Frank Valeriote

[Agriculture, May 28th, 2010]

I've raised it three times in the House.

[Agriculture, May 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, most recently a terrorist attempted to explode a car bomb packed with fertilizer in Times Square. If that car bomb had been filled with the Canadian fertilizer that the government leaves completely unprotected, the bomb would have killed hundreds of innocent people, terrorized the nation and cost billions in economic losses.

The government's own members from Edmonton—St. Albert, Yorkton—Melville and Saint Boniface have joined with the official opposition and the industry asking for action to keep Canadians safe.

With all that is at stake, what excuse does the government offer for its continued neglect of our public safety?

[Agriculture, May 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's agri-retail sector has pleaded for help to secure its sites where massive amounts of explosive fertilizers and drug-producing chemicals sit without proper security from the nefarious plans of terrorists and drug dealers.

President Obama has instituted security tax breaks for the industry to secure American sites, while in Canada, Conservative ministers refuse to even meet with agri-retailers to keep Canadians safe.

How can the Conservatives spend $1 billion for 72 hours of security for the G8 and the G20 and yet spend years with their heads in the sand, ignoring Canada's own security threats?

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, when the secretary general came to Ottawa two weeks ago, he expressed concern about Canada's waning contribution to the kind of UN peacekeeping missions it once pioneered. In response, the minister said that the criticism was unfair and boasted that we were in 16 different missions right now. The minister repeated that tonight.

I do not mean to be indignant, but we only have 57 troops deployed on 7 UN peacekeeping missions and 34 others deployed on 9 non-UN missions. How can he say that this is a robust commitment to peacekeeping?

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, since the Conservative government took power in 2006, our ranking in the world on contributions of military personnel to UN peacekeeping missions has gone from 16th to 56th place, with only 57 troops deployed in UN peacekeeping missions.

We cannot blame this on our commitments in Afghanistan because we were there in 2006. Italy has 2,600 troops deployed in UN peacekeeping missions. It is in Afghanistan. Similarly, Spain, which is in Afghanistan, has 1,100 troops deployed in UN peacekeeping missions. France, which is also in Afghanistan, has 2,000 troops in UN peacekeeping missions.

How and when will the government change these numbers and increase our contributions to troop deployment on UN missions?

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, will the government now commit Canada to investing in the negotiation of sustainable peace with all stakeholders in and outside of Afghanistan with the same vigour committed to our combat role in Afghanistan?

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, as Canada takes steps toward a civilian mission post-2011, what new financial commitments will the Government of Canada be making and what planning efforts are under way to support the reconciliation of which the minister speaks through local peace-building and governance initiatives?

[Business of Supply, May 27th, 2010]

Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for York West and the member for Labrador.

I, too, want to join the rest in this House and the people of Guelph to express my deepest appreciation for the courage and sacrifices of all of our troops and their families wherever they may be.

Mr. Chair, through you, I thank the minister for appearing tonight.

In December 2009, church leaders from the Canadian Council of Churches, which represents 85% of Christians in Canada, wrote the Prime Minister and called for Canada to invest substantial new resources in diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the war and to support the people of Afghanistan through diplomacy and reconciliation efforts at local and regional levels.

The Canadian Council of Churches requested that we ask the minister the following questions.

Will this government commit to taking a leading role with and among its NATO and ISAF allies in a diplomatic surge to end the war in Afghanistan?

[Automotive Industry, May 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian taxpayers loaned $10.5 billion to General Motors last year and yet GM closed approximately 250 Canadian dealerships that add little to the cost of GM operations.

Robinson Pontiac Buick, a GM dealership in Guelph, is one of those across the country that together provide thousands of jobs at the dealerships and with their suppliers and contractors.

Congress pressed GM to re-open more than half of the closed American dealerships and GM complied. Why is the Conservative government idly standing by while thousands of Canadians lose their livelihood?

[Public Safety, May 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary is admitting the government has not talked to them.

The most basic responsibility of the federal government is to keep Canadians safe. If the minister read the news, he would be aware that a terrorist recently attempted to explode a car bomb packed with gas, propane and fertilizers in Times Square. In fact, if that terrorist had used the kind of fertilizers that sit unprotected at Canada's agri-retail sites, the bomb would have killed hundreds of innocent people, terrorized a nation, and caused billions in economic loss.

What does the government not understand about what is at stake here?