Debates of Dec. 1st, 2009

Opposition Motion--Transfer of Afghan Detainees

[Paul Szabo, Liberal, Mississauga South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today the House is debating a motion calling for a public inquiry into the situation surrounding Afghan detainees.

What has transpired since this special committee was created to look into this has not been a good reflection on Parliament, which is unfortunate. The biggest part of that has to do with documents and the fact that the documents were available to the witnesses who appeared before the committee but not to the committee members themselves.

There also are some questions about whether t there was other evidence. I think I have seen enough indications that we have had questions of fact being challenged and disagreement. We have also had some testimony at committee, even from General Hillier himself, that if we were to ask all of the detainees whether or not they had been abused while in detention, probably half of them would say yes. S there have been some questions.

Earlier today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs rose in the House to address this motion. He started off by saying that we had to understand that being in the military theatre is a difficult and complex environment. He also said that military personnel were putting their lives in danger, that that they were protecting the public in Afghanistan from danger and that they were there to prevent possible terrorist attacks from occurring even in Canada.

He finally concluded that the 2005 agreement on the transfer of detainees was inadequate and, therefore, as a consequence, on May 3, 2007, another agreement was struck which was more robust.

It begs the question that if the 2005 agreement with regard to the rules of transferring detainees was inadequate, does that mean there is a possibility that torture may have taken place? Does that mean that the circumstances were such that, as is being alleged by so many other people who have not appeared before the committee, there were incidents of torture?

These are significant questions. I understand we will move to another stage, so when I complete my comments at the end of question period, I will add more on those things.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Barry Devolin]

The member for Mississauga South will have seven minutes remaining when we return to this matter.

Calgary East

[Deepak Obhrai, Conservative, Calgary East, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to pay tribute to the hard-working people of Calgary East who have elected me to represent them in Parliament for the last 12 years.

My riding exemplifies the virtues of Canada's multicultural mosaic. It is home to colourful and welcoming neighbourhoods, sprawling green spaces and many large businesses that proudly employ people from all over the city and the region. It is no surprise that close to 50 new Canadian citizens every month choose to settle down in the welcoming communities that make up Calgary East.

Like many Canadians, the residents of Calgary East too have faced the brunt of the economic downturn. However, I am proud to say that in these tough times they are certainly doing their part to help pull themselves and their country out of the recession.

I am privileged to represent the people in the riding of Calgary East and look forward to continuing to serve them as their Conservative member of Parliament.

Fred Fox

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotia recently lost one of its finest citizens and one of its leading fire chiefs when Windsor Fire Department chief, Fred Fox, passed away.

A lifelong resident of Windsor, Fred joined the fire department in 1971. At the time of his passing, he was serving in his 20th year as fire chief and 38th year as a member of the department.

Chief Fox was instrumental in the development of the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia, which recently recognized him with a lifetime honorary membership. He was the Nova Scotia director to the Maritime Fire Chiefs Association for several years and a member of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, having served as Nova Scotia's director to the federal association.

Volunteer firefighters possess a commitment and generosity to their communities, which Chief Fox exemplified with his skill and caring service to his community. His death is an enormous loss to the department and to the entire community he served.

I offer my deepest sympathy to his wife Prudy, son Gregory, daughter Melissa and to all of their extended family. Fred was a great Canadian.

Édith Cloutier

[Yvon Lévesque, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the 17th Annual Aboriginal Achievement Awards will be held on March 26. I was proud to learn that a resident of my riding, Ms. Édith Cloutier, will receive the public service award.

Ms. Cloutier knows very well the duality of a mixed heritage as her mother was Algonquin and her father was a Quebecker.When only 23 years old, she became the executive director of the Val-d'Or Native Friendship Centre, which seeks to improve the lives of urban aboriginal people and relations between aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples.

With her exceptional administrative talents, Édith Cloutier has made the Val d'Or Friendship Centre one of the most important and dynamic of the hundred such centres in Canada.

Ms. Cloutier has received many other awards in addition to this one. She became a Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec in 2006.

Congratulations Ms. Cloutier.

