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Terrorism December 10th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, much of the member's allegation is just nonsense. The fact of the matter is the military wing of Hezbollah was listed under Canada's suppression of terrorism regulations in 2001. We did our work.
In terms of looking at entities and bringing them forward to the list, we will only do it on the basis of sound criminal and security intelligence information. We will not play politics with this issue.
Terrorism December 10th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, listing entities is a very serious issue. It requires serious thought and serious research. I would hope that no one, not even the hon. member opposite, would play politics with this issue, and that is what he seems to be doing.
Haste is not what is required here. It is analysis that is based on fact and on criminal and security intelligence information, and we will make a decision on future entities soon.
Organized Crime December 9th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I reject the allegations that we have done little. Let me outline for the hon. member some of the things we have done to improve policing of organized crime.
We have implemented anti-gang legislation. We have created 13 integrated proceeds of crime units. We have renewed the national anti-smuggling initiative. We have improved cross border law enforcement cooperation. We have renewed the Canadian police information centre. We have increased RCMP presence at major airports. We have increased the RCMP budget significantly. We have improved the national DNA data bank. We have created new--
Public Service of Canada December 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, we always welcome reports that outline if there is a problem in any area. The Treasury Board minister yesterday mentioned that progress was not made to the extent that had been fully hoped, but what these reports do for us is give us an analysis of areas where there should be improvement.
I can assure the House that the Government of Canada is working on improvements because harassment should not take place in the workplace.
Public Service of Canada December 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that the RCMP and other agencies under the department of the Solicitor General do take these matters seriously. We ensure that the guidelines, as established for the Government of Canada and the Human Rights Commission, are in fact followed, and if they are not, there would be penalties.
Terrorism December 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that the hon. member is having an out of body experience. The fact of the matter is that he is talking about the latest headlines that he reads in the papers. We have heard those latest headlines before.
We have a responsibility as a government to base the listing of entities on criminal and security intelligence information. We will do that. We will not be pushed to do it hastily. We will do it in the proper fashion in the proper order and we will do it timely and soon.
Terrorism December 6th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, facts continue to be compiled in terms of quite a number of entities, actually. It is under my mandate as the Solicitor General that I have to look at the facts based on criminal and security intelligence information and that is in fact what I will do. The hon. member can be assured that we will be bringing forward entities in the not too distant future.
U.S. Embassy December 4th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I certainly recognize the member for Ottawa--Vanier's interest and concern over this matter. Our objective is to ensure that there is safety for residents of the area as well as the people who work in the U.S. embassy. I understand that the RCMP and local police are still working with the community and the residents in the community, as well as the U.S. embassy, to reach a satisfactory solution for all who are involved.
Terrorism December 4th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I can assure members that this country will not be a staging ground for future actions. Although a list is important from the broader perspective, as indicated, we are working on the information for that list. CSIS does not need an organization to be on a list to do its work in terms of the national security of this country.
Finally, the military wing of Hezbollah is on Canada's United Nations suppression of terrorism regulations.
Terrorism December 4th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see the hon. member opposite reads the latest headlines in the press because he comes forward with a new headline every day. We do take this matter very seriously. We do note what the hon. member says.
In terms of the legislation and our responsibility in the government, we have to make our decisions based on the facts. It is spelled out very clearly that we must take into consideration the criminal and the security intelligence reports. That is what we will do and we will come forward with other listings in the future.