Debates of Feb. 4th, 2009

Situation in Sri Lanka

[Jim Abbott, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as the member will be well aware, parliamentary secretaries, ministers of state, my minister, and the foreign affairs minister, all have our own responsibilities, and within that context, his question is a perfectly valid question. Would I be the person who would be doing the speaking? Probably not. The constructive suggestions that have been coming out of this debate tonight have been very helpful on balance and I commend the vast majority of members in this House.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question regarding the $3 million. He mentioned in his comments that last year we supplied $3 million in aid. I am wondering about the announcement, I see the minister here, that was made today. Is that extra? Is that in addition to the $3 million that we had last year and will we therefore be supplying $6 million this year, or will it be only $3 million?

[Jim Abbott, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the answer to the question is, as I stated in my speech, this is a new $3 million for a total of $6 million. That is exactly it and I am just confirming that number for the member.

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the members for Scarborough—Agincourt, Scarborough—Guildwood and Mississauga East—Cooksville.

I had the pleasure of visiting Sri Lanka twice. The first time was for a conference, but the second time I led an all-party parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka as the chair of the Canada-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Association right after the tsunami, both to view the disaster of the tsunami and to ensure that moneys were actually going into reconstruction areas, but also to push for peace. In negotiations at the time there was still a ceasefire.

We met with the government representatives of all the parties involved as well as the LTTE in the one area we visited. In the landmines area we spoke to a lot of people. Unfortunately, I have to say that I came away from that visit convinced that neither side was interested in peace. That was what I drew from that visit. That is what I got from a lot of the discussions and meetings. The military solution, of course, which is what ensued, that lack of interest in the peace discussion, is what we have today which is the horrible humanitarian crisis which has trapped some 240,000 people in an area that they cannot get out of at the moment, but also, the many people it has injured, maimed and killed.

Canada was very active in putting forward and fighting for what is called responsibility to protect, which is a declaration of the UN now. It is something that we need to act on to protect the people. That was put in place to protect people and states that are not able to protect their own citizens. To some degree, this is happening in Sri Lanka today. I would hope that the Sri Lankan government would allow the United Nations to come in and work with it.

According to the Human Rights Watch report, on the one hand the LTTE refused the movement of civilians, but the Sri Lankan government has also contributed to the risk by detaining those who have managed to flee LTTE areas, including families in militarized detention camps, thereby denying them freedom of movement. This is wrong and it should stop. The freedom of movement of these people and the protection of the vulnerable is fundamental.

It is the government's duty to provide safety to all citizens but also to ensure journalists and human rights defenders the freedom of movement to seek out the truth. This has been denied and this is something that we must change, and it needs to happen very quickly.

Again, close to 250,000 people whose lives are at stake at the moment seem to be abandoned and they are crying out to all of us. So I call on both parties to respect the safe zones, to respect the safe areas, and to respect the non-military attack of medical facilities, schools and so on. They need to respect humanitarian and international law. It is extremely critical and we need to demand that this happen at all cost.

Humanitarian aid must reach those in need and there needs to be an immediate ceasefire with international monitors put in place to ensure that it is respected. The UN should appoint a special representative to monitor the ceasefire and also to start the peace talks immediately.

The challenges facing Sri Lanka cannot be resolved by military activities but through political action. This must include, obviously, a dialogue on the kind of government, the sharing of power, possibly a federal system as Canada has, or something similar, but certainly sharing of power needs to happen. The agreement also needs to include the recognition of plurality and minority rights.

Canada has a major role to play in this crisis. We have a large Sri Lankan diaspora in Canada, who together in partnership with the government should be and will be involved. So I, too, call on our government to take leadership in this case, to go to Sri Lanka, to start the talks, to push and to aggressively take action. It has been too long and we have waited far too long.

