Caroline St-Hilaire

[Gun Control, October 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, a report released yesterday by a coalition of 600 NGOs brings to light major deficiencies in legislation on controlling arms shipments to countries that are under embargo or are responsible for massacres or human rights abuses. The report reveals that Canadian companies are circumventing the law by selling military equipment in its component parts.

Is the Canadian government going to continue to close its eyes and stand by while parts sold to China are used to build weapons that are then resold to Sudan, or is it going to take steps to put an end to this trafficking?

[International Cooperation, October 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, clearly this government moves much more quickly to cut life-saving supplies than to save lives.

Does the Minister of International Cooperation intend to follow the example of the European Union, the United States, the UN and Russia and put in place a temporary international mechanism for delivering aid to Palestinian civilians?

[International Cooperation, October 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada's decision to suspend direct aid to the Palestinian Authority worsens the humanitarian crisis and is a hard blow to the medical and education systems. Due to a lack of funds, the Augusta Victoria hospital in Jerusalem, funded primarily by the Palestinian Authority, can no longer continue to function.

Will the Minister of International Cooperation undertake to find another solution so that these funds are channelled directly to the Augusta Victoria hospital?

[Maher Arar, September 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the government reiterated its trust in Mr. Zaccardelli, the RCMP chief who knew about the mistakes made in Maher Arar's case, but did nothing about it.

How can the government refuse to officially apologize to Mr. Arar, as the O'Connor report asks it to do, knowing that he was abandoned to his fate, even though the RCMP Commissioner knew about the error made in his case?

[Safia Ama Jan, September 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it was with great sorrow that we learned of the death of Ms. Safia Ama Jan, educator and provincial head of the Women's Affairs Ministry in Afghanistan.

Known as an advocate for the rights of women and their education under the Taliban regime, Safia Ama Jan helped open six vocational schools and other institutions for Afghan women. Safia Ama Jan believed in the reconstruction of her country. She was assassinated in front of her home yesterday morning.

Leaving home to go to work seems perfectly innocuous, yet it was the last thing Safia Ama Jan did. Violent interruptions to daily activities cause complete confusion. This is why my Bloc Québécois colleagues and I support all efforts leading to lasting peace in Afghanistan.

We would like to express our sincere condolences to Ms. Safia Ama Jan's family and the Afghan people.

[Luc Béland, September 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, at a memorial service this evening, friends, family and Longueuil's cultural community will gather to share their memories of a great local artist, Luc Béland.

On July 30 we were shocked and saddened to learn of his passing.

Luc Béland was born in Lachine in 1951 and lived and worked in Longueuil. He was a very talented visual artist who inspired and encouraged many young artists. For 30 years, he participated in many individual and group exhibitions in major museums. His works, which are known for his collage techniques, various assemblages, and multiform alloys, can be found in major public and private collections. He participated in over 65 exhibitions in Quebec and Canada, and in the United States, France, Switzerland and Germany.

On behalf of my constituents, I offer my most sincere condolences to the family and to all those who were lucky enough to know and associate with such an extraordinary person.

[The Conservative Government, September 21st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, once again yesterday, the Conservatives demonstrated their insensitivity and their shocking lack of compassion for the underprivileged people of the planet by their overwhelming vote against Bill C-293. We have seen that the Conservative members from Quebec do not in any way uphold the values of other Quebeckers.

This bill does no more than affirm a principle that should govern any international aid from the Government of Canada. That is that the end goal should be the eradication of poverty.

This position is even more difficult to accept because, only a few months ago, the current Prime Minister was a co-signer, along with the leaders of the Bloc Québécois and the NDP, of a letter addressed to the then Liberal prime minister making this very request.

In fact, this attitude of the Conservatives reinforces an impression strongly created by the Prime Minister during the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. This is a warlike prime minister for whom humanitarian concerns are a foreign language.

You may rest assured, Mr. Speaker, that we will be here to translate for him.

[Black community, June 22nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, in May, the Black Coalition of Quebec sent a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to designate August 23 as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

The purpose of this request is to ensure that we never forget these human dramas that marked the lives of millions of people around the world. The Black Coalition of Quebec is still waiting for an answer from the Prime Minister. Can he promise to designate International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, as the Quebec national assembly did unanimously, so that on August 23 we can commemorate this episode in the history of humanity?

[Income Tax Act, June 21st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, following consultations with my colleagues from all political parties, I think you will find unanimous consent for the following motion:

That, in the opinion of this House, the government should designate August 23 as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

This day of commemoration is intended to etch the tragedy of the slave trade in our collective memory so that we remember all these human dramas that marked the lives of millions of people around the world.

[International Aid, June 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Reality of Aid Network report denounced the misappropriation of funds intended for international assistance to finance military operations. The report formally denounced the United States and suggested, without naming names, that Canada and Australia did this as well.

Since Canada is increasingly modeling its foreign policy on that of the U.S., can the Minister responsible for international assistance guarantee that this is not what Canada does with money intended for international assistance?