Mr. Speaker, has the Prime Minister ascertained that the UN resolutions allow the peacekeepers to retaliate and assure their own safety in case the Serb forces carry out their bombing threats?
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 45% of the vote.
Bosnia November 29th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, has the Prime Minister ascertained that the UN resolutions allow the peacekeepers to retaliate and assure their own safety in case the Serb forces carry out their bombing threats?
Bosnia November 29th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we have learned that Bosnian Serb forces have stepped up their offensive against the Muslim enclave of Bihac, where 70,000 people are literally under siege along with 1,200 powerless peacekeepers. Meanwhile, the noose is tightening considerably around the peacekeepers in Visoko, whom the Bosnian Serb army is threatening to bomb within 48 hours.
Does the Prime Minister confirm the information that the Bosnian Serb army is about to bomb the Canadian peacekeepers' base in Visoko?
Bosnia November 28th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, does the Prime Minister share General Rose's views about a possible withdrawal of all peacekeepers from Bosnia, and does he agree that such a withdrawal will only lead to a escalation of the Serb offensive, with dire consequences for the civilian population and thousands of refugees who will be left without help or humanitarian aid?
Bosnia November 28th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the mobility of the 55 Canadians have been severely curtailed, in the situation that now prevails in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Could the Prime Minister tell the House whether the Serb authorities have reacted officially to the request by the United States, Russia, France, Germany and Great Britain for a cease-fire at Bihac?
Bosnia November 28th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the situation continues to deteriorate in Bosnia, where 55 Canadian peacekeepers are still being kept hostage. In an obvious attempt at intimidation, Serb forces launched rockets yesterday near observation posts manned by Canadian peacekeepers near Visoko. The United States, France, Russia, Germany and Great Britain are asking for an immediate cease-fire at Bihac and in all combat zones in Bosnia Hercegovina, while General Michael Rose, commander-in-chief of the 24,000 peacekeepers in Bosnia, mentioned the possibility of withdrawing the UN peacekeepers in view of the escalation of armed conflict.
Could the Prime Minister confirm that the 55 Canadian peacekeepers being kept hostage are being treated well and that negotiations with the Serb authorities for their release are still deadlocked?
National Defence November 25th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, as for the constraints of the inquiry now under way and the trials, I will remind the minister that he has already taken a first step, at our request, and moved the inquiry ahead of any possible appeal process. We think that he should continue in this direction and instead of asking senior army officers to keep the military from talking about the events in Somalia, does the minister not believe that he should act as openly as possible and announce right now whether he intends to entrust the powers of a real commission of public inquiry to those who will have to investigate the situation in Somalia?
National Defence November 25th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, since many very important facts were covered up in the first investigation on the events in Somalia, does the minister not agree that his duty requires him to launch the public inquiry immediately to get to the bottom of these events, thus eliminating or reducing the risk of undue pressure being brought to bear on potential witnesses in this affair?
National Defence November 25th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, last night, on the French CBC program Le Point , Major Armstrong told us about another aspect of the unfortunate events which took place in Somalia and confirmed that Canadian soldiers had literally lured Somalis with water and food before capturing them and treating them in the way we have all heard about.
Responding to the demands of the Official Opposition, the defence minister decided to move up the inquiry on the incidents in Somalia and announced that it would begin early in the new year.
My question is for the Minister of Defence. Given the horror of these new revelations, why does the minister not initiate the public inquiry right now, so that the crimes committed in Somalia can be elucidated as soon as possible?
Business Of The House November 24th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my hon. colleague, the Secretary of State, the usual question put to him on Thursdays as to what the legislative agenda will be for the next few days?
Post-Secondary Education November 24th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we note that the Prime Minister did not take the opportunity to reassure the academic community.
How can he justify his government's attack on post-secondary education when Canada's major challenge is to compete internationally with other industrialized countries by relying on increasingly well-educated people? How can he justify his position?