Debates of May 31st, 2021

Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development—Main Estimates, 2021-22

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, does the government still believe that a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Madam Chair, absolutely.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, then why is it very clearly treating the cases of some detained Canadians differently from the cases of other detained Canadians?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Madam Chair, I reject the premise of that question. We treat all Canadians who are arbitrarily detained with the same urgency. That is what our government feels is absolutely necessary, and it is part of our values.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, in 2010, Speaker Peter Milliken ruled that Parliament has an unfettered right to send for documents. Does the minister agree with Speaker Milliken's ruling, and is he committed to complying with all requests for documents from Parliament and parliamentary committees?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Madam Chair, we try to always comply with requests from committees, but we also have to take into account that there are commercial and other private or very sensitive security interests that also have to be taken into consideration.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, that is a direct repudiation of the Milliken ruling, because the Milliken ruling says that these various important factors are factors that the committees have to take into consideration when determining what documents to make public. The ruling was very clear: Parliament and committees' right to send for documents is unfettered, and it is up to the committees to make those judgments.

Does the minister agree with the Milliken ruling, yes or no?

[Marc Garneau, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount, QC]

Madam Chair, in answer to the question, committees may make requests, and it is civil servants who apply the rules in deciding what can be provided and what cannot be provided or has to be blacked out for security, or privacy, or commercial reasons.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, the minister, then, is very clearly on the record that he rejects the Milliken ruling and does not believe he has to comply with it, because his description of what is required of him is completely at odds with the Milliken ruling.

The New Humanitarian and the Thomson Reuters Foundation have reported speaking to over 40 women in the Democratic Republic of Congo who were offered work in exchange for sex by World Health Organization employees during the Ebola crisis of 2018-20. It is appalling to see so many from the World Health Organization using their power to sexually exploit women during a health crisis.

When did the government first become aware of these allegations? What actions have been taken by the Government of Canada in relation to them, and what is it prepared to do to hold the World Health Organization accountable?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Minister of International Development]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for raising what is a very important issue. We became aware of these issues as they were reported, and we have been in discussion with the World Health Organization. Canada, alongside like-minded countries, has démarched the WHO on this specifically, recognizing that those who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence need to have adequate access to justice, and we are following this topic very closely.

Canada has a policy with regard to sexual exploitation and abuse. We are following that policy closely, and we will continue to advocate on behalf of survivors as well as—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, access to justice is important; so is addressing systematic issues at the World Health Organization, because this is a very high number of victims and a very high number of employees involved.

What is the minister going to do to insist on systematic change at the World Health Organization to ensure that Canadian dollars are used in a way that is consistent with Canadian values?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Chair, we always try to ensure that Canadian dollars are consistent with Canadian values. In fact, this is why we have raised this issue with the World Health Organization, both as a matter of access to justice and as a matter of ensuring that sexual exploitation and abuse do not occur in the World Health Organization on a systemic—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, with respect to UNRWA, the minister has continued to falsely claim that the statements I previously cited were in a Palestinian authority textbook as opposed to UNRWA-produced materials, but the fact is that UNRWA has directly produced materials that explicitly denounce peace agreements like the Abraham Accords.

Why is the government continuing to fund the production of materials that denounce peace agreements when peace is something we so desperately need?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Chair, when it comes to peace in the Middle East, this government has been very active. In fact, we just announced $25 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the latest violence, $5 million of which is going to peace-building initiatives, something we know is desperately needed in the region.

When it comes to UNRWA, I have been taking this issue very seriously and working with international colleagues to address the problematic educational materials.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, there is a desperate need to promote peaceful co-existence, but it does not explain why the government is funding the production of materials that denounce the Abraham Accords and other peace agreements.

Will the minister clearly articulate for the House, but also for the international audience watching, that this is a red line, that organizations that explicitly produce materials denouncing peace should not expect Canadian funding, and that if they continue to produce these materials, they will lose their funding? Is the minister prepared to draw that clear red line?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Chair, I would just note that for the first time in 15 years, Canada is providing funding for peace-building initiatives, something that Canada used to do before the funding was cut by the previous government under Stephen Harper. We need to advance these people-to-people ties to advance the peace agenda, and what we hope will be a two-state solution so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in security, in peace and with their full human rights.

When it comes to problematic educational materials, this is something I am addressing. I take allegations of anti-Semitism—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, with respect to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Chinese state-controlled development bank, has Canada been able to bring about any changes in policy with respect to gender equality, environmental policy, human rights or corruption?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Chair, as the member opposite will know from each time he has questioned me on this, this is actually under the purview of the Minister of Finance. I am not the governor for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, but we do recognize in Canada that it follows the same rules as other multilateral development banks, and Canada as—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, I am happy to have a different minister answer the question tonight.

My question is this. Has Canada being at the table brought about any changes in AIIB policy with respect to gender equality, environmental policy, human rights or corruption? I expect that somebody involved in foreign affairs would know the answer to that.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Madam Chair, as I have mentioned to my hon. colleague on several occasions, the governor for the AIIB is actually the Minister of Finance. That being said, Canada advances gender equality and environmental policies, as well as human rights and fighting corruption, in all international fora in which we engage. That is a consistent approach by Canadians in every single multilateral organization—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.