Debates of Dec. 4th, 2009

Philmardo Farm

[France Bonsant, Bloc, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Royal Winter Fair was held in Toronto on November 13. This agricultural show hosts one of the largest dairy competitions in the world, with owners of the top animals in the industry receiving awards. Among the entries, a Holstein from the Philmardo dairy farm in Coaticook won in the female, junior yearling category.

The Philmardo farm also took first place in another prestigious competition in the summer, in addition to placing fifth at the very famous Madison Dairy Expo this fall.

I want to congratulate the owners of this Coaticook farm, Philippe Véronneau and his children, Marie-Ève and Dominic. These farmers are once again contributing to the renown of the riding of Compton—Stanstead nationally and internationally and are showcasing the expertise of Quebec's dairy farmers.

Montreal Canadiens

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one hundred years ago on this very day—December 4, 1909—John Ambrose O'Brien, Jack Laviolette and Newsy Lalonde founded the Montreal Canadiens, one of the most prolific hockey teams in history.

Throughout the 20th century, Richard, Béliveau, Lafleur and many other players inspired generations of Quebeckers who sought to affirm their identity.

Les Glorieux showed us on many occasions that with courage, determination and hard work it was possible to overcome any obstacle, compete against the best and win.

I wish to congratulate this legendary team on behalf of the Government of Canada, my colleagues, fans and in the name of all the youth who practice tirelessly in the hope of one day wearing the Habs colours in a jam-packed Bell Centre.

Long live our team, the Montreal Canadiens.

Go Habs go!

Volunteerism

[Martha Hall Findlay, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, they are the true unsong heroes of Canadian society. They deliver hot meals to shut-ins, they sift through mountains of used clothing, and they coach our children's sports teams. They are volunteers and today is their day.

Today is International Volunteer Day. I invite my colleagues to join me and warmly thank all those people who, out of pure altruism, collect donations in order to allow soup kitchens to continue helping the disadvantaged, bring comfort to patients in our hospitals, and collect and distribute toys to children.

We must always be aware of their many selfless contributions, and the tremendous social and economic benefits they provide to all of our communities.

Today, we thank these volunteers for the very precious gifts of their time and effort.

I encourage all of my colleagues to join me today in not only thanking all of the volunteers in this country but also to join their ranks a few times a year.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Mr. Speaker, to mark International Volunteer Day today, the government honours two recipients of the 2009 Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award.

Wendy Cecil is the recipient of the award in the lifelong commitment category. She has provided vital leadership in strategic planning and fundraising for St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto. She also spearheaded the urban angel campaign.

Gerjon Kalaci is the recipient of the award in the youth participation category. He has been actively involved with the United Way in Windsor-Essex county. He has organized events to assist community members with financial fitness, held networking events for volunteers, and led a community-wide event to support not-for-profit organizations.

I am honoured to extend our appreciation to Ms. Cecil and Mr. Kalaci, and to all Canadian volunteers who strive to make our communities stronger.

Community Spirit

[Joe Comartin, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend a constituent who, in her unselfish actions, represents a glowing example of the generosity of spirit and integrity that characterizes my community.

When Karen Coaton, the manager of Walkerville Manor, won $1 million in a lottery last February, she did not quit her job. Rather, she followed through on a commitment she had made to the mentally challenged residents and staff of the home where she worked. She took them to Disney World in Florida. The task was not an easy one. It took eight months to make the arrangements, which included getting birth certificates and passports, as well as arranging transport and accommodations.

Recently, 22 residents and staff joined Karen on their big adventure to the Magic Kingdom. In order that no one was left out, those who could not make the trip had been treated to a special Thanksgiving dinner and all got Mickey Mouse watches.

Windsor has experienced many difficulties over the past number of years, yet the resiliency so wonderfully exemplified by Karen Coaton's big-heartedness lives on in our community. Well done, Karen.

Human Rights

[Joy Smith, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader has continued to parrot criticism levelled at us by the Chinese leadership and Chinese state-controlled news media. We in the House must remember what lies at the root of this criticism. The criticism flows from our government's principled decision to remain focused on human rights while at the same time seeking to strengthen trade and economic ties.

