Mr. Speaker, I understand where the member is coming from, particularly on human rights records, which is important to all of us when we deal with a foreign state. However the job of the foreign ministry is to strengthen relationships and sell Canadian values when we go abroad. The diplomats and department officials and bureaucrats should not tell us that we should not raise the issue of human rights when we meet with foreign nationals.
I can remember my personal experience when I was in Tibet and I was told not to raise certain issues with the foreign minister who attended our meeting. I did not care what they were telling me. I raised the issue and I was told that I was one of the first Canadian politicians to raise the human rights issue with the Chinese government.
I then told Chinese officials point blank that I would like to visit their labour camps. I was the first foreign national to visit a labour camp in Tibet. I understand that we have to do our job but we should stand for Canadian values when we go abroad. Human rights are important to all Canadians and when we can talk about them, we should talk about them and we should take a strong stand.
On the other hand, the government's record is weak and it continues to be weak in closing the tax loopholes and tax havens. In fact, it is moving in the other direction. The five major banks are now trying to take advantage. I am sure that hundreds and thousands of other businesses will follow suit if the government does not close those loopholes and tax havens.
Those tax dollars could be spent for Canadian purposes. We know health care is in shambles and students are suffering from a lack of quality education. The money could be used for infrastructure development in our constituencies. Surrey Memorial Hospital and the Delta Hospital in my constituency both need money. They have a shortage of beds, doctors, nurses and medicines. We need tax dollars to be spent in Canada not siphoned out of Canada to tax havens.
I want to make a final comment with respect to our relationship with the United States. Our government has been dithering for five years on signing a tax treaty with the United States. In contrast, the Liberal members, one after the other, stand and make inflammatory and anti-U.S. comments and the Prime Minister does nothing to stop them.
Members of the opposition have raised those issues from time to time but the Liberal government continues to tolerate them, even keeping parliamentary secretaries as well as other members in their positions. Those members should be fired from their positions, which would send a strong message to our American friends that we will not tolerate any kind of nonsense from any member who goes against our American trading partners and our friends and neighbours.
We talk about signing treaties with Americans but the government's actions have been in the opposite direction so far. I would like the Liberals to get their act together.