syrian border where there was a large number of Canadians whom we tried to help with the evacuation.
We also made early efforts, I'm reminded, to bus people out of the south; that is, to provide passage to Syria by road. Because of the damage to those roads, people like this woman you've described, with her family, would have been given passage to Syria on a bus. The challenge is to contact people, to have the ability to know who they are and where they are.
Many of the members of Parliament sent specific references to our office, which we acted upon. I'm grateful for any further information we receive about the specific location of Canadians anywhere in Lebanon, particularly in the south.
11:10 a.m.
Bloc
Maria Mourani Bloc Ahuntsic, QC
I understand what you're saying, but I have to wonder why it is American convoys are getting into southern Lebanon and managing to evacuate US or Australian nationals. Why is Canada unable to reach an agreement with Israel while at the same time, the US has managed to do so and send in convoys?
I'm personally aware of two youths 12 and 14 years of age who were evacuated by American convoys from southern Lebanon while bombs were raining down on the region. You're correct in saying that people cannot easily be contacted. They cannot emerge from their underground hiding places because the bombs are falling. Summing up, I think Canada could follow the lead of the United States and go in and rescue these people.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you, Madame Mourani.
Mr. Minister, respond very quickly. We're already at 11 minutes here.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
There's an important point to be made.
I agree. I think that going forward the international cooperation, particularly in the south, is going to be of critical importance. The Americans have more equipment in the region. We have assisted.... In fact, the boat that went into Tyre brought more Americans and Australians and, I believe, Ukrainians out of the south than our own citizens. Similarly, other countries, including the Americans, have offered to assist in the evacuation. That will continue throughout, I guarantee you.
Again, I encourage you or anyone who has information about the specific location of Canadians in the south who want to leave—and this is a voluntary evacuation—to give us their names and location.
I would appreciate her information, because we will see to it that all efforts are made to help with her return to Canada.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
Peter MacKay Conservative Central Nova, NS
I know, by the way, that you called my office, and I returned your call four times.
11:10 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you, Mr. Minister.
I think all of us are very pleased to see that Canada is working with other nations; that if Canadians showed up and it were a Ukrainian or an Australian ship, we would be helped by them; and that in turn we are helping them.
We'll go to the government side, and Mr. Van Loan.