Debates of Oct. 1st, 2024

Request for Witness to Attend at the Bar of the House

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, aside from that one, I remember the problem with Sustainable Development Technology Canada and the problem with the Winnipeg lab. Again, we had to work hard to try to get accountability and transparency. There was also the ArriveCAN and WE Charity scandals.

That is why I say that it looks a lot like a government on its last legs.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think that my colleague has put his finger on the problem. As he just said, we have a government on its last legs, a government of neglect. We can see that this government is not too bothered by the fact that a minister could have dipped into the fund and given contracts to his own company through the government.

In this specific case, I think that they have crossed the line. There were a lot of jokes this summer about the two Randys. The problem is that it is true. Somewhere, there is a Randy who either does or does not exist. Perhaps it is the same person. That is where we are at with this government.

Exactly eight years ago, my colleague and I sat together on the Special Committee on Electoral Reform. Let us not forget that the Liberals got elected in 2015 by saying that they were going to change the electoral system and that it would be the last time that Canada would vote under a first past the post system. In 2016, after criss-crossing Canada and consulting hundreds upon hundreds of Canadians, the Liberals finally said that they were leaving it alone. That is a broken promise.

A political party that changes its mind once in government, that is something. It is not good, but it breeds cynicism. In this case, does the member agree with me that what is currently happening with the two Randys is much worse than a broken campaign promise?

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we may agree on the substance, but I do not think that it is all that different. I think that this kind of broken promise and the lack of transparency related to conflicts of interest both fuel cynicism.

I am a little surprised by my colleague's question because it is as though the Conservative Party was waiting for this reform when they were against it, if memory serves, and I think it does. The Liberal Party wanted reform as long as the voting system that it favoured and cherished was to its advantage. Therefore we are still dealing with partisanship and the public's lack of confidence in elected officials.

In closing, I would like to say that people across Canada told us that what they were enormously upset with was the party line.

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be here today.

I was there when Stephen Anderson appeared as a witness before the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. I was able to see first-hand his attitude toward the requests that had been made. We knew all along that promises would not be kept. His dismissive attitude was disturbing and must be discussed today. Parliament is built on trust. We have to trust each other. The public trusts us. People elect us and put their trust in us. We need to live up to that.

Trust means that you do not have to provide evidence. In this case, not only do we need evidence but the promised evidence has not been provided. The bond of trust has been completely broken. We are bordering on what my colleague referred to earlier as shame. Personally, I would go even further; I think that when we look at some of the debates at committee or even in the House, there is a cruel lack of decency. Decency is something that exists when people have some kind of social contract that leads them to do the right thing. Beyond that, what we are seeing is nonsense.

Mr. Anderson came to committee and told us that he could not provide the information right away. He promised that in a matter of days—I forget how many days—he would provide us two things: the phone records and the identity of “Randy”. We gave him the time to gather his evidence and do his things. Then, we were buried under the phone records. It practically took a team of investigators to find some sort of path. One thing is for sure, what was missing was the ability to determine who “Randy” was. We did not find out. Does “Randy” exist? I do not know. Is he the same Randy? I do not know.

One thing is certain, Mr. Anderson's attitude was, in my opinion, shameful. It is unacceptable, and I advise my colleagues across the way not to try to defend the indefensible, because that only makes matters worse. Everyone in life can serve as an example. Mr. Anderson is a bad example. It is not a good example. It is not an example of what should be done in committee. The committees are not a court, especially not the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, because we see all sorts of abuse.

Committees are a place where we often look for solutions to clearly defined problems, like disinformation or social media. Conflicts of interest are also an issue under our purview. I am not someone who would take legal action unnecessarily or make allegations out of obligation, but frankly, it was impossible to believe Mr. Anderson. It is not complicated. He even seemed flippant about the fact that he was a bad example.