It is time that the Government of Canada be aggressive on this issue with the United Nations. The Security Council of the UN should also be involved. We call on both sides to a ceasefire immediately and to start talking about a political solution because without that there is no solution, and Sri Lanka violence will continue even if the government succeeds in its objective with the military at the end of the day.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week I held a round table with my constituents on the issue of Sri Lanka. These are some of the actions they want the Government of Canada to undertake: condemn immediately the slaughter and genocide of innocent Tamil civilians in the northern part of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan army; break its silence about the genocide in Sri Lanka and call upon the United Nations to immediately invoke an internationally sponsored ceasefire, for the LTTE to lay down its arms, and for the Sri Lankan army to return to their barracks. The ceasefire should not be initiated by the Sri Lankan government nor the Indian government. They want an international ceasefire started.

To continue: establish the international community as the administrator of the northern part of Sri Lanka; broker a peace deal with all participants, LTTE and the Sri Lankan government at the table; guarantee access and safe passage of international humanitarian agencies, ICRC, into the northern part of Sri Lanka to administer emergency medical assistance and provide food and shelter to the civilians; guarantee access and safe passage of the international news media into the northern part of Sri Lanka to talk with people and to report accurately on what is going on there so the facts will come out; ensure that fighting stops in safe zones near hospitals, and we have seen what happened with the bombing of a hospital just the other day; and finally, lobby for an international inquiry into the deaths of 300 people in a single day.

They went on to say that we should immediately send peacekeepers to the northern part of Sri Lanka, send medical personnel to the northern part of Sri Lanka, and immediately sever aid and other ties to Sri Lanka until the genocide stops.

Time and time again, I have sent letters to the Minister of International Cooperation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister saying that there is an international crisis happening in Sri Lanka. Please act. Time and time again I have asked the government to engage both the Tamil and Sinhalese diasporas in a dialogue so that we can find a peaceful solution to what is happening in Sri Lanka. Time and time again, it has unfortunately fallen on deaf ears.

It was not until the government and the Prime Minister were pushed to the nth degree. It was not until over the weekend, when literally thousands of emails, phone calls, faxes and letters went to the minister of external affairs as well as to the Prime Minister. It was not until this side of the House started pushing and pushing hard that the government decided to act. What do we have today? We have a statement that says it is too bad what is happening over there and we trust that the Sri Lankan government will certainly look after things. I still have not heard that we have called the high commissioner of Sri Lanka to the carpet to ask him or her to justify what is going on. I have not heard that should things not change, should this genocide that my constituents refer to not stop in Sri Lanka, we are going to recall our own high commissioner from Sri Lanka. I still have not heard how we would be able to make sure that humanitarian aid reaches the people it should reach.

I say this because of an experience that I had. Four years ago, right after the tsunami hit Sri Lanka, I went to Sri Lanka. I went to Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, the Elephant Pass, as they call it, and I walked the grounds and played with the kids. I spoke to mothers who had lost their relatives. I spoke to the children and played cricket with them. They are the same children we are seeing in photographs today who have been maimed, butchered and possibly killed.

Part of me is still back there with those kids on that cricket field and I have the minister of international aid standing up in this House and saying that we can do things better and that we will deliver the aid. How can the government deliver the aid if the government of Sri Lanka does not adhere to the wishes of the international community? I still have not heard from either minister or parliamentary secretary what they are going to do to guarantee that the $3 million aid we have will reach the people it must go to. I have heard platitudes and that we have a lot of experience. It is the same people who delivered the aid yesterday. It is the same people who delivered the aid before. And it is the same people who are going to be delivering the aid tomorrow.

However, it is those people who are saying to this House, and through you, Mr. Speaker, they are loudly speaking and saying that they cannot go because the government of Sri Lanka is not allowing them. When is the government going to go to the United Nations and push the United Nations for a debate? When is the government going to rise and say that if Sri Lanka does not change its ways, it is going to be kicked out of the Commonwealth? When is the government going to take the responsibility to meet with the Tamil diaspora in Canada and meet with them face to face? The Prime Minister has to sit down with them and say that he wants to speak to them. The government has failed so far.

