House of Commons Hansard #48 of the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was noise.
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we have received Justice O'Connor's report and we intend to act on his recommendations. We are preparing our response as quickly as possible. It is clear that Mr. Arar was the victim of an injustice, and this government intends to act.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
The Prime Minister says the government intends to act. Will he also send a formal complaint about Mr. Arar's treatment to the American and Syrian authorities? Will he use his visit to the United Nations to complain to the United States and Syria?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, as I just said, we intend to act. We will act on the basis of the recommendations in Justice O'Connor's report. I would emphasize that these events happened under the former government.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, the RCMP acted in a way that is entirely unacceptable in the Maher Arar case. It made up evidence. It is unbelievable how it behaved. It created a guilty party out of thin air.
I understand that the government will implement the recommendations of the O'Connor report, but I would like to ask the government if it intends to follow up with a report to the House, so that implementing the recommendations is not left up to the RCMP and nothing happens.
Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, Justice O'Connor made many recommendations. We have read them and we agree with them. We will take action.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Speaker, I understand that the government will take action, for anything less would be surprising, to say the least. The RCMP is guilty of the worst abuses. Our government police force created guilty parties by fabricating evidence. This is unacceptable. People are worried. People called in to hotlines today and expressed their concerns. First it was Maher Arar, but who is next? What official guarantees will the government give us to ensure that the recommendations will be implemented and that its police force can never do something like this again?
Stockwell Day ConservativeMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, we take Justice O'Connor's recommendations seriously. He said that certain things were inappropriate, but he also stated that the RCMP did not act in bad faith. We will therefore follow the recommendations. We agree with them and we will take action.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, Justice O'Connor's report has finally cleared Maher Arar's name and his reputation can now be restored.
We have learned his deportation to Syria and the year of living hell that he had to live through was as a result of information provided by the RCMP that was unfair and outright false information.
This country owes Maher Arar a lot. His country owes him an apology.
Will the Prime Minister apologize on behalf of all Canadians to Maher Arar and to his family?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, as I just said, I think it is clear from the O'Connor report that Mr. Arar has been done a tremendous injustice. We all know this took place during the period of the previous government.
The government has received the report, which has a series of recommendations. As I said, the government will act swiftly based on those recommendations.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canada obviously owes an apology to Mr. Arar and his entire family.
He was tortured. He was taken away from his family. He was humiliated. He was dragged through the mud because Canada failed him.
Why does the Prime Minister refuse to rise in this House and, on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadian citizens, apologize to Maher Arar today?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, as I just stated, I accept the fact that Mr. Arar suffered a grave injustice.
Justice O'Connor has made several recommendations. The government will base its actions on his recommendations. I also understand that Mr. Arar has launched legal proceedings against the federal government. I obviously expect that there will be discussions among the lawyers to ensure an outcome to the satisfaction of Mr. Arar.
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in an interview the Prime Minister said that for much of the past 30 or 40 years Canadians were the ones hanging back from international commitments and not carrying our fair share of the load.
How dare the Prime Minister diminish the Canadian soldiers' contribution in Cyprus, in Haiti, in Rwanda, in Bosnia and in Kosovo.
Will the Prime Minister have the courage to apologize to all those veterans who have served Canada with distinction over the years?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I was speaking specifically of Canada's role in NATO, which we know that under successful Liberal governments--
Stephen Harper Conservative Calgary Southwest, AB
--we were at the bottom of the pack in terms of our commitments to NATO--
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order, please. The right hon. Prime Minister has the floor and it is hard to hear.
Stephen Harper Conservative Calgary Southwest, AB
Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I just said. We were for decades under the Liberal government at the bottom of the pack in terms of our contributions to NATO. That has obviously changed. We are playing a leading role.
What the party opposite, and particularly its so-called defence critic, should do is support those troops as they work on this NATO mission.
Ujjal Dosanjh Liberal Vancouver South, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister on national television last night made the following statement. He said, “it's I think making them a better military, notwithstanding maybe, and in some ways because of, the casualties”. He was talking about the Canadian military.
Will the Prime Minister please explain to Canadians what he meant?
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
I am sure the Minister of National Defence appreciates the enthusiastic response with no language, but we will want to hear what the minister says.
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, I find it reprehensible that the member over there, who voted against our troops in Afghanistan and who weasels all his words all the time about support for the military, is talking about our military. This government is behind our military 100% and the military knows that. It is the people on the opposite side who have not supported our military.
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Ministerfinally had some time for the media yesterday. In a performance worthy of Guy Fournier on Tout le monde en parle, he showed contempt for our military, our veterans as well as for all Canadians.
Does the Minister of National Defencewho has served under the Canadian flag believe, like his Prime Minister, that Canada has not fulfilled its peacekeeping responsibilities over the past 30 or 40 years and, even worse, that we let other countries take the lead? What will he say to the families of the 25 soldiers killed in Bosnia?
They were hanging back.
It is a disgrace. We expect an apology from the Prime Minister.
Gordon O'Connor ConservativeMinister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, the record of the previous government over the last 12 or 13 years was to drain the military of all its resources, to run its strength down, to ask our military to do things well beyond its ability and it kept straining the military. This government has changed that tack. This government supports the military and it will support it into the future.
Denis Coderre Liberal Bourassa, QC
Mr. Speaker, since the Prime Minister does not have the courage to apologize, we would like to pay tribute to our veterans and our troops.
We now learn that our government's exit strategy for Afghanistan is nothing less than total success. The Prime Minister declared yesterday that we are at war and suggested that we will stay as long as necessary. The Prime Minister also said he felt it was unfortunate that Canadians do not understand the danger of the mission.
Is this new approach part of the $5 million CIDA investment to change the image of the mission in Afghanistan?