As a responsible parliamentarian, I will support my colleague's motion. Responsibility is the ability to answer for one's actions. Mr. Anderson promised to answer for his actions, but failed to do so. In light of this attitude, we have no alternative but to say there must be consequences. Even though he said it was not his intention, the consequences are part and parcel of the underlying intention. Enough is enough. Actions have consequences, and the two cannot be separated. Therefore, Mr. Anderson must be held accountable for his actions and face the consequences. My language may seem harsh, but he left us no alternative. Unless we impose consequences for Mr. Anderson's actions, we will be left with a Parliament that lacks any credibility, where mistrust and chaos prevail. This is the decadence of a government on its last legs, as mentioned earlier, a kind of complacency that lulls people into believing that nothing is wrong and that everything will be fine.

Mr. Anderson is like the tree that hides the forest. In that sense, this matter must be brought to its conclusion. I will fight a headwind if I have to. This is contempt of the House. Again, these are not meaningless words. These are strong words. It does not look very good on a resumé. Mr. Anderson must therefore answer for his actions and come before the bar, because the credibility of Parliament is at stake.

To anyone who opposes my position, I would say that Mr. Anderson perhaps had it coming. He did everything he could to be treated this way. Mr. Anderson has taken indecency to a whole new level. I therefore believe that Mr. Anderson's appearance at the bar is inevitable. The credibility of Parliament is at stake. Public trust in parliamentarians is at stake. At a time when cynicism toward politicians is at an all-time high, we must take action and bring Mr. Anderson before the bar.

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

Mr. Speaker, we are dealing with many different Liberal scandals right now, but this is, in many ways, the most ridiculous. We have a person testifying before committee with text messages that suggest a minister of the Crown was actually involved in the operation of a company he was not supposed to be involved in.

The defence of that apparent involvement of the minister of Crown in the operation of a company, that was, in fact, also getting government contracts, was to say the person referred to in the text messages was a different Randy. This is a tiny company where the partner happens to have that same name, and yet the claim was made that this was a different Randy.

We then have a partner come back to the same committee and say that he lied about it being a different Randy. He admitted that it was all made up. He then said the references to Randy in the text messages were the result of autocorrect. There were multiple different text messages, I think, over nine times. It is just the repeated tragedy of autocorrect causing so many problems. Members should know to disable autocorrect on their phones.

More seriously, this is obviously adding to a litany of Liberal scandals, but it is the most absurd, most comical and most ridiculous. If one were writing a story, one would not put these details in because they are so obviously absurd. No one would believe them.

Does the member have any explanation for why the Liberal government would have tried to cover itself in such an obvious way?

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to add a comment before responding to my colleague. The witness admitted in committee that he had lied to the journalists when he told the story. Believing a liar, in my mind, is not exactly a win.

The Liberal government seems to have this kind of self-defence deeply rooted in its DNA. We only have to look at how many times the Ethics Commissioner has levelled allegations or issued verdicts against this government. Questioning the integrity of someone like the Prime Minister, for example, is bad enough. Now we are constantly questioning the integrity of ministers of the Crown, when something like that should only happen on rare occasions. It shocks me. As an ethicist, downplaying these kinds of things is not an option. I think it is habit in part, perhaps as a result of being in power for so long, but it is also a kind of entitlement, and that is unacceptable.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Trois‑Rivières. As we know, and as he just said a few moments ago, he is an ethicist. He was elected in 2021, so he has been here for three years. To put it mildly, he has been earning his keep over the past three years. I think that he has had a lot of work to do when it comes to ethics, and the House too, for that matter.

He talked a lot about how Mr. Anderson's example is not one that should be followed. Earlier, my colleague from Alberta mentioned the famous autocorrect defence. He said that almost nothing about Mr. Anderson's testimony made sense.

Was there anything specific, a specific statement or unanswered question that really struck the member for Trois‑Rivières for him to say that this is what we should be teaching people not to do before parliamentary committees?

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very relevant question. The list of things not to do is about as long as Mr. Anderson's appearance before the committee. He admitted that he lied. After someone admits to lying to a journalist, I no longer believe anything.