Whether or not they have the guts to say so explicitly, the Liberal leader and his party have bought into the premise that we were wrong to push human rights and wrong to defend people like Hussein Celil, who is not just a political prisoner but also a Canadian citizen. We make no apologies for pursuing both strong human rights and strong international trade.

The Liberals took a values-free approach to foreign policy and they are still peddling it today. In fact, yesterday the Liberal leader issued a statement on China that failed to mention human rights. How do the Liberals justify that?

Status of Women

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for the awareness campaign on violence against women launched by the major unions, the Canadian Labour Congress, the UFCW and the FTQ.

The “20 Days - 20 Ways to end violence against women” campaign, which runs from November 16 to December 6, asks women to send a postcard to the Canadian government, urging it to take action to stop violence against women, including maintaining the firearms registry.

The Prime Minister's insensitivity towards women is matched only by his lack of action on women's issues, in particular their inability to take legal action concerning pay equity issues, their lack of funding for social housing and their lack of accessibility to employment insurance.

We hope that thousands of women will take this opportunity to put pressure on the Prime Minister.

Montreal Canadiens

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago today, the Montreal Canadiens hockey club was born. This great team has provoked dreams, laughter, singing, celebrations and sometimes frustration for millions of Quebeckers, and for Canadians across the country.

Since the club's inception, 776 players have worn the Canadiens jersey with pride. Among them were Maurice Richard, Dickie Moore, ”Boom Boom” Geoffrion, Jean Béliveau, Guy Lafleur and, of course, Ken Dryden.

I still remember those evenings with my father, watching TV, shouting and cheering for the Habs. I remember my first hockey game at the Montreal Forum. It was magical. I will never forget those moments.

I can still hear René Lecavalier describing Lafleur deking through the defence and finishing with, “He shoots. He scores.”

They have won not 1, not 5, not 10, but 24 Stanley Cups. And the next one is coming soon.

But the Habs are about more than winning the cup or winning games. They are part of our history and national pride and that is what we are celebrating today.

Happy birthday—Joyeux anniversaire—to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Economy

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada reported this morning that employment in Canada increased by nearly 80,000 in November. Today's numbers confirm that Canada's economic action plan is having a positive impact on creating and maintaining jobs.

By comparison, the United States lost 11,000 jobs in November. This is the 23rd straight month of job losses in the U.S. For the first time in a generation, the U.S. unemployment rate is nearly two percentage points higher than Canada's.

Here at home, Canada is weathering the current global economic challenges better than nearly every other industrialized country and our government's economic stewardship is the envy of the world. Yet, despite these positives, global economic recovery remains fragile and tentative.

That is why our government is committed to staying on course, protecting our economy, and fully implementing Canada's economic action plan.

Afghanistan

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, international and domestic legal standards are very clear. Canada has an obligation not to transfer detainees into situations where there is a reasonable risk that they will face torture. We have now heard clear evidence that the torture was widespread and systemic in the prisons where the government transferred Afghans.

Why did the Conservatives think that Afghans transferred by Canadians would be spared this treatment? Do they not understand that they, the Conservative politicians in Ottawa, have failed to live up to their legal obligations?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the fight against terrorism, the fight against the Taliban, against al-Qaeda, is very serious. Regrettably, the opposition is continuing to play partisan games on the backs of our men and women in uniform.

There has not been a single proven allegation of abuse of a Canadian-transferred prisoner. I should suggest for the member opposite that after three years of accusing our brave men and women in uniform of the very worst, it is time for the Liberal Party to apologize to our troops.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, not only did the Conservatives do nothing to ensure that these people were not tortured, but they even seemed to be in a hurry to expose them to these atrocious conditions. The two senior Canadian commanders told investigators in the spring of 2006 that Ottawa had given them just 12 hours to transfer detainees.

Why did the Conservatives impose their poor judgment on these brave generals? Why did they prefer to order a quick transfer when they were aware of the risks of torture?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the allegations made by the member opposite are pure nonsense.

We have a lot of confidence on this side of the House for the commanders in the field. They make decisions in these regards on an operational basis. They have demonstrated and comported themselves tremendously well in Afghanistan. They represent us tremendously well.

