Foreign Affairs Committee on June 17th, 2010

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

But the letter he was offended by was that under normal circumstances he would not be allowed entry to Canada.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Anyhow, I hope that can be ironed out.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Yes, we're engaged at all sorts of levels. I'm very sorry that we didn't get a chance to get together.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Likewise.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you very much.

I think we have time for two more quick questions. We're going to go with Mr. Van Kesteren, and then we're probably going to go back to Mr. Rae, and probably finish up with that. So five minutes each.

Mr. Van Kesteren.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for appearing before us.

I want to congratulate you and the government on the western hemisphere initiative. It's so important. We had Mr. Latulippe visit with us--I think I mentioned that to you too--and talk about his vision of training members of Parliament so we can become ambassadors as well to do our small part to export this great democracy. Oftentimes we forget the history of Latin America and how that history has shaped much of the political environment that we see there today.

The thing that excites me about our western hemisphere initiative is that we're engaging now. You mentioned that you've been back there twice. When I think back to the years of Ortega in Nicaragua, he's back in power, but there seems to be a shift. If I interpret this correctly, it appears that there is the group that is polarizing around Chavez and then the group that wants freedom and democracy, wants free trade.

Can you tell this committee about the importance of free trade and what that does to poor countries like Honduras? On the one hand, we can engage them, encourage them to hopefully move forward to a democratic society; and on the other hand, we can help them and lift them up as well. So can you tell us about the importance of free trade to those countries, not necessarily ours, but to those countries?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Absolutely. I won't give you the full pitch on the Americas policy of our government, but it is the three-pillar concept of prosperity, democratic governance, and security. Country to country in the Americas, one or other of those pillars takes a greater priority in terms of our bilateral relations.

All of the countries of the Americas, save Honduras today, and Cuba, which although no longer suspended is not fully re-engaged, are signatories to the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which is a magnificent document that lays out democratic principles, practices, and safeguards. But the interpretation of some of the chapters of the charter country to country are very different.

I think our government believes that with the ratification of the free trade agreement with Colombia this week there will be benefit not only for Canadians, but for the people of many of these countries, which, like Honduras, still exist with great social injustice, with great inequity and lack of opportunity. I think that in meeting, for example, in Colombia with representatives of private sector unions, I saw there was a great appetite to see the opportunity for their countries, their communities, to grow and enjoy the benefits of increased trade by trading, for example, with Canada. I think that's true.

There are countries we need to work a little harder with to pull them back to the more democratic side of the spectrum in their respective nations. But by and large, I think that Latin America has never enjoyed as many governments that can be described as legitimate democracies as we see today.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

So just to wrap up, we're making progress.

Do you have an opportunity to engage the leaders and talk to them about those principles?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Yes, certainly with foreign ministers, and on occasion, in situations such as the Summit of the Americas, or a couple of weeks ago, when I was Buenos Aires representing the Prime Minister for the bicentennial celebrations. Most of the neighbouring countries were represented by heads of government, and I was included, and mi español insuficiente was no barrier to conversations and discussions.

Canada is recognized. I was at the inauguration in Chile a couple of months ago and I was told by the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, as President Bachelet, the outgoing president, told me a couple of days earlier, that in fact Canada's free trade agreement with Chile in 1997 is the model on which their dozens of free trade agreements since are still based today.

Ours needs to be contemporized. We're about to modernize our free trade agreement with Costa Rica, for example, to recognize changing times.

But Canada is a well-respected friend, even in countries where we have differences. I've visited Nicaragua and spent time with President Ortega in a couple of situations. A year ago, when I raised Canada's concerns about the interference in the municipal elections the previous year, he argued back quite forcefully, but when I asked about his thoughts on Canada's candidacy for the non-permanent seat on the Security Council, his answer was, “Who else would we support?” Canada did not break relations during the Nicaraguan war. Canada was an honest broker. Canada provided continuing humanitarian assistance and a certain amount of sympathy to the realities of that era. I think our policies and positions in the Americas are on solid ground.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you, Mr. Van Kesteren.

Now we'll move to the last questioner, Mr. Rae.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I'm glad to hear that many policies of the previous government seem to have borne fruit.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Those were the Mulroney years.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

That government too.

Mr. Kent, I want to touch on a couple of questions with respect to Cuba, and very quickly on Guatemala, because there still seem to be some significant issues there.