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this conflict is a legacy of British colonialism. When the British occupied the island, when the island was then called Ceylon, they used the Tamil population, in effect, to protect British interests, in preference to the Tamil population over the Sinhalese population.

When independence came, the Sinhalese majority decided that it was time to take back what was then Ceylon, and now Sri Lanka, as its own and implemented a number of laws that were reprehensible to the minority Tamil population. The consequence of that was that the Tamil people were excluded from the civil service or it was very difficult to get into the civil service. They were unable to access higher education or they were excluded from higher education. These lists of difficulties, grievances, slights, injustices and outrages built and built until we have what we have today, which is a civil war that has raged over the last 30-plus years, the consequence of which is now that we are facing a very grave international crisis.

The conflict has been characterized by outrageous acts against humanity by both sides. Human Rights Watch has said that both sides have committed atrocities and that there are no innocents among the combatants. Meanwhile, the people of Sri Lanka suffer.

There was a window of opportunity a few years ago when I had the great honour to go to Sri Lanka with the hon. David Kilgour, the then secretary of state for Asia-Pacific. I believe we were the first official delegation from Canada to visit that country. We talked to pretty well anyone who would talk to us about the possibilities of a devolved form of federation and other political solutions. It was obvious to us after we returned that there was not a real serious interest by either side in a dialogue about a form of federation that would accommodate the most legitimate concerns about the minority population and the majority population.

We would listen to the peace monitors, we would listen to the people who were frustrated by the continuous violations of the ceasefire and we were driven to the conclusion that it would be only a matter of time before the hostilities would resume.

Then along came the tsunami which exacerbated the difficulties. One of my best friends was head of an aid agency there, well-funded, well-intentioned, well-motivated, well-staffed and they gave up after 18 months of frustration with both sides and the failure to be able to deliver their aid and their relief.

This is a small island of about 23 million people. It is about one-third minority population and two-thirds majority population in rough terms. There is no solution to this war. This conflict cannot be won militarily even if the Government of Sri Lanka is under the illusion that it can win this war militarily. As we watch this conflict unfold on our TV screens, in our newspapers and in various Sri Lankan media, it appalls us all. This is not a winnable war. No one will win the war. If the Government of Sri Lanka thinks it will win the war it will not. On the day after this conflict subsides, because it will not end, there will still be millions of Tamil people looking for peace, justice, fairness and access to their various government facilities.

What is the Government of Canada to do? There have been very good suggestions from the member for Toronto Centre and the member for Mount Royal, and I will not repeat them. I would have wished that the Government of Canada had taken a more activist role. It is regrettable that it takes events such as demonstrations on Parliament Hill and emergency debates to prod it into some action.

I have the great honour to represent one of the largest Tamil constituencies in the country and it has been a very personal exercise for me to listen to literally dozens and dozens of people talk about the tragedy that is in their families and in their homes.

I would urge the Government of Canada to act along the lines that the member for Mount Royal and the member for Toronto Centre have urged.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that is important to lay down here is that as recently as October there was an effort by the other side, in this case by the Tamil tigers, to enter into a truce.

We now have what is really a war of attrition. We have the government saying basically that it will wipe out the Tamil tigers. We all know the history of that. It never happens. It only makes things worse.

What does the member think of the Sri Lankan government's notion that it can actually wipe out the rebel force and have peace in Sri Lanka?

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the concern I have is that the Government of Sri Lanka is under some huge illusion that if it somehow or another eliminates the Tamil tigers, drives them into the sea and eliminates them as a force, somehow or another the conflict will be finished. That is utter naive nonsense. It is delusional on the part of the Government of Sri Lanka to think that somehow the injustices that the Tamil people have suffered over the years will disappear by virtue of driving the Tamil tigers into the sea.

I would urge our government to express that in the most forceful of terms to not only the high commissioner here, who is just down the road and I was rather surprised that the parliamentary secretary could tell us of no incidents in which they had talked to the high commissioner, but also to the foreign affairs minister, directly to their counterparts. This is something that needs to be expressed in the most forceful terms to the government.

