Thomas Mulcair

[Justice, April 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, so let us speak about Reform Party policy. We know the Prime Minister likes to control his message. He would not let his Conservatives do something that he did not agree with.

Could the Prime Minister tell Canadians why he allowed his Conservative MPs to reopen the debate on abortion?

[Afghanistan, April 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, our troops have been in Afghanistan too long already. Canadians have told us that they do not want another extension. They do not want a Prime Minister who vacillates on whether there will be an extension. They want a Prime Minister who respects the role of Parliament, period.

Canadians want a clear answer from the Prime Minister. Will he keep our troops in Afghanistan past 2014, yes or no?

[Afghanistan, April 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister stated, “all of the military missions committed to under this government have come before the House”. However, that is not the case, and he knows it.

The last extension in Afghanistan was authorized by the Prime Minister acting alone. In November 2010, he said to Jack Layton:

The government has never submitted missions that do not involve combat to the House of Commons. This is a training and technical assistance mission and that is why we are acting on executive authority.

Is the Prime Minister going to act unilaterally once again to keep our troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014?

[Afghanistan, April 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister left the door wide open to extending Canada's military mission in Afghanistan beyond 2014. He spouted rhetoric and stated that the government had not received this specific request, despite the fact that reliable military sources have told the media that a request was in fact received from the United States.

Is the Prime Minister saying that the United States has not made any contact whatsoever with Canada regarding the possible extension of the mission in Afghanistan?

[Afghanistan, April 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that in 2006, the Prime Minister said, “we made a pledge during the last election campaign to put international treaties and military engagements to a vote in this chamber.”

He added, “before we send diplomats, relief workers and soldiers on dangerous missions abroad, it is important to be able to tell them that Canada’s parliamentarians believe in their objectives and support what they are doing.”

That is what they promised. Will Parliament be able to vote this time on whether or not to keep our troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014?

[Afghanistan, April 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are taking note. They will not deny it.

In 2006, the Conservative platform pledged that Parliament would vote on the “commitment of Canadian forces to foreign operations”. By 2010, that had been artfully amended to “combat” missions.

Will there be another amendment now? Will Parliament only review the missions that the Prime Minister feels like discussing?

[Afghanistan, April 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that was artful, “that specific request”. We will see what that means.

Canadians do not want yet another Conservative extension of the mission in Afghanistan and the NDP will not support one.

Canadians have been perfectly clear. They want our troops home. They want this mission to end. It was supposed to end in 2006. It was supposed to end in 2009. It was supposed to end in 2011. It is supposed to end in 2014. When will it finally end?

[Afghanistan, April 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that is interesting because in the past the Prime Minister was perfectly willing to discuss with the House what the White House had told him to do.

Lawrence Cannon, minister of foreign affairs at the time, said in 2010, “We might be pressured obviously, but I think the prime minister has made this perfectly clear. March of 2014 is when we will be leaving”. We have heard those words before. We were supposed to be out before.

Are we being pressured again to keep soldiers in Afghanistan beyond 2014?

[Afghanistan, April 25th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this is what the Prime Minister said in 2009: “The military mission in Afghanistan will end in 2011. I have said it here and I have said it across the country. In fact, I think I said it recently in the White House.”

Now it is 2012 and our soldiers are still in Afghanistan.

Has Canada received a request from the United States to keep our soldiers in Afghanistan beyond 2014?

[National Defence, April 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, pilot training is a key life-cycle cost, one that seems to be left out of the Conservative's creative accounting on the F-35. The air force is categorical: under the Conservative's plan it cannot even afford to train the pilots.

LIfe-cycle costs have to be considered in every military equipment purchase; Treasury Board guidelines require it. The Minister of National Defence ignored the guidelines and misled Parliament on this as well. Is the defence minister's repeat contempt for Parliament acceptable to the Prime Minister, yes or no?