Your responsibilities for the Americas obviously include the United States. What's your sense of American policy with respect to Cuba?

I've always wondered whether we were taking full advantage of the fact that since the Cuban revolution we've maintained diplomatic ties under Mr. Diefenbaker, Mr. Pearson, Mr. Trudeau, and on it goes. Are we taking advantage of the fact that we have maintained that relationship, and are we able to play a constructive role in what is clearly going to be an evolution in not only the structure of Cuba but the relationship between Cuba and the United States?

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Thank you. I think we are.

The engagement over the last 62 years has been, as you said, constant during the years of Cuba's suspension from the OAS. Despite Helms–Burton and the fact that the government of Cuba tends to use that as a reason not to change, there are contradictions in terms of the humanitarian loophole the United States enjoys in terms of increasing its annual bilateral trade with Cuba.

President Obama made a gesture a year ago, which has to date been rebuffed. I think change is on the horizon. I visited there in November, and religious institutions are again practising. I think the heavy-handed days of the atheist state are long past. Travel is somewhat easier. The desire for developing trade and exchange of technology is there.

As the minister of trade told me, he was encouraging Canadians to not only invest in the travel industry in terms of air links but to invest in the industry on the ground. He did concede that the concept of property rights is still a challenge for the government. I am disappointed that the vice-minister was unable to visit.

We were negotiating on a number of levels with regard to human rights. We believe that the death of Orlando Zapata was an avoidable and tragic incident. Minister Cannon has issued statements calling on Cuba to release all political prisoners and to be more tolerant of the rights of Cubans to free speech and free assembly.

I think there is progress. There is certainly dialogue. But I think that for a number of reasons Helms-Burton is not only a wall created by the United States, it's a defensive device that the current government of Cuba is hiding behind.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I know we're running out of time, Mr. Chair.

I have a brief comment on Guatemala. The concern about the ability of its truth and reconciliation commission to do its job I think raises the spectre that there appears to be in that country, and in others, continuing division and resistance from significant elements in society to getting at the degree of violence that has taken place.

I think we all recognize that there were a great many bodies buried in Central America in recent years, and we still haven't got to that level of understanding.

[Peter Kent, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Absolutely. The noted human rights leader Helen Mack was in town a few weeks ago and I met with her. She is the head of a new oversight commission for the national police force. As you know, she reported that impunity was at something like 98% a year ago--less than 2% of the political murders were prosecuted. She says that number has now shrunk to probably less than 1%.

Just last week the United Nations Commissioner Castresana resigned because of threats to his life and to his family. Canada supports the UN anti-impunity commission known as CICIG. It is a very fragile society. It is an incredibly violent society. It is enduring even more difficult times because of the pushback on organized crimes and drug organizations in Mexico. Some of those organizations have been displaced into Guatemala, making things worse than they were.

But we're engaged. President Colom is still committed to trying to work with institutions of the state, which are recognized in many ways to have huge issues of corruption. This goes from the Supreme Court to the Congress to the attorney general's office, which is one of the reasons that Commissioner Castresana resigned.

It's a challenge, and I think we have to remain engaged. Canada is still engaged. We have CIDA projects going there--agricultural projects--at some considerable risk to those who are leading them. But we're committed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you very much.

Minister Kent, thank you very much for your direct answers today and for your time. We appreciate that.

I'm just going to give us a minute or so for the minister to back away from the table, and then I want to quickly open it up. I don't think there's a whole lot of future business, but I want to quickly do that. And if there's nothing, then we'll end the meeting.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Okay, could I have all the members back at the table?

I don't believe there's a whole lot of committee business. I know that the Bloc was suggesting they wanted to bring something up, so I want to ask Madame Deschamps if there's something they want to address.

I don't believe anyone else has any other business, so after we hear from you, we can probably determine whether we have to deal with any other new issues.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Chair, you are referring to the motion that I have to introduce.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Have you introduced a motion?

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Yes.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I don't have a copy. Has it been distributed?

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Ms. DePape has a copy. Mr. Chair, I will give you a few minutes so that the members of the committee can familiarize themselves with it. The list has just arrived.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

What you're being handed is a list of all the motions we have before the committee. I believe the motion Madame Deschamps is talking about is number 19, which is the last motion—back page, last motion.

Mr. Abbott.

[Jim Abbott, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Chair, in the case of that motion, it does not meet the 48-hour requirement, so I wouldn't anticipate we would be dealing with it at this committee meeting.