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today the world watches a human tragedy unfolding in Sri Lanka. The world should watch that conflict filled with guilt for failing to act, failing to care and failing to speak up against oppression and violence for half a century.

The history of this conflict begins and ends with a determinedly discriminatory government representing a majority ethnic group seeking to culturalize and marginalize a minority. As early as 1948, many Tamils were denied citizenship and rendered stateless. In 1956 the Sri Lankan government declared Sinhala the only state language, marginalizing the Tamil language which had been equal in the pre-colonial era. Buddhism became the exclusive state religion, again denying the Tamil identity.

In 1972, a blatantly racist quota system was imposed to limit the number of Tamils in university. The Sri Lankan government even abolished the section of its constitution that protected minority rights. Tamils were discriminated against in schools, the public service and the military.

In the 1960s, arson, vandalism and anti-Tamil riots killed 500 Tamils. In 1981, police burned down the library in Jaffna, destroying 95,000 ancient texts and manuscripts. Then, the darkest moment, in July 1983, over 3,000 Tamils were killed, many burned alive. Electoral lists were used to identify Tamil homes.

From the violence of 1983, the people of Sri Lanka were to suffer 25 years of civil war and 70,000 people lost their lives.

Both the government and the Tamil tigers, rebels, engaged in actions that violated every standard of armed conflict. Suicide bombings on one side, aerial bombardments of hospitals and schools on the other.

Since 2006, I have spoken of the campaign of atrocities that have included the execution of aid workers working for a French NGO, bombing of schools, a grenade attack on a church protecting refugees and countless individual cases of summary executions and torture.

Hundreds of Tamils have disappeared in Colombo after white vans left their homes. Sometimes their bodies are found and sometimes their bodies are dumped for effect near the Parliament. Mostly, they are never seen again.

The world community rose only once to stop the Sri Lankan government. On that rare occasion, the government was herding Tamils into crowded buses to be deported from Colombo. Such visible ethnic cleansing could not be allowed.

It is this history that should inform our view of the current military campaign. Today the Sri Lankan government remains indifferent to the Tamil civilians who lie in the wake of its military. The government makes it blatantly clear by its repeated use of cluster bombs against a civilian hospital that it is not worried about accusations of war crimes. In fact, it has refused to sign on to the Rome Statute that would make its leaders vulnerable to prosecution.

The U.S. secretary of state and the foreign secretary of the U.K. have called for a no-fire zone where civilians and refugees are now homeless, dying of snake bites and exposed to shelling and targeted bombardment by the government.

Canada can also speak up. Canada must call for international observers and peacekeepers to be deployed in towns in the north and east and that Tamil civilians be allowed to return home under international monitoring. This needs to happen now or this tragedy will continue to reach catastrophic proportions.

Canada can also demand that Sri Lanka submit fully to an international war crimes tribunal where the actions of leaders on all sides of this conflict can be investigated and judged. The suffering in Sri Lanka will continue as long as there is no legal consequence, no opportunity for justice and no international will to bring a just peace.

It was more than half a century ago that Winston Churchill hailed a Canadian airman as the saviour of Ceylon. Today, Canada should feel the same duty to help save a quarter of a million Tamil civilians whose only hope is the will of the world to protect them.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if the rest of the world fails to act, we should look into the responsibility to protect. If Sri Lanka is not willing to listen to Canada, if it turns a blind eye to us, should we not call the High Commissioner from Sri Lanka on the carpet and tell him that Canada has spoken and it is time to listen?

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this conflict will require incredible determination on the part of all resources. I really believe the world decided in the 1940s that military objectives could no longer justify deliberate attacks on civilians. It will take an independent UN body to investigate alleged atrocities and bring some justice to the event.

