Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise this evening and privileged to follow the NDP member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie. I truly respect her contribution to the House and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development because she brings to bear her experience as a diplomat around the world. We appreciate having her with us, and it is an honour to follow her this evening in this deeply important debate.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the member for Westmount—Ville-Marie for taking the initiative to propose an emergency debate on Canada's response to the situation in Iraq. We can all agree that the situation must be addressed urgently.
It is always an honour to rise in the House to discuss a situation that demands our full attention. We do not often have the opportunity to discuss situations that are not only urgent, but also critical. That is why tonight's debate was given its title.
The situation in Iraq must command our attention as MPs, of course, but also as a country. We all agree that the violence employed by the Islamic State of Iraq is extremely horrible and shocking. It is totally reprehensible. That cannot be said too often. We have agreed almost unanimously that Canada should be involved in certain aspects of the situation.
As an aside, when it comes to Canada's role in the world, I would like to add that I have participated in processes at the international level for the past 23 years. I have participated in multilateral negotiations for the past 23 years to negotiate declarations, specifically. There was a time when Canada's reputation was the envy of countries around the world. I would even say that ours was a very enviable position. I can attest to the fact that, when Canada took a stand on a contentious issue during the debates and multilateral negotiations held by the United Nations, other countries listened. Our role is therefore to define our foreign policy. Over the past few years, we have lost the important role we used to play.
The hon. member for Vancouver Quadra just said that our reputation is undermining our role in the international arena, or something like that—I only quickly jotted down what she said. I think it is worse than that because it particularly undermines our credibility when we take leadership in the international arena. It undermines our credibility and, as a result, our influence on the world stage. How can we influence others in a critical situation if we no longer have credibility and have lost the reputation we once had? It is unfortunate that it has come to that.
The same challenges arise in all similar situations we have seen around the world virtually forever; these challenges are complex and difficult, on both a political and humanitarian level, as my colleague from Laurier—Sainte-Marie just mentioned. I would add on a human rights level, too. Indeed, we are also currently dealing with human rights issues in Iraq.
Anyone who has listened to the debate so far will certainly know that these challenges are political because of the positions expressed by both sides. Some people are looking for answers before sending in the military, which is absolutely commendable. Anyone who takes a reasonable position in this case must know what they are getting into. No one has all the answers. I was elected to the House to make informed decisions, which is what I have tried to do all my life in the positions and roles I have held. When I negotiated agreements, my people always demanded informed responses before a decision was made in order to act accordingly. We do not have that opportunity right now. There is already a political problem.
Some members are looking for answers, while others want to move forward without providing these critical and fundamental answers. Their allies in the House are saying that they do not have all the answers but that they will move forward anyway. Earlier, the Leader of the Opposition said that the NDP will not agree to proceed in this way. We cannot move forward with certain aspects of the proposal until we are fully informed. That is very important.
Despite the $28 million that has already been allocated—and we commend the parliamentary secretary for that—there are still ongoing needs in several areas. For example, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said:
[There is an urgent need for] more financial support to be able to meet the needs of forcibly displaced people and host communities across Iraq. As part of the UN humanitarian relief effort, UNHCR will soon launch an appeal for US$315 million to meet the needs of the internally displaced in Iraq. The main focus will be on providing life-saving protection services and assistance to respond to the most urgent basic needs of displaced Iraqis, including winterization support.
We must commend our government for the funds that have already been allocated, but we also need to reassess the situation and meet the needs that were identified by the United Nations.
I would like to quickly come back to the role that Parliament must play in this situation and in the government's current proposal. Parliament has a critical role to play. We are elected officials and we are here to make decisions. They must be smart and informed decisions. What is more, Parliament must play a decision-making role when it comes to military interventions and deployments abroad. It seems as though we will not have that opportunity. We are being told not to worry and that everything will work out. We cannot accept such a proposal.