Vivian Barbot

[Community Support for Young Adults, November 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the exceptional work of Héberjeune, a community organization in my riding. I wish to congratulate the members of that organization for the honourable mention they received from Quebec's health and social services network in the 2005-06 “support for vulnerable groups and individuals” category.

Héberjeune de Parc Extension, in Montreal, provides temporary accommodation to young adults between 18 and 25 who are in need of help.

It also sponsors a social support program for young people trying to put an end to their isolation by becoming involved in their community, whether by finishing their studies or finding a job, in short, by assuming responsibility for themselves.

Day in and day out, Héberjeune helps young people take control of and change their lives, thus helping change the world in a lasting way.

[Commissioner of Official Languages, October 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, on October 17, Mr. Graham Fraser officially succeeded Dyane Adam as the sixth Commissioner of Official Languages. A former English language journalist who speaks French fluently and a staunch advocate of linguistic duality in Canada, Graham Fraser lived in Quebec for more than 10 years. Mr. Fraser has acknowledged on many occasions the vital input of Quebec legislation to the survival of the French fact in North America.

A number of challenges are facing the new commissioner, including those associated with the judicial nature of the Official Languages Act and the impact of the elimination of the court challenges program on representing the interests of linguistic minorities.

Mr. Fraser's appointment has been very well received by my colleagues from the Bloc Québécois and myself, and we wish him the best in his new position.

[Cultural Diversity, October 23rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Americans have voted against the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions and they are striving to enter into bilateral agreements to counter this convention.

In light of the fact that such a strategy hinders the adoption of the convention, does Canada intend to intervene with Washington so that the Americans will stop viewing culture as a commodity?

[Cultural Diversity, October 23rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, 30 countries are expected to sign the convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions to give it effect. So far, 13 have apparently ratified the convention, which means that there is still some way to go.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell this House whether he plans to change his strategy and get heavily involved in convincing other countries to adhere to the convention?

[Government Programs, October 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Canadian Heritage answered with a firm “no” when asked if cuts had been made to theatre and dance troupes. Yet, those troupes are telling us otherwise, that they have in fact suffered cuts.

Will the Minister of Foreign Affairs please tell us whether or not cuts have been made to these troupes?

[Anna Politkovskaya, October 16th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, on October 7, Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was killed. On October 10, one last tribute was paid to the well-known journalist for her critical coverage of the war in Chechnya. She gave up her life fighting for freedom of the press and human rights.

One of the few journalists to cover the second war in Chechnya, she agreed to act as a negotiator during the Moscow theatre hostage takings by pro-Chechnyan forces in October 2002.

Her tragic death emphasizes just how fragile freedom of the press and democracy are in Russia. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based NGO, Russia is the third most dangerous country for journalists after Iraq and Algeria.

The Bloc Québécois would like to convey its sincere condolences to Ms. Politkovskaya's family and friends and hopes that Russia will find the way—

[Situation in Sudan, October 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Chair, during a previous exchange in this evening's debate, the hon. member argued that there was no question of white men intervening in black Africa.

As far as I know, to date Canada has always intervened according to its own values, namely solidarity, mutual assistance, and especially to respond to the needs of the people. I was quite surprised to hear this comment about intervening in Darfur. I cannot help but think that it was the same thing for Rwanda. We were there and we did not intervene. However, we did intervene in Kosovo.

I would like to come back to the question the daughter of one of our colleagues asked her father, who talked about this earlier. Is it because they are black that the government is so reluctant to resolve the situation?

[Situation in Sudan, October 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Chair, in my opinion, it is evident that the African Union is unable to maintain order in Darfur, much less bring peace to the area.

The minister talks about the situation as though it were a fairy tale. Darfur is at war, people are dying in droves, and we can see no end to it.

The minister speaks of food aid and the funds provided by this government. It is our money being sent there. That is fine; no one is questioning Canada's aid. However, does the minister not feel that, in this situation, we should not just continue applying a band-aid solution?

Aid is not reaching those most in need and even NGOs are being forced to leave because their safety cannot be guaranteed and the people cannot be reached. Should we not consider other measures?

Consequently, does she not feel that we should focus on applying pressure to other countries so that there will be a mission led by the United Nations?

[Situation in Sudan, October 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Chair, that is precisely the question. When we talked about extending the mission in Afghanistan, our questions to the government were about what condition the troops were in and about knowing what we could do. We still know nothing about that, we never got the answer, except that the longer it goes on, the more people we find to send to Afghanistan.

The Darfur situation predates the Afghanistan situation. So it is absolutely inconceivable that we would seem to be suggesting that Canada does not now have the resources to send troops.

In any event, within the United Nations force, Canada can bring pressure to bear and it must do its share. Continuing to do our share does not mean saying yes one day and no the next day.

There are situations in the world that require our assistance. If we, as members of Parliament, knew exactly what resources the government had at this point, perhaps we would be able to suggest something more specific. At present, as I understand it, the situation is absolutely catastrophic in Darfur and the answers we are getting for trying to alleviate the situation are not credible.

[Situation in Sudan, October 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Chair, the responsibility to protect of course refers to consent by the government. In cases where the government will never agree, however—and that is what seems to be happening, because now and then it says yes; it blows hot and cold—I believe that there is a part of the duty to protect that says that if the government of a country cannot do what is needed to bring peace to the country, foreign countries still have a duty to protect.

On that point, I would like to say that in any event, the action I have proposed is within the framework of the United Nations. And Canada’s work should remain inside that structure so that we can do something to change the situation.