I do not think, to be quite frank, that one individual will be able to bring a sustainable peace to the area. It will take the collective opinion and the collective will of all governments to ensure that a serious UN-led effort is required to reach that goal.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we have been trying to figure out what the next steps are for Canada. We have heard about the $3 million and the call for a ceasefire.

Canada is a participant in the UN General Assembly. Would her party and others join in to ask the Security Council to involve itself in Sri Lanka and put its stamp of approval on enforcing a ceasefire?

[Albina Guarnieri, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, any solution has to start with respect for civilian rights and an end to atrocities and violence. Then and only then the option that really offers peace is a form of self-government, which would allow Tamil people to be free from fear of their own government.

As I stated earlier, a serious UN-led effort is required to reach that goal. The member will find that our party will co-operate to the fullest to secure that peace.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from Oak Ridges—Markham.

Since the peace process was abandoned and the humanitarian and human rights situation in Sri Lanka deteriorated, Canada has made a very active and lasting commitment to that country. Today, Sri Lanka celebrates the 61st anniversary of its independence.

To all the citizens of Sri Lanka, we would like to express our wishes for a future of peace and prosperity.

However, today is also yet another day of an unfolding tragedy. We are witnessing another truly tragic chapter in the long-standing civil conflict that has ravaged Sri Lanka and causes great concern to Canadians.

That is why today, Canada calls upon the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to declare and to honour an immediate ceasefire to allow full, safe and unhindered access, the evacuation of the sick and wounded and the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance to civilians.

The Minister of International Cooperation also announced today that Canada would provide up to $3 million in humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka to help people affected by the current events. This funding will go to organizations like the Red Cross, World Vision, Médecins Sans Frontières and CARE Canada that have the capacity to deliver help on the ground. We continue to engage with Sri Lanka and to monitor the situation very closely.

For over two decades, as colleagues in the House have mentioned, a civil war has raged in Sri Lanka between the Sinhalese majority government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. This horrific conflict is responsible for an estimated 70,000 deaths to date, mostly civilians, and has induced an estimated 460,000 internally displaced people. Others have fled the country as refugees.

Canada has welcomed to our shores over 200,000 Sri Lankans, many of whom arrived as asylum seekers in the eighties and nineties, seeking refuge from this conflict.

In January of 2008, the government of Sri Lanka officially abrogated the 2002 ceasefire agreement, marking a dangerous turn in the long-running conflict. After more than a year of heavy fighting, in January of 2009, the government of Sri Lanka captured the last remaining bastions controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil. These advances by the Sri Lankan army, coupled with the LTTE's decision to restrict the movement of civilians out of the conflict area, have resulted in mounting civilian casualties. Approximately 250,000 to 300,000 internally displaced people were trapped in the conflict area.

International efforts to persuade the government of Sri Lanka to allow full humanitarian access and to persuade the LTTE to allow civilians freedom of movement in the conflict area have failed. There remains probably only a short period of time before the LTTE loses control of all territory in the north and will subsequently retreat into the jungles and outlying villages, but at what additional cost to human life?

What is the future that the government of Sri Lanka envisages coming out of this face of their conflict? What does the LTTE wish to obtain by continuing this struggle?

Canada has voiced strong concerns about the recent developments in the conflict, particularly its impact on civilians, including humanitarian workers and human rights defenders, and the increasing attacks on independent journalists. Canada has taken action at the highest levels.

On January 28, I issued a public statement expressing Canada's deep concern about the increasing number of civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation. I called on the parties to allow full, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian workers and to ensure the safe and voluntary movement of civilians from combat zones. I also indicated that Canada is concerned about the increase in attacks on journalists in Sri Lanka and urges the government of that country to conduct open and independent investigations into all these attacks.

On February 2, I called the Minister of Foreign Affairs to directly express these concerns.

Today, I issued another public statement:

Canada calls for the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to declare and honour an immediate ceasefire to allow full, safe and unhindered access; the evacuation of the sick and wounded; and the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance to civilians.