It is time for the Liberal Party to apologize to our men and women in uniform.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, reports now indicate that it was the Afghans who first halted the transfers, contrary to Conservative claims. The Afghans wanted to stop the transfers because the Conservatives were failing to provide sufficient evidence that the detainees had done anything wrong, exactly as Richard Colvin had testified.

There are so many questions and no real answers. Why can the government not understand that its credibility is now shot? When will it realize it is finally time to call a full and complete public inquiry to get to the bottom of the cover-up?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, when Canadian officials, be they in the military or in the public service, have been presented with credible and substantiated evidence, they have taken the appropriate action. That is why we undertook a new transfer agreement. That is why we undertook visits. That is why General Hillier, when he appeared before a parliamentary committee, said that any suggestion that Canadian Forces, our men and women in uniform, were somehow rounding up Afghan farmers and taxi drivers was absolutely ludicrous.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister can skate and fabricate all he wants, but the laws of war are formal: detainees cannot be transferred if there is reasonable risk that they will face torture by the authorities to whom they are turned over.

The redacted documents we have access to refer to whips, braided electrical wires, electrocution and other atrocities.

Why did the Conservatives expose Canada to such risks?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, our first priority is protecting our men and women in uniform and the people they are trying to serve. We simply cannot release information that will endanger our troops and our relations with our allies and international organizations.

Redactions are done by non-partisan civil servants, public servants, who operate within the rules, the same rules that were applied after September 11, the same rules that were applied by the previous government, for the same good reasons: protecting our troops, protecting the people we are there to work with and protecting the organizations we depend on to give us information.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is too bad the parliamentary secretary did not answer the question.

The Conservatives abdicated their moral and legal responsibilities in this affair. In many cases, the secret service could not find sufficient reason to warrant incarcerating detainees the Canadian Forces turned over to them.

When will the government launch a public inquiry to uphold Canada's credibility and protect its international reputation?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, the decision to transfer detainees to Afghan custody was made by our commanders on the ground. They make them on very specific reasons: if there is clear evidence that those people have been involved in activities against our soldiers, against Afghan civilians and if there is clear evidence of gunshot residue, being caught in the act and so on. Once they are transferred to the Afghans, it is up to the Afghans to prosecute them as they see fit within their organization and their justice system. We are working very closely with the Afghan system to increase its capacity to do that effectively.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on October 24, 2007, as he was about to leave Afghanistan, Richard Colvin drafted a memo to David Mulroney in which he criticized Canada's chronic inability to ensure the safety of prisoners that had been transferred to Afghan authorities since May 2006, if not earlier. The Minister of National Defence was unable to explain to the committee why Canada waited a year and a half to change the transfer protocol.

Will the minister admit that Canada failed to meet its responsibilities under international conventions?

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, Mr. Colvin said that he did not send the letter in the first place.

[Pierre Paquette, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the memo is a summary of all of the warnings he had given over the course of the 18 months he was in Afghanistan. It shows his outrage at the government's inaction. In that same memo, Richard Colvin attacks the Conservative government's line of defence, which was to ignore the allegations of torture and to discredit anyone who was ringing alarm bells, for instance, the Red Cross.

Instead of shooting the messenger, the government should listen to the message and understand that it violated conventions like the Geneva convention.

[John Baird, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, we cannot attack the messenger when the very document he cites was not even transmitted. We cannot attack the messenger when there is no message sent.

[Jean Dorion, Bloc, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in an attempt to prove that the new protocol was working well, the Minister of National Defence told us that Canada stopped transferring detainees a number of times because of indications they might be tortured. Now we have learned that Afghan intelligence service personnel were the ones who refused to put detainees transferred by Canada into prison, because of lack of evidence.

When will the Minister of National Defence stop telling us half-truths?

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we stopped transfers on a number of occasions. One time we suspended them and three other times we paused them. There were times when the Afghans stopped taking transfers, too, for reasons like religious holidays, lack of information or confusing information on detainees' personal information.

We have been collaborating very closely with the Afghan authorities. The new arrangement has been working very well since 2007. We made those changes when we received credible evidence of concerns from the field. We have acted responsibly at all levels and we will continue to do that.