Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to take part in this take note debate concerning the situation with regard to Iraq.
I recall taking part in a debate on this very subject shortly after I was first elected to the House by the voters of Scarborough--Agincourt back in 1988. At that time we had very clear evidence that the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was underway and Iraq was acting in a manner that required a drastic response by the nations of the world.
At this time the situation is quite different. Indications from a wide variety of sources state that Iraq's military infrastructure has not recovered from the devastating punishment it suffered during the gulf war. The allegations by the American government that Iraq has been developing nuclear and biological weapons capable of mass destruction have not been substantiated by any valid sources. The latest allegation that somehow Iraq was behind the terrible events of September 11 is one that if even a causal link could be proven, it would be a major revelation to the world. We are being asked by the United States government as its next step in its war on terrorism to focus on the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, one of the three countries composing what Bush calls the axis of evil.
The United States is now trying to gather international support from its allies for a military attack on Iraq, claiming that this evil state harbours terrorists, secretly builds weapons of mass destruction, used weapons against its own people, misled United Nations weapons inspectors and engaged in wars of aggression and expansion.
President Bush called on the United Nations to prove its relevance and to act quickly to answer the alleged threat posed by Saddam Hussein. At home, the president is struggling to obtain unanimity in Washington, D.C., but he is confident that Congress will soon pass a resolution giving him authority to take military action against Iraq.
To date, the United States itself has failed to show how Iraq is linked to the al-Qaeda network, nor has it presented any evidence to support war. The United States has strongly endorsed the 55-page dossier on Iraq presented recently by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which warned that Iraq is trying to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as well as missiles that could reach Europe and its neighbours. Both the United States and Britain argue that this new evidence justifies a pre-emptive strike on Iraq.
The truth is that the President of the United States was elected by only 200 well placed votes in Florida. The United States is going into congressional and senate elections and needs an external evil to rally Republican voters to go to the polls. The Democrats in the United States have expressed these concerns, and if they dare challenge the President of the United States they are called unpatriotic. What irony. The same is practised by Saddam Hussein, who calls unpatriotic all his citizens who dare argue with him. He goes one step farther. He exterminates them.
Our government's position has been steadfast in its work to fight terrorism at home and abroad. Canada is greatly concerned about the policies pursued by the Government of Iraq, particularly with regard to human rights and weapons of mass destruction.
Canada agrees with the United Nations conclusion that weapons inspectors did not complete their work prior to their withdrawal in 1998. Their final report lists areas where questions remain concerning Iraq's disarmament. There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein was and is trying to develop weapons that he states are to defend his country, but they can be destructive to Iraq's neighbours as well as other countries around the world. However, the United Nations permanent members all have such weapons and are more destructive.
In the past few weeks I have had hundreds of contacts with my constituents with regard to Iraq, and the result has been almost unanimous: If there is no solid proof that Iraq has or is in production of weapons of mass destruction, then no unilateral action should be taken. Further, a large majority of my constituents believe that any action that may be deemed necessary can only take place under the control of the United Nations.
I would like to read aloud some of those comments.
Magdi Abdelmasih wrote:
We have to be confident if Iraq has any mass destruction weapons before we are involved in any action that may lead to catastrophe.
Peen Yuyitung wrote:
Canada should not commit to getting involved with an Iraq conflict, until facts from both sides are presented and reviewed.
Glenn McCullough stated:
In my opinion, Saddam Hussein is a madman and must be watched very carefully. That being said, the U.S. desire for regime change likely has something to do with their oil interests in the region.
Canada should listen carefully to U.S. intelligence and concerns regarding Iraq, but at the same time, we must work with the U.N. and proceed multilaterally with any military action. We must wait for the U.N. to assess the situation before supporting any U.S. military action.
Stephen Fan stated:
We should not get involved unless Canada is attacked by Iraq. Even if Iraq has chemical and biological weapons that is not a good enough reason to attack them. There are so many countries in the world who have chemical and biological weapons, does that mean we should attack these countries? If so, we should attack the U.S. first. The U.S. must change their foreign policy and stop their aggressive behaviour.
As hon. members can see from these comments, emotions in the country are running high. Overwhelmingly the response is that we must not support any unilateral attack on Iraq and must do what we can to encourage a peaceful end to the long suffering of the people of Iraq.