Canada endorses the statement released yesterday by the co-chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka (Norway, Japan, the United States and the European Union). The statement proposes conditions to prevent further civilian casualties and human suffering and to achieve a just and lasting political solution.

Furthermore, on February 3, my officials called in the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Canada to emphasize Canada's concerns. Our officials in Colombo have been highly engaged on these troubling developments for many months and, in particular, over these critical past five days.

Our high commissioner in Colombo has engaged the Sri Lankan leadership at the highest levels to register Canada's grave concern over the safety of civilians in both the safety zone and the LTTE-controlled area in general and urged restraint in the conduct of military operations.

As well, we have urged increased attempts to communicate with both civilians and the LTTE, encouraging the former to leave and the latter to surrender.

We have argued, further, that every effort should be made to allow the ICRC, the United Nations and international aid agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance and that they be allowed to establish relief centres beyond the lines to provide support and relief to civilians to relocate to this area. Canada has stated that the government of Sri Lanka had unilaterally established the safe zone, had directed the ICRC, UN and civilians to go there and the government was, therefore, responsible for their safety and it was unacceptable for the Sri Lankan army to be firing into the area, even for counter-bombardment purposes.

Our high commissioner has and will continue to regularly meet and consult with the heads of mission of like-minded countries, in particular, the co-chairs of the peace process, to concert our efforts for maximum effectiveness.

Our high commission has and will remain in regular contact with leaders of international organizations engaged in humanitarian relief operations in Sri Lanka to ensure we have the best possible understanding of the challenges being faced.

With respect to the humanitarian issues, Canada has repeatedly raised its concern about limitations on humanitarian access with the government of Sri Lanka. Canada has raised these concerns in concert with like-minded countries. My senior officials raised these issues, specifically, in the bilateral meeting with the Sri Lankan foreign secretary in Ottawa in September 2008.

Canada will continue to voice our concerns at the highest levels to protect and provide safe passage of the IDPs.

The humanitarian rights situation in Sri Lanka has been alarming for some time. There have been unlawful killings by government agents, politically-motivated killings by paramilitary forces and the LTTE disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention of Tamils accused of being LTTE supporters, torture, restrictions on freedom of movement and the recruitment of child soldiers by the LTTE.

I know my hon. colleague will be able to complete these messages, but we are extremely concerned.

In closing, I want to reassure my colleagues that Canada remains ready to help the various parties reach such a solution and turn the page on this tragic chapter in Sri Lankan history.

[The Speaker, Peter Milliken]

I regret interrupting the hon. minister, but time has expired.

The hon. member for Scarborough—Agincourt.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the minister with great interest as he rhymed off figures and facts of what the government has done and what the government has not done.

I am wondering if he would answer one simple question. What has happened in Sri Lanka is a tragedy that is shared by many people, but there is a tragedy also to a particular element of our community in Canada. Canadians of Tamil descent are sponsoring their spouses from that part of the world. In any other post it would take anywhere between six to eight months. In Sri Lanka it is taking up to three years for a spousal sponsorship. They are asked to do more interviews. They are interviewed by CSIS. There are not enough personnel on the ground to ensure these interviews are done quickly.

Could the minister, in this House today, clarify for me, my constituents and the House why the Tamil population in Sri Lanka is being singled out and why it takes up to 300 times as much time to process an immigration file for a spouse of up to three years? I am wondering if the minister could be away from his wife for three years.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague indicates our grave and deep concern in terms of the tragedy that is taking place in that part of the world and we are, as I think all parliamentarians here in the House, very supportive of those comments.

As for the latter part of the member's question, I would suggest that he raise the issue with my colleague, the Minister of Immigration, who is the minister responsible for that file.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the minister said a couple of things that are worthy of repeating. We have not heard it from the government so I am glad to hear it the acknowledgement that at this time last year it was the Sri Lankan government that broke off the truce that had been existing.