Niagara Region

[Malcolm Allen, NDP, Welland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is in this season of giving that we are offered an opportunity to pause and reflect on the past year's events, difficulties and accomplishments. It is in this spirit that I acknowledge the great privilege it has been to serve the constituents of Niagara in this my first year in office.

This past year has been extremely difficult for many regions across Canada and the Niagara region is no different. I say with great pride that there is something very special in the resiliency of the hard-working people of my riding. Even when things seemed to be getting worse, I was inspired and amazed by the dedication and commitment of individuals and community groups to those hardest hit.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who over this holiday season will take the time to help those experiencing job loss and financial hardship. It is in the acts of giving that we show the true spirit of the season and, more important, demonstrate the year-round spirit of the constituents of Niagara.

Finally, I would like to wish all Niagarans a safe and joyous holiday season and a sincere desire for all of us to have a happy and prosperous new year.

HIV-AIDS

[Ron Cannan, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, worldwide, more than 25 million people have died since the start of the AIDS pandemic in 1981. My parents were two of those individuals.

Today, one in every 584 people in Canada is HIV positive. Forty-five hundred new HIV infections are being reported each year. Up to 30% of those who are infected are unaware that they carry the virus.

To stop the rate of new infections, we must strengthen prevention, offer accessible programs, particularly for young people, improve point of care testing for HIV and focus on populations where HIV is increasing.

In my community, Daryle Roberts, Karen Alexander and the hard-working team at the Living Positive Resource Centre continue to bring together all levels of government with front-line AIDS workers and individuals living with HIV. By understanding the challenges and needs of those whose lives are impacted by HIV and AIDS, we are improving their quality of life and reducing the stigma and discrimination they face.

Status of Women

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, 20 years after 14 young women were killed at École Polytechnique, the safety and status of women in this country are at risk in a manner unprecedented in years.

The government has failed to take action to address the real issues of concern for violence against women. The mandatory minimums are not enough. More jails are not the answer, but that is what the minister stands for.

What is clear is there is no one in the government prepared to advocate on behalf of women. We need a national violence prevention strategy. We need a national investigation into the cases of more than 520 missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls. We need safe and affordable housing available.

What we do not need is to have the Minister of State for the Status of Women showcasing the member for Portage—Lisgar who is looking to dismantle the gun registry at the École Polytechnique memorial honouring the memory of the 14 slain women.

Enough is enough. We need a government to stand for the safety and security of the women of Canada.

Pillows for Troops

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on November 20 a campaign was started in Winnipeg to support our troops in Afghanistan. It is not about the latest weapons or armoured vehicles. It is about pillows.

This campaign was created as a memorial to Corporal James Hayward Arnal, a 25-year-old resident of Saint Boniface who was killed on July 18, 2008 while serving in Afghanistan.

His passing deeply touched my community and all who knew him. I had worked alongside his father for many years as his partner on the Winnipeg Police Service and I know just how terribly his family misses him.

Corporal Arnal, who was the 88th Canadian soldier killed in the Afghan conflict, kept a travel-size pillow with him throughout his mission.

The goal of the campaign is to provide a similar travel-size pillow to each Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan. The first shipment will be accompanied by Corporal Arnal's mother, Wendy Hayward, to Trenton, Ontario in December. The pillows will be shipped from there to Afghanistan in time for Christmas.

Donations can be made online at pillowsfortroops.com. Please help to make our Canadian heroes a little more comfortable as they fight to help keep us all safer.

Bridgestone

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on November 11, the Bridgestone company of Joliette won a gold medal at the best business practices show, an event organized by the Mouvement québécois de la qualité to showcase projects that improve productivity.

The Joliette company was competing against 37 other teams from 34 different corporations. Bridgestone presented two projects: the first, Six Sigma, to improve quality; the second, known by the Japanese name of suru-raku, is an approach that encourages the standardization of all activities. Fresh from this success, the team is going to Japan in April 2010 and it plans to take top honours at that event.

The company recently announced an investment of $40 million in the Joliette plant, including the Quebec government contribution of $4.8 million. The federal government contributed absolutely nothing. But let us look on the bright side. My Bloc Québécois colleagues and I congratulate the company on its success, which mirrors the dynamism of the Lanaudière region, and the trust it places in its employees.

