Mr. Speaker, today there was news of yet another Canadian who was beaten into a coma in Mexico. What other country is recording such physical atrocities against Canadians? Why will the minister not warn Canadians?
When the Mexican president passed judgment on two young ladies from Thunder Bay, if ever there was a diplomatic faux pas that occurred, that was it. Yet the Prime Minister and the foreign affairs minister did absolutely nothing to counter that. There has been a request for a formal diplomatic protest and still there has been nothing. What is to stop the Mexicans from producing fraudulent evidence given the passive role of Canadian due process?
The minister frequently states that he cannot interfere in an active investigation. Canadians are not asking for that, but that he look at the evidence that has already been prepared. The federal government refuses to assist. It even advised Dr. Everall and Ms. Kim that they should hire a Mexican lawyer to find out whether there are arrest warrants in their names.
It appears that the minister will have to be subpoenaed to answer the following questions. The parliamentary secretary can either answer them now or face the subpoena of interrogation. The questions are:
Should the government go to bat for Canadians with sincerity and full weight, especially if they are falsely accused in a foreign country?
Why have the Everall and Kim names not been cleared yet?
Why has the Prime Minister not spoken in their defence to counterbalance the Mexican president's accusations?
Why has the minister not verified their innocence?
Why has the minister not ensured their names are removed from any international watch lists or no-fly lists?
Why does the minister have to be subpoenaed to appear as a witness? Why does he not just appear and answer these reasonable questions?
These innocent women came to me for help. One would think the minister would do everything possible to help them. Canadians need the assurance that their government will protect the innocent. Why must these women continue to live in fear and uncertainty? Why will the minister not tell Canadians that a priority for him is their security and helping the innocent?
I ask again, why has the Prime Minister not announced in this very House that these young ladies are no longer prime suspects in Mexico and that they are truly innocent? How seriously can Canadians take this when that has not occurred yet?
Why has there been no follow up by the minister's office since December?
What questions were asked of the Mexican government? What pressure has been put on it and why is this case still unresolved?