Foreign Affairs Committee on Nov. 22nd, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Welcome.

This is the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, meeting number 30.

On behalf of all the members of our committee on foreign affairs and international development, it's my pleasure to welcome each one of you to this working lunch.

Given the importance that we attach to our relationship and friendship with the European Union, certainly on behalf of our committee, we look forward to exchanging views on matters of mutual concern. Those matters include continuing the global fight against terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, working together on reform of the United Nations, bringing stability and democracy to fragile states, working on international development and environmental challenges, and not the least, on the strengthening of the transatlantic relationship in all of its dimensions.

Our committee has, in recent months, been looking specifically at some of the challenges of how we deliver international assistance in often difficult circumstances. We are completing a report--in fact, hopefully this afternoon we will be able to finish a report--on Canada's role in Haiti in this regard.

Our larger study focuses on the challenges of international assistance and democratic development. How can a country like Canada best use its resources and work with others to promote democracy, human rights, and good governance around the world?

We have been particularly interested in learning more from the experiences of highly regarded European donors. In October of this year, this committee travelled to Europe and met with countries and committees and groups from many of the Nordic countries, as well as the United Kingdom, to hear about their best practices in the field of democracy and governance assistance.

This is an area in which the European Union, as a whole, has a very major involvement, and we commend them. So I am certain that as we gather as a committee, we'll be very interested in hearing your views on some of these matters and some of these areas.

We also understand that you've enjoyed the first part of your visit to Canada. We hope that continues. You have been briefed today by the Department of Foreign Affairs, and you have also met with the Prime Minister's officials and foreign affairs advisers. Today you'll be meeting with officials to discuss environment; tomorrow, fisheries and immigration; and from there you're off to Quebec City, where there will be a program at the National Assembly.

Welcome.

There are many different countries represented around this table presently. I want to welcome the chair, Seán Ó Neachtain, from Ireland. Perhaps, as the chair of this group, you would have your colleagues and friends introduce themselves.

We look forward to a dialogue. We don't want to rush your meal. We want to thank those who have prepared that.

I should also mention that as we go through this, if you would note, you will need the interpretation for some speakers. I know most Canadians are fluent in at least two languages--most--but there may be some languages represented here in which you aren't fluent.

Welcome, and, Mr. Chair, we look forward to what you have to say.

[Seán Ó Neachtain, (UEN - Ireland), Parliament of Europe]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I will not speak Irish today, although I would love to.

I'm very grateful for your hospitality here today, and as chair of the delegation from the European Parliament, it is our great honour to be here with you.

I realize your time is very crucial today because you have a very busy schedule yourselves, and we appreciate that. I will just start by saying I'm Seán Ó Neachtain, from the west of Ireland, representing the west and the northwest of Ireland in the European Parliament. It's my second period in Parliament.

I believe you have each of our committees, and so on, so without further ado I will ask my colleagues to introduce themselves to you.

Toomas.

[Toomas Savi, (ALDE - Estonia), Parliament of Europe]

Thank you.

I'm Toomas Savi from Estonia. I am a newcomer to the European Parliament and I work on the development committee, which does various other things. In Africa we would like to reduce poverty, and we want to fulfill our MDGs, our millennium development goals, there. Of course, we fight against many diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Very briefly, that's it. Thank you.

[Den Dover, (EPP - United Kingdom), Parliament of Europe]

I'm Den Dover, a British Conservative from northwest England. I was in our House of Commons for 18 years, then lost in 1997 when we suffered an enormous defeat. Then seven years ago, I came to the European Parliament.

[Agnes Schierhuber, (EPP - Austria), Parliament of Europe]

I am Agnes Schierhuber from Austria. I have been a member of the European Parliament since 1995, when Austria came into Europe. Professionally, I'm a member of the agriculture and rural development committee. I'm very interested in energy and the environment. For 30 years, I have been in agriculture politics, first in Austria and then in Europe.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

You must have started when you were ten years old.

[Agnes Schierhuber]

Thank you so much.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you.

[Duarte Freitas, (EPP - Portugal), Parliament of Europe]

Hello. My name is Duarte Freitas. I am Portuguese, and I come from the Azores Islands in the middle of the Atlantic, which almost makes us neighbours. I'm on the agriculture and fisheries committees. Of course, there are other main subjects that I follow, but all the matters regarding regional policy are very important because of the interest of my islands, which are very far from the European mainland.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you.

[Iles Braghetto, (EPP - Italy), Parliament of Europe]

My name is Iles Braghetto. I am an Italian parlamentarian. I represent the Northeastern (Venice) constituency. I am a member of the European People’s Party, first legislature. I am a member of the fisheries committee--vice-chairman of the fisheries committee--and a member of the committee on employment and social affairs, and environment and public health.

Thank you.

[Lasse Lehtinen, (PES - Finland), Parliament of Europe]

I'm Lasse Lehtinen from Finland. I'm a journalist by training, and I was in the national parliament from 1972 to 1983. I came back to politics two years ago, to the European Parliament, and I'm a member of the internal market committee.

[Ian Hudghton, (Greens/EFA - United Kingdom), Parliament of Europe]

I'm Ian Hudghton. I represent Scotland in the European Parliament. That's what I've done for eight years. I'm a member of the fisheries committee, the economic and monetary affairs committee, and the internal market and consumer protection committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you very much.

