House of Commons Hansard #88 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was energy.
Jane Philpott LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Toronto—Danforth for her question.
Our government is committed to helping families make better food choices. We will introduce new restrictions on the commercial marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children. That is in addition to our commitment to improve labelling and bring in legislation to eliminate trans fats and reduce salt in processed foods.
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, the United Nations is not referring Yazidi refugees to Canada, but the government is blindly relying on it to provide names for its refugee initiative. At last count, only a few dozen Yazidis have come to Canada.
Moreover, Operation Ezra has many Yazidi families identified and waiting to come to Canada, and the minister keeps promising them in phone calls that they will processed, but none has been.
It is our moral duty to help the Yazidi victims of genocide. Why is the government ignoring it?
John McCallum LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, I am certainly proud of what our government has achieved in admitting more than 30,000 Syrian refugees in the space of less than a year.
In terms of the Yazidis, my department will be conducting a mission to northern Iraq, where officials will interview potential Syrian refugees, and they will scope out the situation involving the Yazidis. We are on that job, and we certainly take it very seriously.
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, out of those 30,000 refugees, nine cases were Yazidis, and that is unacceptable.
Nadia Murad came to Canada to beg our government for help. She has called for help for Yazidis who are also being discriminated against by UN agents in refugee camps in Greece and Turkey.
My question is for the Prime Minister. When he asked Nadia Murad for a photo opportunity in New York last week, what was it like to look into her eyes, see that haunted look, and tell her why he was not helping the Yazidi people?
John McCallum LiberalMinister of Immigration
Mr. Speaker, we do not know how many Yazidi refugees have come to Canada, because when refugees come to Canada, we do not ask them their ethnicity or their religion. We do not discriminate by religion or ethnicity.
What I do know is that we have admitted more than 30,000 Syrian refugees and we are taking concrete steps to pursue options in terms of the Yazidi refugees.
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday evening I had a visit from Claude Lalancette, a veteran who fought bravely for us overseas. He was in tears, and he is clearly in very serious situation.
He has been on a hunger strike for two days and has slept outside for two nights. The first was at the National War Memorial here in Ottawa, and the second was in front of Parliament itself. This situation concerns all members of the House.
What is the Prime Minister going to do for Mr. Lalancette right now?
Karen McCrimmon LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, we take the health of members of the Canadian Forces and veterans very seriously. This is at the top of our list.
I cannot comment on specific cases. The member will understand that is the case. However, we do have a range of programs that are in place, and I would encourage any soldiers who feel they need that program or support from Veteran Affairs to reach out.
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, veteran Claude Lalancette restarted his hunger strike on the steps of Parliament Hill. This veteran has served our country proudly and has had to resort to repeated hunger strikes to get help.
After his first hunger strike, the Liberals promised him a committee of veterans, civilians, and experts; then only days later, they reneged on that promise.
In his own words he feels misused and misled, stating “They only used me for a photo op”.
Is the Prime Minister aware that three of his ministers made a promise to Mr. Lalancette that they had no intention of keeping?
Karen McCrimmon LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, those ministers met with Mr. Lalancette in good faith, and they offered him the opportunity to testify before committee as a witness. That is what he has been offered and he agreed to that.
Now there are issues that require extra work and extra diligence, and the department is involved—
The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan
Order. Members know the Standing Orders require that we not interrupt other members when they are speaking.
The hon. parliamentary secretary has the floor.
Karen McCrimmon Liberal Kanata—Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the ministers offered him an opportunity to testify before committee. That has been negotiated with the committee involved, and it will happen in the near future.
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to end Harper's legal battles that discriminated against first nations. It has been seven years since the Supreme Court granted five Nuu-chah-nulth first nations the right to catch and sell fish.
However, lawyers for the Minister of Justice continue to argue that these aboriginal rights should be restricted and minimized.
Now the hereditary chiefs have taken unprecedented action, dismissed government officials, and told the Prime Minister he is no longer welcome on their lands. Will the Liberals finally act and honour their promise to negotiate fairly?
Serge Cormier LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, we have been seeking a renewed relationship with first nations since day one. The minister is aware of this matter. We recently met with first nations representatives to discuss it. We are determined to remain engaged with first nations.
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
Mr. Speaker, another promise made, another promise broken. Over 3,000 mothers were denied sickness benefits under the Harper government, but during the election campaign, the Liberals promised they would drop all federal opposition to their class action lawsuit. These women have waited and waited and waited, and had nothing from the government.
Instead of spending millions fighting them in court, when will the government give these women the benefits they deserve?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Families
Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to the member for giving me the opportunity to say how concerned all members of the House are by the difficult circumstances some of our families find themselves in. I will have an important announcement to make on that matter soon. I just want to repeat that in the campaign, our government promised that it would be looking into EI special benefits, including maternity, parental, and compassionate care benefits.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, brutal incarceration, torture, and executions are among the regular practices of the Chinese government. China now has its eyes on the UN's top peacekeeping job. It wants to take control of UN peacekeeping and rewrite the rules of the game.
Will the Prime Minister be supporting his favourite dictatorship's bid to take control of UN peacekeeping and, ultimately, command of Canadian troops?
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, in fact, it is because we are re-engaging with China that we have an opportunity to make progress on human rights in China. Every human being has the same dignity and we need to be there to speak about universal human rights in China. The Prime Minister never misses an opportunity to do that, and neither do I, because it is the only approach to make progress.
James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's hand-picked ambassador to the UN has made no secret that he is willing to play politics to gain a UN Security Council seat. The centrepiece to this horse-trading, of course, is our 600 Canadian troops. China wants to take control of all UN peacekeepers. China's abysmal human rights record and its sabre-rattling in the South China Sea show that its no partner for peace.
Is a Security Council seat worth putting our troops under the command of the Chinese dictatorship?
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, my colleague has that completely wrong, because the seat on the Security Council is a tool for our goal, and the goal is to have Canada fighting for inclusive growth everywhere, peace everywhere, and human rights everywhere. The seat on the UN Security Council is a tool for this goal, and it is great for Canada to have such a goal under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, that response is troubling and unbelievable. It is hard to imagine that China, a nation that bullies everyone around it, might wind up in charge of UN peacekeepers, forces meant to maintain peace around the world.
If China's efforts to win that coveted position are successful, all peacekeeping and civilian protection operations will be left up to the country with the worst human rights record. It is absurd.
Do the Liberals support China's bid?
Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, Canada's goal is to ensure that peacekeeping operations are carried out in a manner that protects civilians, which is why we want to be involved. For too long, Canada remained on the sidelines.
If we want those operations to better protect people and promote peace, Canada must be there on its own terms and conditions. That is what we will do, along with the minister responsible for the Canadian Armed Forces.
We are committed to ensuring that our troops are only deployed under conditions that correspond to our values and convictions.
Ken McDonald Liberal Avalon, NL
Mr. Speaker, recognizing Canada's past contributions to peace and the dedication of the men and women who gave their lives to serve our country is a critical part of our heritage. Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage please give the House details on the recently announced funding for a project honouring those who bravely fought in the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel?
Mélanie Joly LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Speaker, this year we are commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel in France. Our government is committed to honouring the soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who were killed in this brutal battle in the First World War. For this reason, we are investing $1 million in The Rooms, a beautiful museum in St. John's. Through online and on-site exhibitions, we will have the opportunity to learn more about the valour and the courage displayed by the young men of Newfoundland and Labrador in this—