Evidence of meeting #21 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
The purpose and the way the act came about was that after this situation happened in Haiti, the OAS decided that they wanted to impose sanctions. When the minister of foreign affairs came back to Canada, we discovered that it would require a special piece of legislation related to what the OAS had done.
Our approach was to say that if we have to go back to Parliament, then let's go back to give the Governor in Council the authority to do this quickly. Imposing sanctions in these situations is required quickly, and as we know, even Parliament at its best in terms of speed can take days. Back then money moved fast. It moves in seconds now.
The ability of the Governor in Council to do that without having to seek parliamentary approval was critical, but there were fence posts put around that. A multilateral organization had to have called on the global community to bring in these sanctions. That had been done through the OAS. The OAS imposed their sanctions, but they found them to be leaky after about six months, because it was just the western hemisphere. We know that if you just do sanctions sporadically and that select countries do them, other countries and other businesses will step into the breach and fill those business relationships.
That certainly happened every time we met with European members back then, after the OAS had passed this and we had passed this piece of legislation in 1991. They said that without the UN's approval, they can't do anything, that they're not members of the OAS, so they will continue to trade with Haiti. We then engaged in a process to get the Security Council of the United Nations, which it did in 1992 and into 1993, to pass a resolution imposing sanctions on Haiti.
Now, that's a slow process, and we're facing some of that now. We have not seen universally the countries around the world implement sanctions as we have done, or as some other countries have done, on the Soviet Union. In fact, we know they are trading with them.
In my own backyard, seafood is a big industry. Snow crab is a big industry in Newfoundland. The price of snow crab a few months ago was $8 a pound. Now it's $3 a pound. The reason it's down to $3 a pound is that the Japanese, who were buying half of it—
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Now we are listening to stories about the snow crab, Mr. Chair.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
No, it's about the leaky sanctions. It's about the government's leaky sanctions.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
This is disgraceful that the Conservatives would continue to filibuster while we have just heard from Ukrainian parliamentarians about the need to get on with our work.
Rachael Bendayan
We have many witnesses who have been waiting. I believe that Mr. Chen, the representative of Taiwan, is quite upset the Conservatives are continuing this filibuster and denying the ability of witnesses on the Taiwan study. I know the ambassador to Ukraine is similarly disappointed.
Mr. Chair, we need to stick to the topic when we debate the subamendment. Listening to stories of sanctions involving Haiti many years ago, and the United Nations' involvement there, or listening to the increased price of the snow crab, is not relevant.
I'm sorry—
Conservative
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
—you see, when you get off topic, you lose the interest of members.
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
It's right on topic, if you would let me finish the sentence.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Mr. Chair, I would ask that you please rule on the relevance of this, and potentially face an objection to your ruling if you are to continue to rule that these matters are somehow relevant.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Chair, on the same point of order.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
At the point at which my colleague was interrupted, he was speaking precisely about issues of sanctions right now with respect to crab, not a subject I know much about. The particulars of the project—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I'm responding directly to what Ms. Bendayan said.
If I could also say on a matter of order, my colleague has imputed opinions to a number of diplomats with respect to party disagreements in this country. I think, one, those folks are perfectly capable of speaking for themselves, and two, it's quite inappropriate to put them in the awkward situation of claiming they do or don't have a certain position.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
—to me you're engaging in debate. Do you have a point of order you want to raise?
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Yes.
I think Mr. Perkins' comments were obviously relevant and I think Ms. Bendayan's comments are out of order with respect to claiming that certain diplomats have certain opinions about party dynamics within Canada.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ali Ehsassi
Members, I would once again remind every one of you that, out of respect for other members of this committee, we should all strain and we should all attempt to the best of our abilities to remain relevant to the issue at hand.
Mr. Perkins, we'd be grateful if you remained focused on making sure your comments are relevant.
Mr. Perkins, the floor is yours.