We have a business with three people, two of whom are called “Randy” and one of whom does not know the other. It is absolutely ludicrous. We have a lie. We have the “Randy” mystery. There is also a sort of flippant attitude. The witness said that he could do whatever he wanted, that he was untouchable. Honestly, I find that unfortunate. I presume that we are all here in good faith, but these actions undermine the public's trust in our good faith. That is unacceptable.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, of course, the discussion on this matter will continue in the House in the coming days. I want to announce now that I will be sharing my time.

Now, it is very clear, when we look at this scandal, that we need to get to the bottom of it. The NDP has always supported financial transparency. We know that the Conservatives are only interested in Liberal scandals. The Liberals are only interested when there is a Conservative scandal. According to the federal Department of Finance, the NDP is the only party that stands for sound fiscal management. That includes transparency, which means getting to the bottom of things. That is why we are supporting this motion.

The reality is that good fiscal management means using the tools of Parliament.

In the few minutes I have, I should flag some of the scandals I mentioned earlier, in which the Conservatives are only interested in the Liberals' scandals and the Liberals are only interested in the Conservatives' scandals. I was in the House when Conservatives refused to have any sort of investigation into any of their scandals. The following is just a partial list, which I will be able to elaborate on when this matter comes back before the House.

There is the ETS scandal, which was $400 million, and the Conservatives shut down any inquiry into what happened with that money. There is the Phoenix pay scandal, which we are still afflicted with, and it represents $2.2 billion. The Harper regime and the Conservatives were part of that. There is the F-35 procurement scandal, which I am told is worth billions. There is the $3.1 billion for anti-terrorism funding, and we simply do not know what that was spent on. There is the billion dollars that went into the G8 gazebos and other funding for the G8. In every single case, Conservatives shut down any sort of inquiry.

The NDP is supporting the motion to bring Mr. Anderson before the bar. This is extremely important. These are the tools of Parliament that should be used, and in a minority Parliament, we can use them. However, it is important to note that, every single time during the Harper regime, Conservatives refused to get any sort of information out to the public. They refused any sort of transparency. To boot, they cut back on funding for the Auditor General and the Parliamentary Budget Officer, two independent officers of Parliament whose jobs are to ensure transparency in the use of public funds.

I find it a bit hypocritical that Conservatives are saying they want to get to the bottom of this when they never want to get to the bottom of it when it is a Conservative scandal. Frankly, when we look at the amount of money the Conservatives misused in their terrible decade in power, it is much more than what has happened under the Liberals.

We are going to support the motion, but we are also going to call the Conservatives to account.

[The Deputy Speaker, Chris d'Entremont]

Having reached the expiry of the time provided for today's debate, the House will resume consideration on the privilege motion at another sitting of the House.

Situation in Lebanon and Israel

[The Deputy Speaker, Chris d'Entremont]

The House will now proceed to the consideration of a motion to adjourn the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter requiring urgent consideration, namely the situation in Lebanon and Israel.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

moved:

That this House do now adjourn.

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the incredible member for London—Fanshawe.

Today, I rise with a heavy heart to amplify the voices of Edmonton Strathcona constituents, the Lebanese-Canadian community and Canadians from across the country who are devastated by the escalating violence in the Middle East. Canadians believe in justice and fairness in a world where innocent lives, all innocent lives, are protected. We have a history of being peacekeepers, of convening others and of making diplomatic efforts that not only kept peace, but also built peace. However, now, for months, people have been telling me that that is not what they are seeing from the government.

A Canadian citizen of Lebanese heritage told me just this afternoon that she feels as though she does not belong, as though the government has turned its back on her and her human rights. Another individual told me that it is the double standard that is so horrifying to him. He asked me how the government can feel such empathy for Ukraine, and he was very clear that it should feel that empathy for Ukraine and for what is happening in Ukraine, but he questions why there is so little empathy for those who are from Palestine or Lebanon. This breaks my heart. The citizens of this country feel as though the government does not see their humanity, and this goes against everything we believe in as Canadians.