This past October, it was the tigers who asked for a suspension of violence and to enter into some form of truce and yet we have the Government of Sri Lanka which is bent on an attrition of the tigers. So we do not have someone there who is a fair-minded partner in trying to look for peace.

We are glad to hear that the government talked about a ceasefire. We are glad to see the aid but we need to do more. We talked in the House tonight about using the Commonwealth as a vehicle, pushing our voice at the Commonwealth, isolating the Government of Sri Lanka and to use our voice at the General Assembly of the United Nations to bring this to the Security Council. I would like to know what the minister thinks about those ideas and whether the government is willing to act on them.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us be perfectly clear on this government's intention. This issue is of the gravest concern to Canadians. We have indicated, in the strongest terms possible, our position, which is why we called for a ceasefire today and why we called for a durable political peace in that area.

Yes, if need be, we are working with like-minded countries. We will look at all of the options to be able to advance this file. We are very concerned by this file and we will do what we believe is right. However, we are doing it now in this sequence with those people who we are working with, of course, but we are doing it through the diplomatic channels which are the channels that are appropriate at this time.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I witnessed these tragedies with my own eyes and heard of them from my constituents, both Tamil and Sinhalese. I join with the government in condemning the conduct of the Sri Lankan government for its bombing of a hospital and firing into areas it had designated as safe.

We all know that the tigers are listed in this country but they are all but defeated. Now is the time for the Government of Sri Lanka to take responsibility for the safety of its civilian population. The minister's comments would be welcome.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague has indicated full well of course the situation that is there. The Government of Canada, through my colleague, the Minister of International Cooperation, has put forward amounts of money to help the civilian population. This is not the first time that Canada has engaged in this. We were there, we are doing it today and we certainly will be doing it tomorrow.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in the House tonight and let Canadians know that this government is doing all it can to help alleviate the suffering of those in Sri Lanka. We are all concerned with the civilian loss of life in Sri Lanka and we welcome the opportunity to address this issue in tonight's emergency debate.

As the House has heard this evening, 52 civilians have lost their lives and paid the ultimate price. Our hearts go out to the families and victims in this conflict.

Over the course of the last 25 years, approximately 70,000 people have lost their lives in this terrible conflict. As a caring nation, we have worked with our partners on the international stage to do what we can. Although the light at the end of the tunnel seems distant, we know that all is not lost and we continue to hope for a lasting peace.

Others may attempt to play partisan politics but this government will do everything in its power to ensure that those in need are taken care of. This government wants to ensure our aid is directed and focused. We want to ensure we are showing compassion for the less fortunate. We will not stand idly by while those in need can be helped by our assistance.

Earlier today, the Minister of International Cooperation announced that Canada will provide $3 million through the Canadian International Development Agency for life saving humanitarian aid to those people living in the conflict zone. This was a welcomed announcement by the international community.

The minister reinforced Canada's commitment to assist in meeting the immediate needs of the Sri Lankan people as they face this hour of need. Our aid will be delivered by the Red Cross, Oxfam Canada, Médecins sans Frontières, World Vision and CARE Canada. All of these organizations are known to Canadians and have staff on the ground in Sri Lanka.

As our nation turns its eyes on this conflict tonight, I am pleased to inform members that this assistance announced earlier today will go a long way in alleviating the pain and suffering of those on ground in Sri Lanka.

While many nations have addressed the immediate devastation, this is not the first time Canada has come to the aid of those living in Sri Lanka. In 2008, this government provided almost $3 million in humanitarian assistance. including $1.5 million for the food aid program through the World Food Programme. As many members of the House know, the World Food Programme has an impeccable record when it comes to helping those suffering in developing countries. The aid we sent last year provided desperately needed food rations for approximately 850,000 people.

Since 1983 and the beginning of the civil war in Sri Lanka, Canada's aid program has focused on addressing the root causes and effects of the war through projects to support good governance and human rights, gender equality and economic well-being. We have highlighted employment for youth and members of disadvantaged groups.

