Mr. Speaker, I rise early this morning on adjournment proceedings to pursue a question I raised in the House with the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, although I initially put the question for the Prime Minister, on March 6 of this year.
This pertains to an issue that could not be more timely. That is why I accepted the opportunity to debate on the matter after 1 a.m. this morning rather than risk not being able to put the question for the hon. parliamentary secretary for a response.
The issue I raised March 6 was with respect to the treaty on conventional arms. It is the arms trade treaty. When I raised the issue, March 18 was still ahead of us and the United Nations was going to be debating this critical treaty.
As I stated in my question for the hon. minister, I was grateful for the fact that Canada was overall supportive of the treaty, but it did seem strange that we had decided not to support the important criterion that if corruption was at stake, it should be one of the measurements of whether an arms deal should be approved under the treaty. I also wanted to have the assurance of the Prime Minister that Canada was supporting all elements of the treaty.
This treaty did go to successful conclusion in negotiations at the special session of the United Nations that began on March 18. There was a great deal of celebration around the world for that and Canada did vote for the treaty.
However, the news reports that came out of New York, following the treaty's acceptance, suggested that Canada's support was somewhat lukewarm. There have been efforts to find out whether Canada plans to sign on as an early ratifier so we can be part of getting this treaty operationalized globally.
Spokesmen from the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs have been somewhat equivocal about whether Canada will join on soon. I put that in contrast with Norway, New Zealand and Japan, countries that have said, yes, that they will sign on when the treaty is open for signature, which happens as early as this coming Monday, June 2. Therefore, we will see countries signing on and as soon as 50 countries have ratified, the arms trade treaty will take effect.
Let me just review what this treaty would do. It would create common international standards for the regulation of the international trade in conventional arms ammunition, parts and components. It applies to tanks and all manner of munitions. It will help make the world safer.
We have been troubled by the fact that the non-government organizations allowed on the Canadian delegation were limited to groups that supported the use of private long guns. That is perfectly appropriate within Canada. However, it is a mismatch when we are looking at a global treaty to protect nations around the world from the damage done by a conventional arms trade.
Therefore, I look forward to words from the parliamentary secretary, my friend. I hope he will confirm that Canada has decided to be an early adapter, a country that will ratify along with Norway, New Zealand and Japan, at our earliest opportunity when the treaty opens for signature on June 3. It would be welcomed news for Canadians who yearn for us to return to our traditional role of leadership in peacekeeping and in making the world a safer place.