Mr. Speaker, I have raised the issue of cluster bombs on several occasions, on the 1st and 16th of February. I also had sent out several press releases on this issue on the 19th to the 23rd.
The issue really is one of leadership. After the UN discussions on the convention on certain conventional weapons failed in November 2006, the government of Norway decided to take leadership and to look at Canada and the Ottawa convention on land mines in 1997 as a model to deal with this issue.
There is no question that cluster bombs are indiscriminate. They kill up to 90% of unintended targets, including civilians, often children. Vietnam and Laos are still affected by these today. Because they are bright and small, people pick them up and the bombs explode.
I had asked the government to show real leadership. Two weeks prior to the meetings on February 21 in Oslo, the government still had not made up its mind as to whether or not it would be attending. The real issue was if the government was going to attend and what it was going to do there. Was it going to be there showing leadership with real proposals on dealing with this issue?
Over 122 countries had supported the land mines ban, and this was another opportunity for Canada to be a leader. This is a Canadian values issue, dealing with the indiscriminate killing of civilians, particularly women and children, yet two weeks prior to the meetings, the government was still hesitant as to whether it was going.
In the end, 46 states in Oslo agreed to move forward on a ban on these initiatives by the end of 2008. Of course, I would have liked to tell the House what the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs proposed, if anything, at Oslo. Unfortunately, I could not get any information from foreign affairs or from the minister's office, nor was anything on the website.
The fact is that the devastation from cluster bombs occurs worldwide.
The United States did not attend. Japan opposed it. Poland opposed. But 46 states agreed that this was a very important issue for people. I am only asking the government to show some leadership and say what kind of constructive proposals it would have in order to work with our allies and like-minded states to get a ban on this.
At the foreign affairs standing committee, a Conservative member opposed a motion on this subject put forward by a member from Halifax. The government did not show support until the last moment. Finally, Earl Turcotte, the director of the mine action and small arms team at foreign affairs went. I am pleased that someone from the government did go, but I am disappointed that again it was not someone at the level I would have expected on such an important issue that affects so many people around the world.
Leadership is needed on this issue. One of the Canadian success stories is the land mines treaty. The question that comes to mind is, does the government have a clear policy on this issue? Even though Canada signed, what is the policy? Why have we not signed treaties with other countries on this? Where is the leadership? Why is it that we have not been able to come to the fore?
It is clear that the Norwegians were trying to model the conference on what we did back in 1997. I would urge the government to keep the House informed on the process. It is very important. It is important for women. It is important for children. It is important for everyone. I hope to hear an answer.