Bill Graham

[Iraq, April 10th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, there are no prerequisite conditions. In all cases, we will be looking at two things.

There is the provision of aid, which is one thing. Reconstruction is another. That is what we will be looking at. But since everyone has said that the UN has a critical role to play, and given the role being played by our colleagues, the British and the Americans, we will work together with everyone to ensure the well-being of the people of Iraq.

[Iraq, April 10th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we are in close contact with the American and British authorities and many others to discuss how we can be of help in the reconstruction of Iraq. There is the humanitarian aid issue and there is the reconstruction issue.

The Prime Minister has made it very clear that Canada will be there. President Bush has made it clear that the United Nations will be playing a vital role.

We will be tailoring our aid to that which will enable the Iraqi people to get back on their feet in the context of working with our allies, our friends, the United States, the United Kingdom and through the multilateral institutions in which traditionally Canada has been very strong.

[Foreign Affairs, April 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, I asked the Cuban ambassador to meet with me. I also sent a letter to my Cuban counterpart expressing Canada's disappointment as well as our complete disapproval of the policies that led to these unreasonable and unacceptable sentences for journalists and others who work for freedom in Cuba. We will continue to remonstrate with the Cuban government in order to have this practice abolished.

[Iraq, April 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has indicated, Canada will be joining with those who intend to move on, now, to the phase of humanitarian aid and reconstruction, rather than hurling recriminations, which will do nothing for the people of Iraq. We want to move on to a positive phase. We will be providing aid to the people of Iraq.

[Iraq, April 9th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we are in regular contact with all of our allies. I was in Europe last week precisely to discuss the situation in Iraq.

Obviously, we all take the position that the number of innocent civilian victims should be kept as low as possible. We congratulate the Americans and British on the efforts they have made to reduce the number of innocent civilian victims in this conflict. They have made great efforts and we commend them for that.

[Iraq, April 9th, 2003]

This matter will of course, Mr. Speaker, be dealt with in accordance with the traditional way in which the international rules apply to changes of government. The government has often dealt with this type of situation and we will continue to do so in the normal way.

[Foreign Affairs, April 7th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, better than many of us in the House because he works very closely with his Taiwanese colleagues, the government and the Canadian people have great, good close links with the Government of Taiwan and with the people of Taiwan.

As the member also knows, the rules of the WTO are such that only nation states recognized by the United Nations can join the WTO, and therefore we work with Taiwan through collaborative centres such as the CDC and others, the United States, to provide Taiwan with up to date information. We are confident we are doing everything we can to work with the Taiwanese people to contain such epidemics.

[Canada-U.S. Relations, April 7th, 2003]

Of one thing we can be certain, Mr. Speaker, and I hope the Canadian public notes that if the voice of the party opposite is the voice that is heard, we are guaranteed to have trouble with our American partners. We are working on making them better, not worse.

[Canada-U.S. Relations, April 7th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, if one looked at the recent speeches of the Ambassador of the United States to Canada,one would see how good the relationship is between Canada and the United States. Read the speeches. He talks about the agreements we have signed together, the things we do together, the things that join us.

Why does the opposition not join with the Americans, ourselves and others in the world who want to find out what joins us in working together rather than searching always for what divides us and sets us apart?

[Iraq, April 7th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of the efforts made by Canadian NGOs. Our government promised humanitarian aid in Iraq. We will work with the United Nations. We will work with NGOs. We will work with any country to provide Canadian resources to the Iraqi people, whom we want to support in this difficult time.