Tonight, we will speak to the crisis in Lebanon. We must. We must also speak to what happened today just hours ago. Iran launched missiles at Israel, further escalating this global crisis and threatening Israeli civilians. Every member of the House must unequivocally condemn this horrific escalation by Iran.

I want to be crystal clear: Civilians in Israel, in Gaza, in Lebanon and in the wider region are paying the price for the failures of world leaders. The world is on the brink of further violence because we have not been holding political leaders to the standards of international law, we have collectively tolerated the erosion of rules-based international order, we have not done enough to de-escalate and we have not countered the warmongering and the hate that is too prevalent among the powerful.

There is no military solution to this crisis. War crimes must not beget war crimes. If we continue down this path, there is nothing but death. For one year, we have witnessed the horrifying violence of Netanyahu's genocide in Gaza, which followed the terrible Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. For one year, our party has appealed to the Canadian government to do the hard work to secure a ceasefire, to implement a real arms embargo, to get Palestinians to safety, to return the hostages, to de-escalate and to save the lives of so many, including children and vulnerable people, especially Palestinians in Gaza, who are bearing the cost of political inaction and the betrayal of international law.

We are now here to discuss a new escalation of violence, the violence and aggression that may cost even more lives, including the lives of Canadians. All of us in the House have constituents who have loved ones in the Middle East. The Lebanese community in Canada includes hundreds of thousands of people. Around 45,000 Canadians currently live in Lebanon, and we already know that two have lost their lives. While Canada has offered limited consular services in the form of seats on commercial flights, we know that many people cannot reach the airports due to air strikes. There is no power. There is no Internet. There is chaos, and Lebanese Canadians have told me that they do not know where to turn.

Over the past several days, a thousand people have been killed in Lebanon, 6,000 have been wounded and one million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of Israeli air strikes. Israeli is bombing densely populated cities, and Hezbollah, a listed terrorist organization under Canadian law, is launching more rockets toward Israel. Tonight, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel, another frightening development that threatens Israeli civilians, who, like everyone else, deserve peace and to live in security. We know this could lead to a wider war.

There is retaliation after retaliation, and the escalation is terrifying. We are on the brink, and it is our duty, as parliamentarians and as Canadians, to not just call for a ceasefire, but to use every tool possible to bring about peace.

I want to be clear. Hezbollah is a listed terrorist organization under Canada law that has committed very serious crimes over the decades. Hezbollah and its leaders should be brought to justice, just as the Iranian regime, a sponsor of Hezbollah and Hamas, should be brought to justice. New Democrats have worked hard to ensure that Canada listed the IRGC as a terrorist organization. We worked hard to bring a motion to the House calling for the Toomaj sanctions against Iranian leaders.

However, the Iranian people are not the Iranian regime. The people of Lebanon are not Hezbollah. The people of Palestine are not Hamas. The people of Israel are not Netanyahu.

International law clearly states that civilians are never a target, not in Palestine, not in Lebanon, not in Israel and not in Iran. International law states, clearly, that wars have limits. The fundamental rule of international humanitarian law in conflict is that all parties must distinguish at all times between combatants and civilians. What we have seen over the past year with Israel's genocide in Gaza is that the Netanyahu government is ignoring its obligations under international law. There is no consideration for civilians.

Giving people a 30-minute warning that their homes are going to be bombed when they have nowhere to go does not absolve it of its responsibilities. That is not how international law works. Civilian protection is absolute. To suggest that these civilians do not matter or that they are collateral damage, whether they are Palestinian or Lebanese, is racism. It is deplorable. It is dehumanization, and it is intolerable.

The people of Lebanon are terrified that Lebanon will become the next Gaza. The people of Lebanon are still dealing with the worst economic crisis they have ever seen. They have not recovered from the explosion in the Port of Beirut. Their hospitals are short of medicine. The people of Lebanon do not want war. Children will bear the brunt of this war just as children in Gaza have borne the brunt of the genocide.