World AIDS Day

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, December 1, marks the 21st commemoration of World AIDS Day. On this day communities in Canada and around the world honour those who have died from this disease and those who continue to live with the effects of HIV-AIDS.

Despite significant advances in medical treatment, there are still no cures or vaccines to prevent the spread of HIV.

Our government remains committed to a comprehensive long-term approach to HIV and AIDS in Canada and globally. Under the federal initiative to address HIV and AIDS in Canada, we are working in partnership with the provinces and territories, community-based organizations and others to prevent the spread of HIV, promote awareness and provide care and support to people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.

This government's international efforts to address HIV and AIDS continue to be based on sound public health evidence, built on a foundation of human rights, gender equality and the protection of the rights of children and other vulnerable groups.

In closing, I ask everyone to join me today in wearing a red ribbon to raise awareness and to show support for those living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.

Robert Thirsk

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the return to Earth of my friend, astronaut Robert Thirsk, who spent six months on the International Space Station. That is quite a trip.

Robert returned to Earth this morning, gently touching down in Kazakhstan.

During his mission he conducted many scientific experiments while helping to build the station. His mission was marked by three important firsts for Canada. He was the first Canadian to fly on the Russian Soyuz rocket. He spent six months in orbit, the longest stay for a Canadian in space. On two occasions he met up with visiting Canadians Julie Payette and Guy Laliberté.

Robert is a fine example not only for the scientific community, but also for our youth. I hope that many young Canadians will be inspired by his experience and follow in his footsteps, thus helping Canada become a world leader.

To my long-time friend Robert, congratulations. You have made Canada proud.

Three Opposition Parties

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, exactly one year ago, on December 1, 2008, the leaders of the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP signed a shocking agreement aimed at bringing down a government that was democratically elected less than two months earlier in order to form a coalition.

Even the Bloc, a sovereignist party, was part of that agreement. A sovereignist party governing our country? Seriously!

The opposition parties dreamed of taking power without an election. How scandalous! It came as no surprise that Canadians from coast to coast to coast were shocked by this secret, undemocratic political scheme. Quebeckers and Canadians want action, not partisanship.

Our government cares about Quebeckers and Canadians. It will continue to implement Canada's economic action plan and focus on the economy.

World AIDS Day

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in this place which so often generates more heat than light, I want to pay tribute to the thousands of Canadians who act where government fails. One area where this is painfully obvious is in our response to HIV-AIDS.

Organizations such as the Hamilton AIDS Network are doing incredible work in preventing HIV transmission, and recognizing and responding to the stigma and challenges posed by HIV-AIDS. But, instead of partnering with NGOs on their essential programs, the government is forcing them to do more with less.

The same is true for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign that was launched by the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Volunteers are dedicating themselves to ensuring that whether one lives or dies with HIV is not determined by one's race, gender or citizenship.

The government could so easily support these efforts by passing the NDP's Bill C-393, but instead, it puts the needs of big pharma ahead of the need to win the battle against AIDS in the global human family.

On this World AIDS Day, I want to salute the Hamilton AIDS Network and the Grandmothers of Steel for their compassion and commitment. I want to challenge the government to support their efforts with resources instead of just rhetoric.

Israel

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party has been caught red-handed misleading Canadians about its record on Israel. When the member for Mount Royal told the House that the Israeli government asked Canada to remain at the Durban 1 conference, most journalists accepted the Liberal talking point at face value. They can no longer.

Alan Baker, the man who led Israel's delegation at Durban and Israel's former ambassador to Canada, today contradicted the member for Mount Royal's claims. He told the National Post, “We tried to get the Canadians to walk out”.

Liberal MPs have marched under the flags of terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, prompting rebukes from the Israeli government. Liberals misled the House about being asked to stay at Durban.

Will the Liberals apologize for misleading Canadians? Will they apologize for deserting Israel during her time of need?

École polytechnique de Montréal Victims

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today, female members of the three opposition parties attended a parallel event protesting the government's position on violence against women to commemorate the deaths of 14 young women at the École polytechnique de Montréal who were murdered with a long gun on December 6, 1989.

