Evidence of meeting #10 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was obhrai.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I would like to pursue that further. Perhaps we'll get in touch on how we can do that.
I have two last quick questions. One is to Ms. Dion, regarding the commission on human security at the UN. Is this something we've been seized with? Do we have a representative there? Is this something the commission on human security has been dealing with?
4:35 p.m.
Director General, Human Security and Human Rights Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
There is not a commission on human security at the UN. There is the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and then there's a new commission being stood up in New York, the Peacebuilding Commission.
4:35 p.m.
Director General, Human Security and Human Rights Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
The Peacebuilding Commission is basically still standing itself up. They have not yet decided which countries they're going to focus on.
For the record, we are not currently a member of the Peacebuilding Commission.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you, Madame Dion.
What I'm going to do, because Mr. Bagnell has begged and pleaded, is allow Mr. Bagnell to ask one of the final questions of our guests.
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
Larry Bagnell Liberal Yukon, YT
Thank you. It's very short.
These guys are bad, obviously. They drive five-inch spikes into monks' heads to kill them. I want to give you a chance to answer the questions, because I know you didn't have time to answer some of them.
Also, the General Assembly can stop Burmese delegations from going places. Could we join in that, use not just regional unrest but also the responsibility to protect? Could we help them to develop their constitution? The European countries have. Could we lobby for a UN political presence in Burma? There is room for more foreign aid; I saw it there--in schools, health care, education, and food for refugees.
Could we lobby for a resale treaty so that no country in the world could sell arms...or have a condition for selling arms so that they don't go by a third country to Burma? This sometimes happens, and then they say they're not selling to Burma.
We called for the release of the political prisoners again this week—the 1988...some of them have gone up; it's over 1,800—and for an independent monitor like the Red Cross for those prisoners.
4:40 p.m.
Director General, Asia South and Pacific Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Again, they are all interesting ideas, some of which have been studied or are under study and being considered. Some have some difficulties and some have potential. We are always, as I said, looking for that kind of input. I've taken some notes here. We'll be looking at that and at other things that Canada might do, hoping that we can remain in the forefront as we have.
At the end of the day, if there's any glimmer of good news in this horrible story of Burma, it is the fact that countries like Canada have been taking rather extraordinary measures to show that even though we might be far away geographically, we're not missing any of those actions that they're taking against their people. The world is watching. Even countries quite far away geographically are watching their every move, and we're willing to react in ways that we possibly can and looking for new ways to react, including potentially some of those things you mentioned.
These sanctions are not designed to go after any particular firm or firms. They are what they are, and firms that stand in contravention or act outside of this law have to deal with the consequences of that. It's not designed for one company, but it doesn't exempt any. There's nobody who is immune from the law as it's passed. It is what it is. We think it has power in its application and we think it will have some effect.
More important is the impulse it gives internationally in showing that Canada is going to continue to lead on this. We will continue to encourage all of the other countries, including the neighbours, to do what they can to bring pressure to bear so that this regime will change. That's the bottom line, and I think everybody agrees with it.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Certainly, as a committee, I think we would all agree with that.
I'll say as a Canadian, too, that it gives me a lot of pride in our country when I see the citizens of Canada. In rural Alberta I had a group of students come to my office just to make sure we understood the concerns they had about the country of Burma. It's one of the countries about which a lot of people have caught on as to what the difficulties are therein—they see the Buddhist monks being persecuted, I guess, and Canadians respond.
So it's good that you have been able to come today and to tell us a little bit about what we've done as a country. Certainly we will continue to appreciate knowing that we can do more and that we are doing everything we can. Burma being a colony up to 1948.... We've seen India, which has just exploded with its strong economy and potential. There are still concerns in India, but then Burma goes the other way.
Thanks again for coming. We appreciate it.
Mr. Obhrai.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
I want to be on the record.
In regard to many of the questions the NDP asked in reference to investment and its legality, which the officials weren't able to answer today, I think we can ask our researcher to look at many of those questions and to get the answers for you.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
To the department, I know you've appeared before the committee before. If, in reflecting on some of the things you have said today, you feel you can provide us with more information—within the guidelines you have—on any of the questions you have been asked, I can tell you as a committee that we would certainly appreciate that.
Thanks again for coming.
We will suspend for two minutes.
We will allow our guests to leave, and we will move into committee business.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
All right, committee, we will bring this back into committee business.
Our first responsibility here is to take a look at what our steering committee passed at the Tuesday meeting.
I have a feeling that what we heard today with regard to Burma may be quite a bit of what we may hear with regard to Sudan--just to be aware of that.
I will ask our clerk to explain. She has tried to get hold of different witnesses for the Sudan part.
Go ahead.
4:50 p.m.
The Clerk of the Committee Mrs. Angela Crandall
In the steering committee we discussed having witnesses on the two motions, one on the situation in Somalia and the other on the situation on Sudan and investment.
The departments are available to come on Somalia, and CIDA and Foreign Affairs are available for Sudan, but it's really International Trade that would take the lead on that if we want to hear about investment. They have come back to me this morning and said the best people they have for that issue aren't available next week. They should be available the week after, so the committee might want to reconsider holding the briefing on Sudan until a later date and perhaps do the hour on Somalia and then committee business next week.
Also, there were no discussions about what the committee wanted to do next Thursday.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
Mr. Chair, to respond to the clerk, yes, we can look at the logistics to get a proper report on Sudan. However, part of what we discussed at the steering committee was that the clerk would look at the availability of Mr. John Manley to appear before the committee. Since I have put a motion and there is a motion from them and we're doing the Afghanistan report study, I would like to propose my amendment to see if the committee will accept that, and if so, then we'd move into that area as soon as possible, considering that we were, on the basis of a couple of things.... There is a motion out there on Afghanistan. We are doing a report on Afghanistan. The faster we do it...because my motion also calls for more witnesses as well as this. So if the committee agrees, I can rephrase my motion to address that.
The reason I'm bringing this up, Mr. Chair--
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB
--is because of the time schedule. The time is available now. You were saying that on Monday afternoon we will not have that, if we postpone Sudan, due to the availability of others. That's why I'm bringing the point out that in trying to fill the time, we could try to look at this motion. If there is availability, due to the fact that Sudan may be pushed further down, we would want to fill in that position. That's why I'm bringing up this point.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
All right. I appreciate that. Thank you.
We would still have a presentation. But did the trade department say it would not provide anyone, or was it the best people?
4:55 p.m.
The Clerk
They said the best people, which means they probably would prefer not to provide someone who is less than the best.
4:55 p.m.
Bloc
Vivian Barbot Bloc Papineau, QC
I am trying to understand what we are doing. Is the first thing not to go back to the program that the steering committee established to see whether everyone is in agreement, before going on to something else?
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
We're speaking on point number 3. We've already passed the Burma thing that we're doing today. We're discussing the second point here, because on what our steering committee has talked about with Sudan and Somalia, the one witness from the trade department isn't available. What we're discussing is what we will do in that case.
Mr. Patry, did you want...?
I have Mr. Dewar first.