Just yesterday, Oxfam reported that more women and children were killed in Gaza by the Israeli military than in any other recent conflict in a single year. Thousands have fled for safety. Children are traumatized, and homes have been destroyed. I am grateful to the many humanitarians, medics and helpers who are doing everything they can to save lives and help the one million who have been displaced, but this is a political problem, and it will require a political solution.

Tonight, as we stand here in relative safety in Canada, afraid for what comes next and thinking of the traumatized children in Israel hiding in bomb shelters tonight, knowing that the displaced children in Lebanon and Gaza do not have bomb shelters and are equally traumatized, we have a duty to act.

The UN has called on Israel to end the ground incursion, which is a violation of UN resolutions and a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty. Israel has ignored an international request for a 21-day ceasefire, which Canada and many other states have asked for. Earlier today, the United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon stated:

What we feared has materialized. With strikes throughout Lebanon, including in the heart of Beirut, and incursions across the Blue Line, violence is spiralling to dangerous heights.

Every rocket and missile fired, every bomb dropped and every ground raid conducted pull the parties further from the vision set out in Security Council resolution 1701 (2006)....

This cycle of violence will not end well - for anyone. A sliver of opportunity remains for diplomacy to succeed. The question now is whether it will be seized or squandered.

Canada needs to act now. Canada needs to call on Israel to stop. There must be an arms embargo, including closing the loopholes that allow weapons to go through the U.S. We must put sanctions on Netanyahu's extremist government. It is clear that over the past year, none of the actions have made Israelis safer. We have spoken to many Israelis who are marching in the streets, opposing the government's violence, calling for a hostage deal and a ceasefire. Arab leaders, such as the Jordanian foreign minister, have stated clearly that Netanyahu is not a partner for peace. There are partners for peace in Israel, people who reject the dehumanization of others, people who yearn for peace and justice for all, but Netanyahu is not one of them.

New Democrats stand in solidarity with the innocent people of Lebanon, Palestine and Israel. Canada must do better.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a sincere question for the member. She said in her speech, “Hezbollah and its leaders should be brought to justice”, and that is good. I agree that Hezbollah and its leaders should be brought to justice. However, how would she propose that we go about achieving that objective? What process would she suggest be followed that would be effective in bringing Hezbollah and its leaders to justice?

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I want everyone in this House to think about if it were their children or their families. If they were in Ottawa and a foreign state bombed Ottawa, what would that feel like? I want everyone here to recognize that when we say it is okay to kill innocent civilians, we are dehumanizing those people, and that is appalling. No one is ever, under international law, allowed to have collective punishment. This is very clear. We have to protect the rights of innocent people. That is how international law works. The member should know this.

I am deeply disappointed that a member of the Conservative Party would stand and not recognize that what he is saying, in effect, is that the lives of Lebanese civilians, the innocent people in Lebanon, do not deserve the same support and respect as every other person.

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

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, the aspersions the member just cast are clearly inaccurate and unparliamentary. I ask that the Speaker call her to order on that.

[An hon. member]

Debate.

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

It is not debate at all.

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

I regret that the Chair did not hear the comments as there was a transition between two Speakers, but I will come back later on that point.

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Kitchener Centre.

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Edmonton Strathcona for ensuring this debate happened today. I also thank her for centring the implications on all civilians, whether they are Lebanese, Israeli or Palestinian.

In the member's speech, she spoke about the need for de-escalation and diplomacy. Obviously, there is a role for the Canadian government in that diplomatic effort. I wonder if she could elaborate on what she would like to see the government do better when it comes to moving forward our role on the world stage toward the diplomatic solutions for which, as she said, there is a sliver of opportunity remaining.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that is what we are debating today. There are some very important steps the government could take. Canada has a long history of being not just peacekeepers but peacebuilders, and has played that role with diplomacy. We are a G7 country. We have the ability to use the diplomatic tools at our disposal to work with our allies and bring things forward.

