Christian Paradis

[Crisis in the Philippines, November 20th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, it is very important to act as soon as we can. I can first tell the House that the organizations are working on the ground as we speak, and the way to deploy the money is to make sure we can access the people and reach as many as we can, according to what is being done on the ground. As we know, the ISST team was there from the outset and the disaster assistance relief team was there after that, all according to the request from the Filipino government.

After that, we have to evaluate within the department who does what. I guess the main priority is to make sure we are there as soon as possible to reach people in distress, to make sure that we have access and that people in need are reached as soon as possible so their needs are addressed. This is what we are doing in terms of deployment, to make sure it goes where it has to go as soon as possible.

[Crisis in the Philippines, November 20th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Niagara Falls, the Minister of National Defence.

Thank you for the opportunity to update the House and discuss the situation in the Philippines.

Like everyone here, I am stunned by the extent of the damage and the tragic loss of human life.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by this crisis. This recent tragedy serves as an important reminder that our international aid is a tangible expression of Canada's most noble values. Canada is a compassionate society, and we are ready and willing to do more to help those affected cope with this terrible crisis.

Canada has been closely monitoring the situation since before the storm hit. We provided funds to help with preparations before it made landfall. Twenty-four hours after Haiyan hit, we made an initial contribution of $5 million to address immediate needs. This was followed by the launch of the relief fund through which our government will match eligible donations by individual donors dollar for dollar. Just this week the Prime Minister announced $15 million as part of that fund. Canada is the fourth-largest donor so far for the Philippines.

Even before the typhoon hit, Canada was involved, providing funds to help with preparations. Twenty-four hours after Haiyan made landfall, we made an initial contribution of $5 million to address immediate needs.

That was followed by the launch of the Typhoon Haiyan relief fund. For every eligible dollar donated by Canadians, the government will contribute one additional dollar, effectively doubling donations.

In addition, this week the Prime Minister announced an additional $15 million as part of the relief fund.

We know Canadians are incredibly compassionate. The most recent numbers from our partners show that they have received nearly $20 million from Canadians in donations.

Canada will continue to play a leadership role in the relief efforts under way in the Philippines. We will continue to be there for those Canadians who are worried about their loved ones.

Just this morning, I announced in Mississauga that we were deploying our emergency stockpile of relief supplies. I commend the efforts of Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children Canada, and CARE Canada for the work that they will be doing on the ground very soon, since the plane is leaving as we speak.

We are sending tents, blankets, water purification tablets, shelter kits, and other emergency supplies to the hardest-hit regions. These items will help to meet the basic needs of a minimum of 5,000 families, or 25,000 people, for three months.

Canada and the Red Cross Society also deployed the emergency field hospital and a 12-person medical team to provide urgently needed emergency health support.

Canada has provided more than $20 million to support relief efforts for those affected by the typhoon.

Our humanitarian partners are using these funds to provide emergency shelter, food, water, sanitation services, health support, security services and other essential services.

Our government will continue to be there for members of Canada's Filipino community who are desperately awaiting news of their loved ones.

In particular, we will offer our support to those who have received bad news. I would like to point out that Canada is the fourth-largest donor so far in response to the situation in the Philippines.

The message we want to send to our Filipino friends is that all of Canada is by their side. I would ask Canadians to continue to give generously. Our government will continue to match eligible donations through the Typhoon Haiyan relief fund, which was announced in recent days.

[International Co-operation, November 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, we extend our condolences to the families of the people affected by this tragedy. We join them in prayer.

We announced immediate emergency aid of $5 million when this tragedy struck. Then we announced that a fund would be set up to match charity donations here in the country. We also promptly deployed the disaster assistance response team. I am honoured to inform the House that, just today, the Prime Minister announced that Canada would contribute another $15 million in emergency aid. The $20-million contribution from the government combined with the matching funds add up to nearly $40 million in Canadian aid already in place.

[International Co-operation, November 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we offer our condolences to all of those who have been affected. They are in our thoughts and prayers.

Right from the beginning, we committed $5 million in terms of immediate assistance. After that, we announced we would match all funds donated by Canadians to charities. We announced, also, that we have deployed DART on site.

I want to tell the House also that the Prime Minister has announced that we will commit an additional $15 million toward emergency relief activities. That should bring further comfort to the victims of this catastrophe.

This brings Canada's commitment to nearly $40 million so far.

