Foreign Affairs Committee on March 12th, 2020

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Minister, thank you for joining us today and giving us your valuable time. We would have liked you to be with us longer, but it seems that the tradition here in Ottawa is that presentations are about an hour or two long. What can I say, we need to adapt: Times change.

Mr. Minister, one of the purposes of today's meeting is to discuss your mandate letters. In the mandate letters, you are mandated to support the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs on measures related to Canada-U.S. relations. In your opinion, what are the possible consequences of the U.S. decision yesterday to close its borders, so to speak, to all flights from Europe as of the end of this month? Could Europeans possibly try to land in Canada and then go to the United States? Do you foresee any consequences for Canada-U.S. relations in terms of the ability to move freely across borders?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

I thank my colleague for his question, Madam Chair.

I was in contact with my European counterparts last night, because the American president's announcement has a greater impact on our Europeans colleagues. I spoke to Italy's foreign minister this afternoon, just before question period.

At this time, there is no indication that travellers would pass through Canada on their way to the United States. As you know, in a situation like this, you have to work with facts. The facts do not indicate that at this point in time.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

We have to anticipate situations, Mr. Minister.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

The U.S. president's measure will take effect at midnight. If you look at the number of cases in Canada, I think the measures Canada has taken, compared to the G7 countries, have been effective in controlling the spread of the virus. We are going to continue to do what we have been doing since day one. Of course, we are in discussions with all government agencies, whether it's the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency or our G7 partners, to fully understand the potential impact of this and to put a plan in place to respond to it.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

If I understand correctly, you don't think there will be any particular trouble with our neighbours to the south, and we should be happy about that.

The following mandate has been entrusted to you:

to work with the Minister of Canadian Heritage to promote Canada's public diplomacy through cultural and educational spheres, such as introducing a new cultural diplomacy strategy with at least one international mission each year to promote Canadian culture and creators around the world.

As you know, this was one of the main thrusts of Canada's foreign policy until 2005. In 2005, under the previous Conservative government, major cuts were made to the trade routes program and the public diplomacy program, the Canadian cultural centre in Paris and cultural positions in various embassies, including Berlin.

You probably know that many events abroad, such as Surprenante Acadie, in Poitiers, France, and Les Déferlantes francophones, in Capbreton, France, were funded by this type of program.

At some point, are you planning to reinvest in this type of program, to enable civil society and particularly the cultural and education sectors to promote all our cultures abroad?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Thank you.

I take great pride in my position as the minister responsible for the Francophonie. Quebec's language and culture, and the French language... The Francophonie will soon be celebrating its 50th anniversary.

My mandate letter states that the Minister of Foreign Affairs now shares a jurisdiction with the Minister of Canadian Heritage. I was pleased to see that, because I think one of the best ways to do diplomacy is to promote Quebec and Canadian culture around the world. It is often said that music brings people together. In my opinion, the whole cultural aspect of cultural diplomacy is a big part of Canadian diplomacy.

Of course, I intend to pull out all the stops to promote the cultural aspect, Canada's different cultures. Everything that Canada has been able to develop is certainly highly attractive for our colleagues abroad.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

I imagine that a number of organizations are very pleased with what you have just said today, including the Société nationale de l'Acadie, which has been concerned about cultural cutbacks since the early 2000s.

Within that same framework, a new international education strategy was developed through a pilot project involving Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada. In my opinion, we should also be happy about that.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Absolutely.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

There seems to be a link missing in this strategy, however. I'm talking about the Réseau des cégeps et des collèges francophones du Canada.

Since you said you were proud to be the minister responsible for the Francophonie and for promoting the French language abroad, don't you think it would be appropriate to include the Réseau in this pilot project so that French-language education can be promoted abroad?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Leona Alleslev]

Mr. Minister, you have 30 seconds.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

When I was Minister of International Trade, one of my roles was to help promote education worldwide. That is something that's close to my heart. If the people from the Réseau des cégeps et des collèges francophones du Canada want to come and meet me, we can see what we can do together. Our goal is to promote education and the Francophonie around the world.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Leona Alleslev]

Thank you very much.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Leona Alleslev]

Next we have Mr. Harris.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for coming to join us today. We often say “thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule”, usually out of politeness, but in your case I think it's actually true. You have been very busy for the last number of months.