One key piece that needs to be done right now is an arms embargo. We need to ensure that no arms are getting to either side of the combatants, as they are using them against innocent civilians. We know there are loopholes that need to be closed.

We should also be using our sanctions effectively against Netanyahu and those within his administration. We have seen sanctions on Hamas. Absolutely, we support that, but frankly, we do not need them because it is a listed terrorist organization already. Any member of it is a listed terrorist. We also need to support the ICC and the ICJ, the international criminal justice system, not only in certain cases but in all cases.

[Kevin Vuong, Independent, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I feel an obligation to remind my NDP colleague that defence is not escalation. Since October 7, over 8,000 rockets have been fired at Israel. I would suggest that if people have been silent while those rockets have been fired, they are not advocates for peace but are apologists for a terrorist group.

Why have you been silent? I have looked at Hansard. You have mentioned Hezbollah once. You have tweeted about it only once, criticizing Israel when it responded to Hezbollah.

[The Speaker, Greg Fergus]

I have two things. First, I would like to remind all members that questions and answers should be put through the Chair and not directly to members. The second is to allow a member the time allotted. I did ask for a very brief question.

The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona can give a brief answer.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that is, frankly, not true. The New Democrats have been very clear on our stance. Since the very beginning, we have been clear that Hamas is a terrorist organization. We condemn what it did in Israel on October 7. That has been extraordinarily clear, and I have mentioned it multiple times in multiple different forums.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona for bringing this emergency debate forward tonight. She has been an incredible advocate and fighter for so many people who need a voice in this place. I am so grateful for her advocacy every single day.

I want to acknowledge the extremely disturbing and unacceptable recent attack in my community that targeted Muslim women who were wearing hijabs in front of their children and family members. I continuously want to say that I cannot believe this happened in my hometown, the place I grew up in, but I cannot say that anymore. This level of hatred has reared its ugly head in my hometown far too often.

Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian hate are on the rise across our country. Londoners have endured so much. They saw the tragic killing of our London family. They have watched their family members being killed in Israel, Sudan, Gaza and now in Lebanon. We all need to recognize how our the words we say in this place on what is happening in the Middle East can turn to horrible acts at home. The vilification of Muslims, Palestinians and Jewish people is fuelling the rise of hate and the dehumanization of our fellow Canadians. They need all parties in this place to come together and fight for justice and peace in the Middle East.

Almost a full year ago, the NDP fought for a ceasefire. We called for the release of the hostages, a de-escalation and the protection of innocent civilians from Israel's siege on Gaza. The Palestinian community was repeatedly told that this would be a short incursion to defeat Hamas, but nearly one year later those bombings have only increased. We have seen over 40,000 Palestinians killed, including many children. We have seen the indiscriminate bombing of Palestinian schools and hospitals. We have witnessed the occurrence of war crimes. We have watched in horror as a short incursion turned into a genocide.

Now there is a ground incursion into Lebanon. Lebanon has already suffered the deadliest day of war since 2006, with hundreds of rockets attacking it. Lebanese Canadians are worried sick for their loved ones, many of whom are trapped or fleeing their homes and are seeing the communities they love destroyed. My constituents have directly told me again and again that they do not want war, that the people of Lebanon deserve to live in peace and to rebuild their country.

As the member for Edmonton Strathcona stated, which I think bears repeating, tonight we are here to speak to the crisis in Lebanon, but only hours ago, Iran launched missiles at Israel, further escalating this global crisis and threatening more civilians. We unequivocally condemn this. Civilians in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region are paying for our political failures. She said this very clearly. We have seen an escalation of violence because we have not held up a universal standard of international law. We have tolerated the erosion of the rules-based international order.

