Debates of Sept. 17th, 2001

Terrorism

[Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

A mere three months ago, CSIS warned the government that “Canadians, now more than ever, are potential victims and Canada a potential venue for terrorist attacks”.

Does the government have reason to believe the cells of the al-Qaeda group of Osama bin Laden are, or have been, in operation in Canada?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, all countries in the world are currently confronting the dangers of terrorism. I believe Canada is like all the rest. This includes the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany. This past weekend, terrorist cells were identified in countries other than the U.S. There were cells in Germany and in other countries.

We are dealing with a worldwide problem, but I am not aware at this time of a cell known to the police to be operating in Canada with the intention of carrying out terrorism in Canada or elsewhere.

[Joe Clark, Progressive Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I trust that the Prime Minister is going to confirm this opinion with the appropriate officials and pass the real answer on to the House of Commons.

I would like to ask the Prime Minister, why did the cabinet of Canada not meet immediately when this crisis arose? Has it met yet? What kind of signal does the Prime Minister think this casualness sends to allies against terrorism?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, minutes after what happened in New York I and my ministers in every department were doing our jobs. They were on the telephone with me and all the deputy ministers and all the military and security were doing their jobs.

We are not grandstanding as a government. We are doing our job.

[Kevin Sorenson, Canadian Alliance, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the solicitor general has assured Canadians that the country's security forces are on high alert following the terrorist attacks in America.

Is the solicitor general confident that our security and intelligence agencies have adequate resources to effectively discover and apprehend terrorists already residing here in Canada?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware, the director of CSIS has also indicated that he has appropriate funding to fulfil his mandate.

CSIS also works with security intelligence agencies around the world to make sure that this country remains as safe as possible.

[Kevin Sorenson, Canadian Alliance, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the former commissioner of the RCMP does not share the same confidence that the solicitor general does. In fact Norman Inkster warns that our heightened vigilance following a terrorist attack on the U.S. cannot be allowed to lapse as it has in the past. Mr. Inkster says that if Canada is serious about security we must have appropriate funding and it must be maintained.

I ask the solicitor general, will he immediately request additional funding for CSIS and the RCMP?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is well aware, the Prime Minister has indicated that we will walk with the United States all the way.

The fact of the matter is that what changes need to be made will be made, but it is also important to note that this country in the last budget put $1.5 billion into the public safety envelope. That is a lot of money.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves in a touchy situation and we should be very cautious so that the war against terrorism does not turn into a clash of civilizations.

In view of this, does the government intend to involve Canadian diplomacy to help broaden as much as possible the coalition around the United States, by making representations to the international bodies concerned, including the UN security council?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I should point out that under article 5 of the NATO resolution it is also required to provide information to the UN security council. NATO consulted with the UN secretary general. This aspect of multilateralism already exists in the procedures that are being followed in the wake of this catastrophe.

[Francine Lalonde, Bloc, Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, could the government tell us if it intends to be proactive with its G-8 allies and also promote long term solutions, such as the fight against poverty, that would help fight terrorism at its roots?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, there are definitely a number of situations around the world that should be examined. We can say that, in this instance, we are having frequent consultations with our allies, including the United States and the other G-8 members.

We are in the process of responding to the U.S. proposals, but we must first have all the facts and all the information that will allow us to make decisions. Such is the situation right now. We will continue to consult with our allies.

National Defence

[Leon Benoit, Canadian Alliance, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, nine years ago Canada had 90,000 people serving in our armed forces. We are now down to 55,000 and still falling.

Our single largest national security force is almost half what it was 10 years ago, and now we are in a war against terrorism and it will involve NATO military strikes. We have excellent people serving but they are already overcommitted.

Could the Minister of National Defence tell us from where we will get the soldiers to meet both our current NATO commitments and for this new war against terrorism?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to an intensified campaign against terrorism. We will stand with the United States and with our allies in weeding out the perpetrators and destroying their organizations wherever they may be.

It will take some time to do it. It will not be like conventional warfare at all. The kinds of assets and people necessary to do this in the military context are being reviewed and determined at this point in time.

[Leon Benoit, Canadian Alliance, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, our armed forces are down to almost half the number of people it had 10 years ago and there is a very good chance there will be conventional warfare involved in the war against terrorism.

Canadians want to know that they are safe in their homes and on the streets, and they want to know that Canada can contribute in a meaningful way with our NATO allies. They need more than words, so how can the minister assure Canadians that we have the people and the tools to meet those commitments?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the member's numbers, to start with, but let me say that we have quality, top professional people in the Canadian forces. They have demonstrated that time and again.

They have demonstrated that when possible. They were on the frontlines, first teamers in Kosovo. Just two weeks ago when asked we provided our state of the art Coyote squadron to the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.

We have capabilities and are prepared to make them available in the campaign against terrorism.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, NATO reacted swiftly to the terrorist attacks by invoking article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Since then, several European members of NATO have clarified their interpretation of this gesture and are calling for the utmost caution.

Could the government provide Canada's interpretation of article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty?

[John Manley, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we discussed the declaration with our European and American counterparts. The U.S. Secretary of State shared with me his interpretation, whereby the United States would be required to provide NATO with relevant information prior to any decisions being made by the NATO assembly regarding the necessary response.

[Claude Bachand, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this is the first time in history that article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is being invoked.

Could the Minister of National Defence explain what that means in terms of preparing the Canadian army?

[Art Eggleton, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the assets of the Canadian armed forces are known. Our policy is known; it is in the 1994 white paper. Our commitments to our allies through NATO are known.

We have made a very solid commitment. We are strongly supportive of an effort to combat terrorism. We will develop with our allies the necessary plan and will participate in that plan to carry out the campaign against terrorism.

Terrorism

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, last week the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, stated: “Some nations need to be more vigilant against terrorism at their borders if they want their relationship with the U.S. to remain strong”. Our economy is dependent upon our trading relationship with the U.S. and cannot survive a sustained slowdown at our borders.

My question is for the revenue minister. What customs initiatives has he undertaken to secure our borders from terrorism in order to protect Canadians?

[Martin Cauchon, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, right after the tragic events customs moved to high alert. It means more examinations, more use of soft technology, and continued good co-operation with U.S. customs. We have exchanged some information, some intelligence, and we have been sharing the databank we have.

Customs is a question of risk assessment. About a year and half ago we tabled a new reform to ensure we have much better risk assessment.

As the Prime Minister has said on terrorism, it is a threat that faces all countries of the world. It means that we will have to keep working together in good co-operation.

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, this has been a tragic week for all humanity. Not only were thousands killed as a result of terrorist attacks in the U.S., in Canada minority groups, in particular the Canadian Islamic community, have been victimized by acts of violence and threats. School children have been threatened; mosques have been fire bombed and businesses vandalized. Many Canadians are in fear of their own lives in Canada.

My question is for the Prime Minister. What is his government's plan to end these threatening acts and punish those who commit them?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, anybody who commits an act like that is acting against the Criminal Code of Canada. I hope that the police will arrest them and bring them to justice.

As far as I am concerned, I thought many times about it, we are all Canadians, whatever the colour, the language, the religion--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Hamilton West.