Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time today.
I want to talk about how the diplomatic corps relies on our government to protect it and to serve our best interests abroad. I am very proud to have been at Global Affairs Canada for close to a decade and a half. I served as deputy head of mission, not once but twice, in fact, so I have a bit of experience in this. I am very proud to have been the chargé d'affaires in El Salvador for two years, at our embassy in San Salvador, as well our deputy consul general in Dallas, Texas. I am very proud to have had this experience.
The golden rule of diplomacy is one thing and one thing only, and that is to do what one's government asks one to do. That is what one is there to do: what one's government asks one to do. This is in fact a fundamental part of our training in foreign affairs in the diplomatic corps. Humility is a very big part of this. I will give two examples.
The first one is when I was receiving my accreditation in El Salvador. This was very exciting for me. A motorcade took me through the streets of San Salvador to the presidential palace. I went up the stairs of the presidential palace, and I took my place beside the ambassador to be accredited. The presidential aide came to me and put his hand on my shoulder and said, “No, always behind the ambassador.” That was a lesson in humility, the humility that diplomats face in serving their nations.
The second example was when I was negotiating the CA4 trade agreement. This was something that was very important for its impact on Canada in terms of pork prices and sugar prices. I prepared very hard for this. I took my communication from the classified computer at the time. I prepared my notes, and I went to visit the minister of trade. I approached the minister of trade. I showed up in my navy suit. I was there prepared to represent Canada as a proud and humble diplomat.
Frankly, the minister of trade took my papers and looked at me like I was a school girl, and she said, “You tell your government we will get back to them in two weeks.” Again, it was a reminder of my role as a diplomat for the Government of Canada. I was simply there to serve a function. I was only there doing what my government asked me to do. Nothing more, nothing less.
The peril in this as a diplomat is that, unfortunately, diplomats must wear what their masters give them. This is not always good. Sometimes it can be a trick. Diplomats can be so excited when they understand that a minister is coming to visit. They prepare the best hotel and the best restaurants. They make sure that they know the linens the minister likes. They make sure that they know their favourite foods. They do all of this, and then all of a sudden, it can be cancelled. It can be cancelled because of the changing priorities of the government. This is possible. I saw this in my diplomatic work in Argentina as well, during the Chrétien era. This is throughout government, indeed.
Diplomats must wear what the government gives them to wear. Sometimes it is a cancelled trip. Sometimes it is something much worse. This was the case in the Atwal mission at the event in India. This was something much worse.
Are members aware of the mission process to compile a guest list for a mission event? It is a complicated process. It is not something that happens lightly, where diplomats just sit down and make a list of their friends and the people they like. All areas of the mission come together to compile this list. That is what they do. Once the list is compiled, it is sent to Ottawa. It is sent to Ottawa for a complete and utter vetting. The geographical desk will go through the list and see if there is anything that could potentially be a threat or an embarrassment to the Government of Canada. After the geographical desk, it will be sent to security. Security should and will vet the list to see if there is anyone or anything that could embarrass the people of Canada, the reputation of Canada.
Is it possible that our professionals at Global Affairs Canada and in our security agencies could have possibly found out this information about Mr. Atwal prior to this event? I think it is very possible. If so, why would the Prime Minister's Office, which certainly would have been made aware of the attendees at the event, not do anything in an effort to stop this terrorist from showing up at this event? Were they aware that this was happening, and if so, why did they not stop it?
Unfortunately, this has left an absolute, horrible outcome for the Government of Canada, for the public service, and for diplomats all around the world, and this is why.
First of all, there is the absolute embarrassment of knowing that a terrorist is an official guest at an event at which the Government of Canada is present. As a diplomat, I could not handle the shame. It would just be too much.
Second, I would be wondering what the other guests at the event thought about a terrorist being at the event. Would any of these guests go to future events of the Government of Canada and the missions of Canada? I am not certain that they would if they would be in the company of terrorists. This is something they would definitely be hesitant to do.
Also, this would impact the reputation of diplomats in the foreign service and among their colleagues. Diplomats would wonder if their colleagues thought they were the ones who had this terrible lapse in judgment and invited a terrorist to an event at which Canada was present. We talk in the foreign service about the actions of our colleagues and what they are doing.
What are the diplomatic impacts of this? Will we be able to get meetings with local ministers? What are the trade impacts this will have? What are the consular impacts because we had a terrorist at our event? It was a complete diplomatic embarrassment for our public service, for the diplomatic corps, and for Canada. How this mistake will affect mission contacts is a very important question.
The government has talked all week in question period about how it supports our public service and stands up for it. This incident sure made it a lot harder for diplomats to do their jobs because of the lack of credibility and oversight. Why would a government that says it supports its public service, that says it supports its diplomatic corps, allow an error like this to happen? That is not a government that supports its public service and its diplomatic corps.
How will this affect Canada on the world stage? Other nations will be looking at this in regard to trade decisions, consular decisions, and interactions with Canada. This is a diplomatic tragedy.
I should also say that it affects how diplomats feel about their country and how they feel about the government. Great leaders will always take responsibility, and the Prime Minister and the government did not take responsibility, and in doing so, failed their diplomatic corps. I cannot imagine the conversations in the corridors in New Delhi. I am certainly glad I am not posted there right now.
In closing, as a former diplomat, I know that diplomats put their trust in elected officials to guide them and to protect them, and the government failed. The government did not guide its diplomats and its public service. It did not protect its diplomatic corps. It did not protect the people at the mission in New Delhi.
That is all diplomats ever do. They do what a government asks them to do.