Following the tsunami, CIDA created the Sri Lanka tsunami reconstruction strategy to guide its assistance toward reconstruction efforts. That effort was extremely successful and had a huge impact on the lives of the people in Sri Lanka.

Humanitarian work is never easy but the devastation caused by that natural disaster destroyed roads and made the delivery of assistance even more difficult. For Canadians, it is hard to imagine but close to half the population of Sri Lanka live on less than $2 a day. Together with the international community, this government is committed to helping to restore these communities and the livelihoods of those who live there.

The House should know that CIDA is working to address the root causes of the conflict and the circumstances that these people find on a daily basis. We continue to work with the Sri Lankan civil society and focus on the economic well-being of the individual.

Our commitment to greater aid effectiveness includes reducing administrative overhead and constantly benchmarking ourselves against international best practices. In fact, the minister's announcement last year that Canada will completely untie aid will go a long way in achieving these goals.

Canadians can be proud of the work that CIDA and this government is doing on the ground in Sri Lanka and, for that matter around, the world.

As Sri Lanka celebrates its independence today, we as Canadians can know that we are truly making a difference. The assistance this government is providing will help feed young children displaced by the conflict. It will help provide water for those who do not have any. It will go toward the elderly and the sick providing much needed medicine.

I know that some of the opposition parties have been critical in the past but I would hope that tonight they would be willing to stand united with the government as we work to help those in need.

The government believes that the primary test for aid effectiveness must be striving for real outcomes, real results and making a real difference.

Canada is committed to making our international assistance focused, effective and accountable. We are monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka very closely. Both the Minister of International Cooperation and the Minister of Foreign Affairs are working to help those a half world away because that is the Canadian way.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I, like many of my colleagues, am honoured to have many Tamil constituents. Like my colleagues, I have heard many heart-wrenching accounts of the suffering of my constituents and their relatives as a consequence of this war.

For weeks and months now, we on this side of the House have implored the government to speak out and to take action. I think the lateness of the action will forgive us thinking this may be too little too late on the part of the government.

I would ask my colleague to prove me wrong. I would ask him to prove the seriousness of the government's efforts at this late hour by answering one very concrete and specific question. How is it that the government proposes to ensure that the aid it is committing to today will actually get to the people who need it? In the face of all the evidence suggesting that this has not been possible for so long, what specific measures will the government take to ensure this new aid commitment will actually reach the people who need it?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I outlined in my speech, our aid will be distributed through agencies that have a proven record and that have people on the ground and are successful in getting aid to the people and to the areas that most need the aid.

I am extraordinarily proud of the fact that I come from a riding that has a very large Sri Lankan Tamil Canadian population. I have a riding where two Tamil Canadian business people took a failed business, turned it around and made it success through hard work and determination. Ultimately, they have become great members of this community. They came to me and said, “Paul, please, we have to do something”.

I am very proud that the minister announced today that we would be providing essential aid and that the aid would be distributed through agencies, as I mentioned earlier, that have a proven track record in distributing aid. Oxfam and Médecins sans Frontières are agencies that have a record of getting the job done.

I am proud of the fact that our government has taken the step to ensure the people of Sri Lanka who are suffering will get the aid they deserve.

[John Cannis, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to pick up on what my colleague, the member for Scarborough—Agincourt, talked about earlier but I will not get into the data, the stats, etcetera.

Given these unusual circumstances, these difficult circumstances and the great delays in terms of trying to connect loved ones, family members, children, wives, etcetera, would the member consider going to the Minister of Immigration and asking whether we can look at some of the legitimate application files that are in the process and expedite them and, if need be, send in some additional staff for the time being so we can connect these loved ones?

Some time ago, during the Yugoslavian conflict, Canada allowed immigrants to come over and stay with their loved ones, or even on their own, until the dust kind of settled. Most of them went back but some of them stayed here with their loved ones.

This is one way we could help alleviate the problem. Will the member consider doing that?