Lebanese Canadians deserve the full protection of our government. The Minister of Defence said that he is not confident the Canadian Armed Forces could do mass evacuations of Lebanese Canadians. This is unacceptable. These Canadians are fleeing an invasion by a country Canada describes as an ally. There have already been reports of Canadians dying in Lebanon, and the government is still not coordinating a military evacuation. It is shameful that these Canadians are being told to evacuate by commercial flights on their own dime.

Lebanese Canadians are worried about getting their loved ones back after seeing how the Liberals have handled the special measures immigration program for Palestinians. A recent report by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East shows that the temporary resident visa program for Gazans was intended to fail. Despite increasing the shameful racist and arbitrary cap from 1,000 to 5,000, no one has been able to come to Canada. Palestinians who have been able to arrive have done so on their own with no help from the government.

Let me be clear. Canada can stand up for Lebanese Canadians and their loved ones, can stand up for international law and can stand up to Israel's horrific war crimes, but the government lacks the courage to do so. This is something I have heard repeatedly from my constituents. They have a continual disappointment in the Liberal government.

The Canadian Armed Forces has a presence in the region. It is stationed. It could be called upon to assist in the evacuation of Lebanese Canadians. We can stand up to Netanyahu's extremist government, clearly stating that we will not diplomatically support Israel's ongoing genocide and will not support its invasion and bombing of Lebanon, and we can sanction its war cabinet. We can stand up to the Israel Defense Forces by implementing an immediate arms embargo on Israel. We can stand up to the United States, making it clear that we will review the U.S.-Canada defence production sharing agreement and not allow Canadian-made arms to be used in war crimes by Israel. However, the government refuses to do so.

Today, we need to call on all parties to recognize an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon. The war between the extremist Netanyahu regime and Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, has led to 1,000 deaths, 6,000 wounded and more than one million displaced in Lebanon. War crimes must not beget war crimes. We need to stand up for Lebanese civilians who do not want to see their country face another war. They have struggled for so many years to rebuild their country, to rebuild their systems and to rebuild their infrastructure. Lebanon is already facing the worst economic crisis in history, endured because of the largest non-nuclear explosion ever recorded. Lebanon needs our support.

The Government of Canada must work with the international community to ensure that UN resolution 1701 is implemented in Lebanon in full and immediately. We need to ensure that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon are respected. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has clearly stated that “any crossing into Lebanon is in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity” and is a violation of resolution 1701. It urges “all actors to step back from such escalatory acts which will only lead to more violence and more bloodshed”. The price of continuing the current course of action is too high. Civilians have to be protected, civilian infrastructure must not be targeted and international law has to be respected.

I cannot imagine what it must be like for someone to watch news reports of their country of birth being bombed, to see their home destroyed, a home they had grown up in, and to see all the memories wiped away. Staff in my offices are impacted by this. Staff here in this place are impacted. They do not know where their loved ones are. They cannot get a hold of them. I cannot imagine that terror and witnessing friends displaced and desperate. They are literally holding their breath in fear, hoping desperately they will not get bad news.

To all of those people, I am so sorry that Canada is not the strength that it needs to be. These people, who have given so much to this institution, to the work that we are supposed to go forward with, cannot rely upon this country, where they have made their home, for the support they need for the family members, friends and neighbours still there. I have held countless constituents while they cry about this.

However, I say that we can stand up, that Canada can be a force for peace. We can be. I ask this place to do that, for my constituents and for all Lebanese Canadians, Israeli Canadians and Palestinian Canadians. We need to do better.

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

Mr. Speaker, as leaders in this Parliament, it is critically important that we speak for universal human solidarity and empathy. Clearly, we believe that the dignity of the human person is universal and not dependent on any factor, such as citizenship, national origin place, age, degree of vulnerability, etc. From that basic moral ground, we have to think about policy actions that will concretely make a difference.

I asked the previous NDP speaker a serious question and did not get an answer at all. I just got personal insults. The previous member said that Hezbollah and its leaders should be brought to justice. The question is, how would the NDP propose to bring Hezbollah and its leaders to justice?