I'm not certain if there are any other comments the chair would like to make. I think we have a number of questions and comments.

Because this is the 30th meeting of our committee, we will continue in the normal way of conducting a foreign affairs meeting, which is that after a presentation from our guests, we would go to the official opposition and then to the government side.

Would you prefer to go directly to questions, Mr. Chair, or do you have any further comments?

[Seán Ó Neachtain]

Mr. Chairman, thank you.

I'm sure my colleagues will have some questions to you. As you said this morning, we met with officials from the department, and that was very fruitful and very thought provoking in many ways. So I'm sure after that discussion, some of my colleagues would like to take the floor and put questions to you.

I also would like you to feel free to give us your opinion on anything that would be of relevance to us as members of the European Parliament.

I'm sure you understand that the European Parliament is very different from other parliaments. We don't have any direct opposition, we come from seven political groups that are affiliated in the Parliament, and, as you heard, we come from many member states. While we want to be very united in our approach to Europe, we also always want to show the alliance we have with our member states. That I think would have to be said at the beginning, that we are rather different from other parliaments.

We are proud of the developments that have come about in Europe in the 50 years because of the assimilation we have made in bringing best practices together from the various member states, which now amount to 25 at the present time and will be increasing early next year to 27.

I will give the floor to my colleagues, who might have some relevant questions for you, and again, we are mindful of the constraints of time on you.

Den Dover.

[Den Dover]

There is, as you know, a target of 0.7% of gross domestic product for all countries to put into overseas investments, help to the underdeveloped countries. Could you tell me what Canada does achieve in that regard?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

That's a very good question. I can tell you it's up from last year, but very minimally. To be quite frank, part of the reason our committee travelled to some of the Scandinavian and Nordic countries was because we were very aware that most of those countries were very good at delivering the 0.7% of GDP.

As a committee, at the present time, we actually passed a vote unanimously that we work with a plan to reach that. When we will is another question, but certainly we do all recognize the importance for greater ODA dollars going to development. So at the present time, I think we're at roughly....

Actually, Ted would be the one who could best.... Ted isn't normally on our committee. He's the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation, the minister for CIDA.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Macleod, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That was an excellent job of describing it.

Yes, I guess I would be a colleague to Thomas here. We both play the same role. I'm parliamentary secretary to the minister, so I help out the minister of what we call CIDA, the Canadian International Development Agency--just basically what Thomas is talking about.

Absolutely, as most countries have, we've signed on to and we're committed to the millennium development goals and reaching them by the target date of 2015. We have set our targets on maybe not reaching the 0.7%, but increasing our aid in line with the OECD recommendations, as many other countries have.

We've had meetings with other countries that have said they are at 1% of GDP and then their next statement is that they're not sure the money is being spent wisely. So what we're focusing on is effective delivery of those dollars, rather than trying to reach that target too quickly and money being corrupted, going to the wrong place. That's what we're focusing on: effectiveness and accountability to our taxpayers in terms of where the money is going.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

Thank you, Mr. Menzies.

I'm going to now go to the opposition side. They can ask a question. Someone may answer it, and then we'll go back to your side. We'll try to continue in that way.

Also, Mr. Patry, if you want to answer another question that someone has asked as well, I would encourage you to respond. If you would, please introduce your colleagues and your party.

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

First of all, my name is Bernard Patry. I'm from Montreal, in the province of Quebec. I've been a member of Parliament since 1993. Prior to our defeat last year, I was the chair. See, that's the way it goes.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Kevin Sorenson]

He was a very good chair.

[Bernard Patry, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

We had a lot of fun.

I'm with Bryon Wilfert, who is from the Toronto area, in Ontario; and Mark Eyking, from the Atlantic provinces. This is the Liberal side, the official opposition.

Before asking you a question, I just want to point out a fact about the 0.7%. There is a big difference between governments and parliamentarians. We passed a resolution in the foreign affairs committee that saw us all agree to 0.7%. It was unanimously agreed to by all parties. It shows that Parliament wants our government—even if it was my government previously, the Liberal one, or this government—to try to reach 0.7% as soon as possible, because we have the backing of the population concerning this issue.

I have a question concerning the EU. We've seen in the past fifteen years—and we appreciate it, in a sense—the emergence of a very strong EU as a global power. This is as a result of the consecutive enlargements and rapid political, economic, and monetary integration in a certain sense. But in another way, it also seems that the EU population doesn't follow its politicians, as we've seen with the French and also with the Dutch. The population rejected the proposed constitution. Also, there's a lot of discontent with the fact that centralization of all the power seems to be in Brussels, in a sense, and there are problems concerning immigration, unemployment, and some other issues.

The ratification of the constitution seems to be postponed until 2008, and it seems it will come out with some amendments. Can any one of you talk to us concerning what types of amendments will be necessary so that the populations of the countries in the EU will accept the ratification of the constitution?

Thank you.

[Seán Ó Neachtain]

I want my colleagues to respond, because I don't want to keep the limelight too much on this. I'll pass this over to Den Dover again. He wants to come in, and other colleagues can feel free to come in on this question regarding the constitution.