Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga West. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the motion today. Canada has a long and proud history of helping the global community defend peace, freedom and democracy. We have always been committed to working alongside our allies in creating a stable international environment. We will continue to work with our allies in the new struggle against terrorism.
We also have a strong tradition of consultation in the House. In times of conflict over the years we have come to the House to consult each other, debate and discuss the deployment of Canadian forces to troubled regions around the world.
Since 1994 in matters of defence and foreign policy the government has demonstrated its commitment to consultation time and again. This has been true with respect to Kosovo, the Central African Republic, Somalia, Haiti, Zaire, the Balkans and others. The list goes on.
In the last session of parliament we had an emergency debate on Kosovo. The debate began around 10 o'clock and went on into the early hours of the morning because we wanted to hear from each and every member on all sides of the House.
As the full implications of the terrorist attacks of September 11 continue to unfold we must be mindful of our responsibility and our promise to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States and our allies, and we are mindful.
As we have said many times over the past two weeks, this was not just an attack on the United States but an attack on all civilized nations. In one of his first speeches to the American people President Bush said it was an attack not just on Americans but on democracy and freedom loving people everywhere.
The same message was reiterated a day or so later by Prime Minister Blair of the United Kingdom. It is the same message that was conveyed by our Prime Minister last Monday.
We stand by our allies and strongly support the decision to invoke article 5 of the NATO charter. We reaffirm our commitment to the alliance and to the principles of freedom and democracy that guide us.
The United States, as we all know, is working to develop an appropriate and strong response to the attacks. However it is still in the planning stages. It is still in the process of determining how the war on terrorism should be handled.
Before acting Canada must first know the details of the American plan and the approach of our other allies. As the Prime Minister stated yesterday and as was reported on the news, the U.S. has not indicated what its needs are. It has not yet asked Canada for a contribution. When it does we will assess what our contribution can and will be.
At this time a plan to debate and vote on any future deployment of Canadian forces would be purely hypothetical and, I would submit, premature. In the weeks and months ahead we will work closely with the United States and our allies to determine how Canada might best contribute. I reiterate that the U.S. is still formulating its plan.
As was said in last week's debate on the issue, we do not expect the campaign to be run by conventional methods of war because this is not a conventional war. People may ask what the difference is. War is war, after all. What is conventional and what is unconventional? There is a distinction to be made.
Almost immediately after the attacks on September 11, parallels and analogies were drawn to the attack on Pearl Harbor. President Bush was urged at the time to respond immediately in the same way the Americans responded to the Pearl Harbor attack.
However let us be absolutely clear: this is very different from Pearl Harbor. When Admiral Yamamoto attacked the U.S. fleet President Franklin Roosevelt knew exactly who the enemy was and where the enemy was to be found. We are still determining who the enemy is and where the enemy is situated.
As we have heard from many reports around the world, there are perhaps 40 to 60 countries which harbour terrorists and in which terrorist cells exist. It is not just one nation against another.
This unconventional war will require the collaboration and assistance of countries all over the world. We must be prepared for a sustained, intensive and concentrated effort that uses all the tools at our command including diplomatic, military and economic ones. That is why it is unconventional.
I assure the House that Canada will not rush into decisions concerning our response without thorough and balanced consideration. We have been faced with an outrageous and egregious act of terrorism. We are angry but we must not let our anger affect our judgment. The government will not issue a carte blanche.
However at the end of the day the government will provide the resources necessary to allow Canada to play a clear and significant role in helping the United States and our other allies in the intensive campaign against terrorism. We must remember that this is a war against terrorism around the world.
We have a team of professional and dedicated people in the Canadian forces who stand ready to be part of any international coalition against terrorism. We should use this opportunity to say how proud we are of our armed forces.
There is a saying among soldiers that when interpreting instructions one should think about what the commander wants to accomplish and then carry out the instructions in a manner that would best effect the mission. At the same time the soldier does not consult the superior officer at every step. In the long run he or she is responsible for meeting the expectations of the commander and accomplishing the goals of the mission.
We can apply this analogy to our government. We have listened to the citizens of the country and they have given us our mandate. We debated last Monday. We debated last Tuesday on an opposition day. We debated last Thursday. What has been so wonderful is that we have given all members of the House an opportunity to voice not just their own opinions but those of their constituents. The list has been so long that not every member has had an opportunity to speak. With motions such as the one put forward today by the Bloc we can continue to consult with our constituents and give their views to the House.
However let us face it. It is up to the government to make the difficult decisions that will allow us to accomplish our mission. They will not be simple decisions. They will be difficult decisions and they will be made after consultations. To make them we must remain flexible. We must be able to react quickly and effectively yet prudently, and we must choose wisely from different options and avenues.
On the subject of flexibility, members must understand that there are times when we must act immediately. Can one imagine recalling the House simply to note that there had been an attack and to ask whether we should let American planes or international flights land? There are times when one must act quickly because time is of the essence. We will not always be able to call everyone together to decide these things and micromanage what is important.
While we maintain our commitment to ongoing parliamentary consultations in the face of this and future conflicts, we must always weigh that commitment with our responsibility to our friends and allies.
Our Prime Minister met yesterday with the president of the United States. During that joint meeting he reiterated to President Bush that we are neighbours, friends and family. I know many members of the House who have friends, family and relatives in the United States.
The Prime Minister said we would work together with the United States to build a coalition to defend against terrorism. He emphasized that Canadians support the struggle. He told Mr. Bush quite unequivocally that when the U.S. needs us we will be there, and we will.
We will continue to consult the House but we will also act responsibly and decisively. We will honour our commitments to our NATO allies and to our Norad partners. We will stand by our allies and we will not let the evil forces of terrorism win.