Foreign Affairs Committee on Feb. 17th, 2022

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Thank you very much.

I have another question.

I hesitate to describe your presentation. However, I gather that you expressed some reservations that the conflict was behind us, despite some encouraging signs, such as the lifting of the state of emergency.

I want to point out that I've seen several reports of ongoing raids in the Afar area. One report from just 10 hours ago, if I'm not mistaken, states that a shell crashed into houses in the Afar area and that six children were reported missing.

Can you tell us what you're hearing from your contacts on the ground right now?

[Tarik Khan]

Thank you for your question.

I'll ask my colleague, Ms. Childs‑Adams, to answer this very specific question.

[Hilary Childs-Adams]

We're extremely concerned about ongoing clashes in northern Ethiopia. We're finding that although the Tigrayan forces withdrew pretty much to their own region, there are ongoing clashes in the Afar region neighbouring Tigray, where there are attempts made to control certain road routes and where humanitarian aid has been stopped.

We are extremely concerned that what is coming out of there in the way of news is really what is approved by the government mostly, so we will continue to engage with the government and the parties. Our ambassador visited the Afar region recently to get their perspective.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Ms. Childs-Adams, I apologize, but we'll have to leave it there in the interest of time. There will potentially be a chance to follow up.

Thank you, Ms. Bendayan.

Mr. Bergeron, you have two and a half minutes.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Salewicz, thank you for your response to Ms. Bendayan. It answers the question that I asked twice.

I wanted to know what assurance we had that food reached Tigray, given that the World Food Programme believed that very little had reached Tigray, at least since mid‑December. I'm pleased to hear that some of the Canadian aid made it.

I also wanted to ask about the monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure that the $7 million in humanitarian aid was achieving results. From what I can see, there are mechanisms.

In a November 2021 article in Foreign Affairs magazine, university professors Yohannes Woldemariam and Nic Cheeseman reported that Ethiopia is home to over 80 different ethnic groups, and that successive Ethiopian leaders have fuelled tensions among the ethnicities and regions. Each leader governed in a way that gave at least one community a reason to feel wronged.

The writers added that, more recently, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have facilitated the spread of hate speech and helped fuel the atrocities.

Above all, and in my opinion this is the most significant part, the writers examine the ability of the Ethiopian state to survive these ethnic conflicts and the latest conflict that we're currently witnessing.

Does the Canadian government share the concerns expressed by professors Wodemariam and Cheeseman about the fragility of the Ethiopian state?

[Tarik Khan]

Thank you for this question.

I'll make a few general comments first. I'll then ask my colleague, Gwyn Kutz, to speak about our efforts to support peacebuilding in Ethiopia.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Mr. Khan, sorry to interrupt you, but I'll ask you to keep your answer short.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Are the six minutes up already, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Your speaking time is two and a half minutes, Mr. Bergeron.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

We haven't come back to the other round.

Okay. Thank you.

[Tarik Khan]

We certainly share this concern about the fragility of the Ethiopian state. Of course, these incitements to violence, propaganda and use of armed groups will further weaken the country.

We have the same concerns as the writers.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

We'll come back to this.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Thank you.

Ms. McPherson, you have two and a half minutes.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses. I have some questions.

People on this committee will know that I'm very interested in Canadian mining and the impacts of Canadian mining companies around the world. We have heard some alarming reports that there have been Canadian mining companies looking for licences to operate in the Tigray region.

Can you provide any information on the status of Canadian mining companies that are hoping to operate in Tigray, and whether any licences have been offered?

[Tarik Khan]

I don't have any information in front of me regarding any mining licences that have been granted in Tigray. Our understanding is that this has not taken place. We do not offer any trade commissioner services or assistance to mining companies in terms of activity in northern Ethiopia. We have no awareness of that at this stage.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Would it be possible to provide any written submissions afterward, if there is additional information that you can share that you may not have on hand?

The next question I'd like to ask is around a comment that you made earlier in your intervention about women, including women in the peacekeeping process, and women at the negotiation tables. This is very important to me. We know that there is a much higher chance of success when women are present for any sort of ceasefire resolution.

How is that being done? How is Canada working on that? I would appreciate some feedback, please.

[Tarik Khan]

As you know, “Women, peace and security” is a key part of our government's international policy agenda.

To answer the question, I will turn to my colleague Gwyn Kutz, our DG for Peace and Stabilization.

[Gwyn Kutz, Director General, Peace and Stabilization Operations Program, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development]

Thank you for raising the topic, because we truly do believe that the full engagement of women across the peace spectrum in prevention, during conflict management and in post-conflict state-building is absolutely essential to a resilient peaceful society.

My area is very much concerned about building peace at the community level. You've heard of the efforts at the diplomatic and state levels, but we believe that peace-building activities at the community level are also a fundamental part of a resilient peace in a country that has as many complex differences between ethnic groups as a country like Ethiopia has. We are supporting organizations that work with community organizations and women peace-builders to build bridges across inter-ethnic lines and countries. We have a project that builds an international network of women peace-builders in the region so that experiences can be shared, solidarity can be built and women will have a voice at different levels of the peace-building process.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sven Spengemann]

Thank you so much, and thank you, Ms. McPherson.

We will now go to Mr. Chong, please, for five minutes.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

South Africa and Australia have used truth and reconciliation commissions to reconcile differences after a national conflict or a national difficulty. The former Conservative government established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission here in Canada, and previous governments in Canada have been instrumental in establishing truth and reconciliation commissions abroad, such as the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons as part of the Northern Ireland peace process, which was co-chaired by former chief of the defence staff John de Chastelain.

Has the Canadian government done any work to advance a truth and reconciliation commission in Ethiopia?

[Tarik Khan]

I don't think the parties to the conflict are there yet. It's clear that some kind of an approach towards cessation of hostilities will be important first. The ability of the parties to get around the table for some kind of a mediated solution will be critical first. I think there is indeed, and always is, an importance and a clear value in truth and reconciliation work, preserving historic memory and hearing the experience of victims, and also then ensuring that there's no repetition of human rights violations and those kinds of crimes.

I take your point, and it's a very important point. Hopefully this is something that [Technical difficulty—Editor] conflict will eventually get to.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

I have a question about the region more broadly. The border between Ethiopia and Sudan has long been peacefully contested. Is there any evidence of hostility or the movement of military forces on the part of Sudan toward the border region?

[Tarik Khan]

I'll turn to my colleague Ms. Hilary Childs-Adams to respond to that question on borders.

[Hilary Childs-Adams]

Yes, there have been reports to that effect. Sudanese government representatives or military—it's unclear exactly who—moved into that area and it has strengthened some of the towns in southern Sudan joining it. Agriculturally it's incredibly fertile. A number of Ethiopian farmers who were displaced from that area had farmed it successfully for a very long time. We hope this dispute will be resolved. It's very important for food security in both countries.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Is there any evidence that Egypt is getting involved in the bilateral issues between Ethiopia and Sudan?