I wanted to ask a question about Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. I appreciate the determination with which you stated the principle that there should never, never, never, I believe you said, be reprisals against citizens for the actions of a state, particularly a legal one like this. Do we have many friends on this point?

We have 14 nations willing to say something about it in public and supposedly others that agree with us behind the scenes. A task force was put together very quickly in the case dealing with Iran. In this particular situation, what I'm wondering is whether there is any capacity and enough of a consensus on your principle, as you've stated it, to have an international collective response or strategy in dealing with the question that we're talking about.

Have you made efforts to set up such a task force? Have you pursued the development of a coalition of ideas and strategy that might have some effect in dealing with China in this regard?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Madam Chair, he seemed to read my mind.

Definitely, we've been talking to a number of colleagues around the world. I think that arbitrary detention is something that concerns Canada but also concerns many nations, many liberal democracies that are facing a similar situation.

Our relationship with China, as I've said, is going through a turbulent time. It's complex and multi-dimensional. The type of situation we're facing is the same that others have been facing in liberal democracies in Europe and other places in the world. Where the complexity comes from is that you may deal with China on climate change or on WTO reform, but you will disagree profoundly on human rights.

When it comes to arbitrary detention, yes, I've been reaching out to colleagues around the world, and yes, we're looking at ways to coordinate—or, I would say, even better coordinate—to make sure that the case of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor also serves as a lesson to the world that arbitrary detention is unacceptable, and that if it were ever to happen again, we should act collectively, in a coordinated fashion.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you.

I'm looking at your mandate letter. One of your early mandates is to “lead Canada's United Nations Security Council campaign”. The campaign itself has been criticized for starting late, as you made reference to. You can't take personal responsibility for that, as you weren't the minister, but is it enough to start as late as we did?

I have a follow-up question to that. Of course, Canada was “back” in the international world in 2015, but one of the criticisms of Canada in terms of its desire to show, as you called it, and to illustrate “our interests, principles and values” in this effort to be part of the Security Council is that we are well behind Norway with its 1% official development assistance and we have a commitment from our other competitor for it to reach 1.7% by 2030. You know where we are. We're at 0.27%. We're at half as much as the average of our peers in the OECD and well behind the 0.7%.

How does that sit with you if we're talking about our values and principles and our role in international affairs? For four and a half years, we've been going backwards on that point, not forward, and there's a lot to be done, whether you use it for climate change to assist countries in dealing with that or provide the development assistance that's needed and increase it through a considerable effort. Do you plan to recommit to this 0.7% goal and provide a goal and a timetable to reach it?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

I think there are two parts to your question.

With respect to our campaign, I would say it's never too late to do good things. Coming back from CARICOM, where I represented the Prime Minister at the heads of government meeting, and coming back from the African Union, where we met a number of African leaders; and after the Lima Group, to which we played host here in Ottawa, I think what I hear more and more from around the world is that people want a positive, progressive voice on the Security Council. They want this transatlantic voice that will make a difference, that will speak up for human rights, that will speak up for climate change, and that will amplify the voice of those who don't have a voice at that table.

When it comes to numbers, I would say that numbers don't tell the whole story. I'll tell you that I was at the MINUSMA mission in Mali, and I met the commander and the deputy secretary-general. We have a female commander of the police force. I asked her to come—

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

If I may interrupt, I realize that numbers don't tell the whole story, and you can use the rest of my time to tell the whole story, but the numbers count, because that measures the effort that's being put into this proposal.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

I'll tell you what the mission commander told me: “Sir, no nation makes a greater impact than Canada. If I could ask you one favour, it would be to just keep that commander there; she's making a bigger impact on the whole UN mission than anyone else.”

That's one person making the impact.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

That's one mission—

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

She's making an impact.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

—and I'm sure we are all as proud as you are of the efforts being made in that particular mission, but I'm talking about the global consequences.

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

I can tell you about other missions. Pick one.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Leona Alleslev]

You have 20 seconds.