Bill Graham

[Government Appointments, June 10th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that Mr. Gagliano is listed on our web site as assigned to Copenhagen, and he will continue to be our ambassador in Copenhagen.

[Government Appointments, June 10th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker—

[Foreign Affairs, June 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, clearly this is a responsibility for the Israeli government. We believe that it is sincerely committed to the peace process and it is working very hard. We congratulate Prime Minister Sharon and the efforts that he is making, along with all the parties in the Middle East, to try to come around to the road map and make sure it works.

This is a specific issue that relates to international legal obligations of Israel in respect of individuals who will be going into Gaza. We are sure that it can be worked out by them consistent with international law and other legal principles which govern their occupation there.

[Foreign Affairs, June 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his interest in this subject which he has pursued with the intensity with which we are familiar. I think it is very important that we do.

I recognize that this is an obligation of the government, which was in fact in the Speech from the Throne some years ago. It is something for which I am personally committed. The hon. member and all members of the House know that there are serious political issues here in Canada. We wish to work with our colleagues in the Atlantic provinces to ensure the fishing issues are addressed.

I believe that when the straddling stocks convention is signed with the Europeans this fall that opportunity will be done and we will be working both domestically and--

[Middle East, June 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, as the spokesperson for this area in the House, the government has representation both in Tel Aviv and in Ramallah. We work closely with the authorities. We have constantly urged upon the Palestinian Authority to engage in a positive dialogue with Israel to ensure its security. We have worked closely with our Israeli compatriots to say that they should go for the road map and accept the obligations under it.

The government is active. Canadians want us to be active in this. I can assure him and the House that the Prime Minister, myself and all of us with responsibilities in that area will be pursuing the possibility of peace. We congratulate, strongly, President Bush on his--

[Foreign Affairs, June 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as usual the hon. member phrases his question in a way that suggests the government does nothing on these issues. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it is exactly opposite.

Every time I have met with the foreign minister of Iran and every time the Prime Minister has spoken with the Iranian authorities we have insisted that they stop their support of terror. We do that publicly and we do it privately. We use the contacts that we have with all governments in the world to stop terror.

It is a totally false indication to the House and to the Canadian public to suggest that we do anything else. We will continue to pursue those in a positive way.

[Foreign Affairs, June 5th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, Canada fully protested the action of the junta in Burma. We are still taking firm action vis-à-vis Burma. We support the re-establishment of democracy in Burma. We will continue to make efforts to ensure that democracy prevails in Burma and we are working with all of the opposition in Burma to ensure this outcome.

[Foreign Affairs, May 15th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, this is an extremely important issue for us. We have had regular contact with the Colombian government on this issue and have asked it to intervene, to negotiate with FARC and other rebels in Columbia.

This is a very tense and very difficult situation. The Colombian government assures us that it is working with the United Nations. We are always there to work toward finding a solution to a problem that is threatening the lives of several people.

[Foreign Affairs, May 15th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, one thing I can promise the hon. member and the House is that the government is looking at how Canada can benefit the Iraqi people in the best way possible through an active process of engaging the international community and all parties involved. We do not believe it is helpful to turn it into a domestic political football for the opposition's purposes.

[Foreign Affairs, May 15th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member pointed out, that resolution has just been deposited. It is being given considered by the members of the Security Council.

He has accurately stated the position of the Government of Canada. We wish to see the sanctions lifted as quickly as possible. We are actively participating and looking not only at humanitarian relief, but also at how we can help reconstruct and rebuild Iraq. In so doing, we want to work with the international community in the fullest way possible both, as the United States and the United Kingdom have said, through agencies of the United Nations and with them in their roles. We will be looking at ways in which we can play the most positive role for the benefit of the Iraqi people.