John Baird

[Foreign Affairs, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, talking about a leak, the Prime Minister was at the United Nations, and when asked that question, he said that the United States had made additional requests to Canada and that the government would soon be reviewing the decision. He came back to Canada. The government does meet on a regular basis; cabinet meets; caucus meets; committees meet. We have not made any decision with respect to additional involvement, but we will reflect on the request that has been made. We certainly welcome any advice that the member opposite would have.

[Foreign Affairs, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the opposition members are demanding a debate and vote in Parliament on a combat mission. They are pushing against an open door. The Prime Minister and this government have always brought such matters before this House and have always had a vote. That is exactly what we do.

We have not brought forward normal routine matters. We have the HMCS Toronto in the Black Sea. The NDP did not ask for a debate and a vote on that. We sent troops to Poland and a reassurance package for NATO. The NDP did not ask for a vote on that. We have CF-18s in the Balkans. The NDP has not asked for a vote on that.

When there is a combat mission, if there is a combat mission, there will be a debate and a vote.

[Foreign Affairs, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I do not have an hour-by-hour number to give my colleague opposite, but I would be very happy to get the specific numbers and relay them to her directly.

The government has not taken a position on further requests from the Obama administration. What we do know is we are dealing with a fanatical terrorist movement that is a direct threat not just to Iraq, Syria and the region and our allies, but a direct threat to Canada. Standing back and doing nothing is not an option. That is why we are working with virtually the entire civilized world to confront this evil before more religious minorities are targeted and before more violence takes place.

[Foreign Affairs, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, whenever this government has sent or renewed combat missions, we have always consulted Parliament and had a vote.

Let me tell the House what we have done. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, I took the critic for foreign affairs of the member's party and the critic for foreign affairs of the third party to Iraq so they could ask questions and see the situation for themselves. We voluntarily called back the parliamentary committee a week before Parliament resumed so that we could present and discuss it there. We supported an emergency debate within 48 hours of Parliament resuming.

I will say very clearly, if there were to be a combat mission, we would seek to bring it before Parliament as a matter of confidence.

[Foreign Affairs, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the fanaticism of this terrorist movement is a direct threat to the region, a direct threat to our allies, and a direct threat to Canada. The government has taken a number of measures in providing support, including humanitarian assistance, military assistance.

We have been asked to do more by the Obama administration. I can report to the member opposite clearly no decisions have been taken.

[Foreign Affairs, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, earlier this week we added one institution, more commercial entities and more individuals. That is why Canada is not a world leader, it is the world leader in terms of sanctioning the Putin government and Moscow.

We will continue to stand up for the territorial integrity of Ukraine. We will continue to stand up for its sovereignty. We will continue to stand up for freedom. That is why just yesterday in this place the President of Ukraine said that Canada was Ukraine's strongest friend and best ally.

[Foreign Affairs, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, following receipt of new information and further investigation and analysis, these entities are being removed from the list. They were deemed to be sufficiently divorced from Russian events against Ukraine.

Let us look at Canada, the United States and the E.U. In the United States, President Obama has 107 sanctions. The E.U. has 106 sanctions. How many does Canada have? It has the largest number in the world, with 189.

That is real leadership. That is why the President of Ukraine is so thrilled with this government.

[Coastal Fisheries Protection Act, September 18th, 2014]

I agree with him on everything.

[Foreign Affairs, September 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Elmwood—Transcona for his leadership in this regard.

I can confirm that Canada is sending a large electoral observer mission to Ukraine to monitor the upcoming parliamentary elections. Furthermore, today we announced that Canada would impose additional sanctions on entities and individuals in Russia.

Canadians can count on our Prime Minister to stand up, to do the right thing. They can count on this government. The people in Ukraine can count on Canada to stand with them against this naked aggression.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), (b), and (c), applications for permits to export military goods or technology are assessed against a number of criteria, one of which is assessing the risk that the proposed export could result in human rights violations in the destination country. A number of DFATD divisions, including missions abroad, are involved in the review of permit applications. Consultations are also undertaken with the Department of National Defence and other agencies or departments as needed. Assessing risks of human rights violations is a key consideration during the review process. As part of their responsibilities, officers at our missions abroad and at geographic divisions at DFATD headquarters closely follow human rights issues, meeting regularly with human rights groups and organizations, and accessing information from these groups and organizations, from other non-governmental organizations, and civil society. This information is used to inform the consultation process and assess whether there is a significant risk that an export is likely to result in human rights violations in the destination country.

With regard to (d), officials closely monitor international developments that have the potential to negatively impact regional security, or that are resulting, or are likely to result, in violations of human rights. In cases where the situation changes in a destination country, export permits can be suspended or cancelled should it be determined that the export has become inconsistent with Canada's foreign and defence policies and interests, including on human rights grounds.