We were stunned and outraged to see that at the government's own commemorative ceremony, which also took place this morning, the member who introduced Bill C-391, which would exclude long guns from the firearms registry, was beside the Minister for the Status of Women.

This is especially disturbing because 88% of women killed with guns are shot with handguns or rifles. If violence against women is to finally stop, the duty to remember must translate into real action. That is why Bill C-391 must be rejected.

World AIDS Day

[Keith Martin, Liberal, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today is World AIDS Day.

Seven thousand five hundred people will be infected with HIV, and five thousand five hundred will die of AIDS. Every day, more new infections occur than new people receive treatment.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy with a full array of contraceptive options would halt the pandemic's progress in its steps, but only if AIDS is not treated in isolation. To accomplish this, maternal care, infant care, HIV-AIDS treatment, and tuberculosis management must be integrated. This means the international community must invest in primary health care systems, health care workers, diagnostics, meds, clean water and power. Doing this would enable us to arrest the pandemic and treat 85% of the people who walk through a clinic's door.

Canada is hosting the G8 summit in 2010. Let us put primary health care at the top of the agenda, for this is the most effective way to save the lives of millions of people who die every year from entirely preventable causes.

Liberal Party of Canada

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark the one year anniversary of the failed attempt by the Liberal Party to ignore the democratic results of last year's election.

As members may remember, the Liberal Party entered into a coalition, promising a blank cheque to the NDP and a veto on all legislation to the Bloc.

The Liberal leader was clear. He happily signed on to the coalition and later told the nation that he would be prepared to lead it. Since then, the Liberal leader has threatened an unnecessary and unwanted election.

Meanwhile, our government is taking real action with Canada's economic action plan, delivering results for Canadian families and businesses during the global recession.

A year ago the Liberals made it clear that they would do anything to take power, so we should not be surprised when they politicize everything from our soldiers to our infrastructure investments.

They have tried it once and they will try it again because we know the Liberal leader is not in it for Canadians. He is just in it for himself.

Afghanistan

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of National Defence said that the government was refusing to disclose evidence of torture in Afghanistan because of the Canada Evidence Act, but today the Minister of Foreign Affairs said that some documents will be made public. Two days, two different stories.

What guarantee can the government give Canadians that all the documents will be made public without being censored?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been entirely clear. We will continue to provide all legally available information.

There are long-standing practices not just of this government but of other governments, and even mandatory legal requirements, that we will continue to follow. It is a responsibility that those of us on this side of the House take seriously because the number one priority must be the safety and the security of our men and women in uniform.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, last week in his testimony, General Gauthier said that he hoped Parliament would have access to the documents on this question. It still has not happened.

After weeks of withholding evidence, how are Canadians now supposed to believe that the government will provide full and uncensored documents to the parliamentary committee so that it can get at the truth of this matter?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the leader of the Liberal Party stands in his place and characterizes remarks made by General Gauthier.

It was his own defence critic, the member for Vancouver South, who called General Gauthier's comments before the committee morally weak and legally flimsy.

The general is a Canadian hero. He is a Canadian hero who spent 36 years in uniform, and that is the kind of respect he gets from the Liberal Party and the official spokesman for the Leader of the Opposition. It is shameful.

[Michael Ignatieff, Liberal, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, our side of the House did no such thing. We hold General Gauthier in the highest respect.

The issue here is that all of the evidence in this affair, including that handed over to the Military Police Complaints Commission, was so heavily redacted as to be useless.

The versions of Richard Colvin's memos that were leaked to journalists were so redacted as to be useless.

We need to get to the bottom of this. Why will the government not accept that we need a judge, an independent inquiry, and full access to the documents so that we can finally get to the bottom of this affair?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Liberal Party says one thing but the facts suggest something else.

His defence critic said that this general, this Canadian war hero, was weak and flimsy. And look at what else he said. When he was outside the House of Commons yesterday after question period, when asked if he had characterized the general's remarks that way, what did he say? “Absolutely”.

Shame on him. Shame on the Liberal Party.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am again trying to get an answer to a simple question from the government.

One of the senior officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs, in describing how the department went about looking at allegations of torture, said:

We don't investigate those allegations. We record them.

I would like to ask the minister, is that still the policy of the Government of Canada with respect to allegations of torture?