House of Commons Hansard #106 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was industries.

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Textile and Clothing IndustriesAdjournment Proceedings

7:30 p.m.

Conservative

Stockwell Day Conservative Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the opportunity to address a similar question which, just to remind my colleagues, goes back to the incident related to Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian photojournalist. A little over two years ago she was arrested in Iran for the grave crime of taking a picture outside of a prison. A couple of days after her arrest it was announced that in fact she had died.

The muted requests for information from the government at that point received a response that first said she may have had a stroke. Yes, if someone is hit in the head enough times that person will have more than a stroke. The person will expire. When the excuse of her having a stroke sounded very bizarre and silly, it was then suggested that during the interrogation she must have fallen and maybe hit her head against a table. The fact was that she had been killed during the interrogation process.

At that time the position of the official opposition was that the government had to be very vigorous and robust and had to take significant action to get justice, not just for Ms. Kazemi but for her son, her family, all Canadians and all human beings when one thinks about it. The government was very muted. In situations like this, when dealing with repressive regimes the government has a philosophy of always taking the route of the appeaser.

History shows that tyrants and dictators cannot be appeased. They interpret that as a sign of weakness and do not respect what is being done.

This dragged on. There were responses here and there from the government but nothing that was robust and vigorous. We suggested, first, that the ambassador be brought home, as any self-respecting country would do; and second, that the United Nations put together a coalition of other countries in terms of dealing with this and demand a clear judicial process with a Canadian presence in observer status. These are minimum requirements. None of that was done. The question was simply, “Could you please tell us what happened? Isn't this awful”, and huffing and puffing.

Just last November there was a secret meeting between Canadian officials and the surgeon who did the autopsy of Ms. Kazemi. What was revealed in November only to government officials and not to the public was that Ms. Kazemi had been wrongly arrested, which of course we know, tortured, raped and murdered.

What was the government's response in the month of November? Our ambassador, who had only been brought home temporarily, not pulled out of Iran as a sign that all countries understood that this was a serious matter, our ambassador at that point was sent back to Iran to “normalize relations” on something as abnormal as this.

I asked the Prime Minister why that action was taken, why it was so muted and why it was so contradictory to what should have been done, which was to stand up for someone's right to live. This was broached. This was taken away and she was robbed. The Prime Minister said that it was done to protect the doctor. The doctor who did the autopsy was already in safe asylum. That was not a response. There was no reason that this process happened in this muted, weak, appeasing way and we demand to know why the ambassador was sent back.

Textile and Clothing IndustriesAdjournment Proceedings

7:35 p.m.

Pickering—Scarborough East Ontario

Liberal

Dan McTeague LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Okanagan--Coquihalla for raising this issue for the second consecutive evening.

As I stated yesterday in this House, the government is determined to pursue justice for the Kazemi family without qualification.

The announcement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs on May 17, which runs contrary to his comments of appeasement, is the lastest of many extraordinary measures that have been taken over the past two years by our government and we will continue to press for results in this case.

We have clearly informed the Iranian government of our indignation and displeasure on the case and we will continue to press as well for concrete changes to be made to Iran's broader human rights performance.

Our government has asked, and will continue to ask, for the return of Ms. Kazemi's body to Canada for an independent three-person forensic investigation in Ms. Kazemi's death. Ultimately, a credible investigation is the only way the disturbing questions about this case can be answered.

We have also pursued the Kazemi case in our dialogue with other governments, the European Union and the United Nations bodies, to obtain their support to have this case seen as an example of the serious human rights violation that persists in Iran.

We appreciate the active assistance that they have offered us and will continue to liaise with our like-minded partners to discuss developments and, of course, strategies.

We have also remained in continual telephone contact with Ms. Kazemi's son, Stephan Hachemi, to share details of developments. Canadian government lawyers have also engaged in a constructive, cordial and common-cause effort with Mr. Hachemi's lawyers to look at every single legal avenue available. These discussions are being pursued on an intensified basis.

We have met on numerous occasions with the lawyer for the Kazemi family in Tehran, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, to discuss available avenues under Iranian law. We are continuing our dialogue with this exemplary human rights defender.

When we were initially approached, as the hon. member suggested, with word of Dr. Aazam's account, in November 2004. we were of course concerned for his safety and his security, as was the member.

We have assisted in bringing him here to Canada as a refugee and have respected his need for confidentiality and safe haven, as well as those who may have also been witness to this. Information provided by Dr. Aazam will contribute to the ongoing efforts to achieve justice for Ms. Kazemi and her family. I know the hon. member understands this.

However, it is critical that we understand, and the records show this very clearly, that we have twice withdrawn our ambassador to Iran as a strong diplomatic signal of protest. We have made this point, to use the hon. member's words, vigorously and robustly. Keeping our ambassador in Canada would have done nothing to strengthen this message, and not at a time when Iran is one of the chief concerns of the international community.

Our ambassador was asked to return because we have serious concerns that must be given necessary attention.

Our ambassador is in Tehran to deal with the Iranian authorities so justice can be done in the Kazemi case, as I suggested yesterday. The ambassador is also there to apprise us of the possible action within the Iranian government system itself. Unfortunately, the Kazemi case is not unique. It is a symptom of the numerous human rights violations committed in Iran on a daily basis.

Whether in Iran or elsewhere, issues involving individual freedoms, respect for human rights and transparency of the society are of concern to all Canadians, and rightly so.

The Government of Canada believes it is more important now than ever to have an ambassador present in Tehran and to focus our efforts on the priorities to which Canadians attach a significant and great importance.

For all these reasons, we need our ambassador in Iran. We need someone there who has status to give him the power to intervene at the highest levels of government and we need someone who can ensure that Canada's point of view is heard loud and clear. That is why our ambassador is in Tehran.

Textile and Clothing IndustriesAdjournment Proceedings

7:35 p.m.

Conservative

Stockwell Day Conservative Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC

Mr. Speaker, let me just quote the response from the minister when I asked him the question about why we would send our ambassador back. This is an important point.

We pressured the government for a long time to bring the ambassador home so the whole world would know the level of concern we had. It is very serious when a country brings its ambassador home. We did not say to close down the embassy. We still have consular staff there who can deal with Canadians who might be in trouble. Heaven help them if they get in trouble in Iran after the example this government has shown in terms of not standing up for a Canadian citizen.

There was a point when the government actually brought the ambassador home temporarily before we ever found out the awful truth. It was kind of like a little tap on the Iranian wrist. Then when we found out the details that she was wrongly arrested, tortured, raped, murdered, we sent the ambassador back to normalize relations.

There was no sense in doing that. Why did the government fail all Canadians this way?

Textile and Clothing IndustriesAdjournment Proceedings

7:40 p.m.

Liberal

Dan McTeague Liberal Pickering—Scarborough East, ON

Mr. Speaker, I want to make it perfectly clear to the hon. member that in this kind of situation where we have a Canadian who has been brutally murdered, where we have sent as many signals as we can internationally and diplomatically, the last thing we want to do is to remove the very person who will argue on her behalf right in Tehran. That is exactly what we are doing.

I know he shares the same passion for this case as I do, but I also know the hon. member is well aware of the fact that there are other Canadians who are there right now whose lives could also be affected. Also there are other people who witnessed that very brutal murder. They were there as attending physicians. We must try to provide some protection for which the Iranian government has already responded.

We must speak for Ms. Kazemi's death, if her death means anything, and that means keeping the ambassador there.

Textile and Clothing IndustriesAdjournment Proceedings

7:40 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:41 p.m.)