[Lac-Mégantic, October 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to ask the members of the House to reflect on what happened in Lac-Mégantic.

Those who are familiar with Lac-Mégantic will agree that it is a magnificent and unique part of the country, where lakes and mountains meet. As they do whenever a situation arises that requires them to pull together, the people who live there—people I know very well—have shown extraordinary courage since the terrible ordeal of July 6, when a train destroyed Lac-Mégantic's downtown and took the lives of 47 residents.

The resilience that the people of Lac-Mégantic have shown since this tragic event will certainly serve as an example to the country for generations to come. Nevertheless, they are still mourning their lost loved ones. That is why we must remember and support Lac-Mégantic.

I am therefore asking all my colleagues in the House to remember the people of Lac-Mégantic who lost their lives and keep the families and loved ones of those who died in their thoughts and prayers.

[International Development, October 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I sleep very well at night. To date, 1.3 million children under the age of five have survived thanks to the Canadian government's measures under the Muskoka initiative. In addition, 64,000 more mothers are alive today thanks to the Canadian government's initiatives.

It is deplorable that opposition members are trying to turn international aid into a divisive debate when we have achieved results. Canada is recognized around the world as a leader. That is where we will make a difference; that is where we will share our knowledge and expertise, in areas where it really matters.

[International Development, October 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to deliver where Canada can make a difference. It is deplorable to hear the opposition trying to divide over such a debate.

As members know, Canada, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, is recognized around the world as a leader in defending the health and safety of mothers and children, particularly girls.

Therefore, instead of dividing, the opposition parties should be proud of the tangible results that we are accomplishing around the world.

[Combatting Counterfeit Products Act, June 12th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, in 2007, this bill's draft received the support of the party, so I do not know where my colleague is trying to go. It is a technical change.

If we follow this logic for copyright, for example, this is exactly what he tried to say. Copyright was not changed. It was stalled. It was harmful for the economy. It was harmful for the creators. We took the leadership to get this thing ahead. The principles are there. We have a balanced approach in terms of intellectual property.

Let us talk about hypocrisy. On the copyright law, they proposed an iPod tax. This is totally irresponsible. They continued after that with their carbon tax of $21 billion on the backs of Canadians, but they do not care about that.

They are anti-trade. They are anti-commerce. They are anti-economy. We have here a sound and solid bill that would take care of Canadians. The big stakeholders, such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian food producers, all agree with it.

We have to combat organized crime. We have to take care of Canadians' health and safety, and we will not apologize for that.

[Combatting Counterfeit Products Act, June 12th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is incongruous to hear my colleague complaining about the delays. I would also add that, in 2007, the draft bill received the consent of all parties and should have been passed.

With regard to 2008, it is obvious that Parliament was dysfunctional. The Liberal Party was not talking at all about the economy, and the NDP was talking about hurting the economy, as we know, when we were facing a potential major economic crisis. We took measures to get through the crisis. We launched the economic action plan. Fortunately, there was a prorogation because the opposition parties were talking about forming an undemocratic coalition in order to implement measures that would have been disastrous for the economy.

We were the last country to go into the recession and the first to come out of it. We have created one million net jobs since the recession. That is a real economic record.

I believe that the principle has not changed. My understanding is that the opposition parties still approve of the draft bill. Then why not adopt it right now? We would finally be able to tell Canadians that health and safety are protected, that we are fighting organized crime, that we are prohibiting fake labels and that we are providing the tools to fight traffickers. What more could we ask for?

[Combatting Counterfeit Products Act, June 12th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, how nice to hear a New Democratic colleague acknowledge the virtues of this bill. This bill is good, and other bills are good too. We implemented an economic action plan in 2008-09 to tackle the global recession, and we continued that work in 2010-11. Now we have to curb spending and continue to implement positive economic measures.

I would like to remind my colleague that all parties supported the first version of this bill in 2007. There is nothing new here. Things progress; things happen. We were not trying to surprise anyone with this bill. On the contrary, the time has come to take a look at this problem.

According to the RCMP, the value of counterfeit goods rose from $7.6 million in 2005 to $38 million in 2012. What more does the member want? We cannot afford to wait and keep saying that we will debate this issue eventually.

The parties all supported the first version of this bill, so now it is time to move forward. We must be able to tell Canadians that they finally have the tools to take aim at cheaters. These tools will protect Canadians' health and safety.