Pierre Pettigrew

[Foreign Affairs, April 6th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we have in the past withdrawn the ambassador and that has led nowhere. We need to articulate our case in Iran at the highest level and very strongly.

Yesterday when I spoke to the Iranian foreign minister I asked him when the appeal will take place. The family has asked for an appeal. The family is committed to having an appeal. The Iranian government has not yet announced that date. This is another request on top of the autopsy request we made yesterday, and we need to pursue our case all the time at the highest possible level.

[Passports, April 6th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, the American demand of a passport is on its own citizens and not specifically on Canadian citizens. The Americans will treat Canadian citizens as they treat American citizens. It has nothing to do with yesterday's Auditor General's report, who has acknowledged that our Passport Office, and I quote from her very report:

The Passport Office has improved its recording and sharing of information on lost and stolen passports...The Passport Office has made significant progress.

I have another quote and I could go on because there are lots, but I can tell the House that we have done our work and the Auditor General--

[Foreign Affairs, April 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, it is the opposition that is waking up. This is the very work we have been doing and that we have been involved in. He can go back to the United Nations General Assembly last year and this year again. He should read the speech I made last month in Geneva at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

This morning I reiterated a demand I have made, and one which the Minister of National Defence made in the past, and this is something we will not give up on. We know that Iran has presented us with lies and cover-ups and this is totally unacceptable.

[Foreign Affairs, April 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, this is very much what the Government of Canada has been doing. For two years in a row, it has been Canada, at the very United Nations to which the member is referring, that has been sponsoring a resolution condemning the situation of human rights in Iran. For two years in a row we received the support of the international community. We will continue to put pressure on Iran, as I did this morning when I called the minister of foreign affairs of Iran.

[Foreign Affairs, April 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, just this morning I telephoned the Iranian foreign affairs minister. I reminded him of the Government of Canada's formal requests over the past two years to repatriate Ms. Kazemi's body so that we can conduct an independent autopsy to confirm what Dr. Aazam revealed last week.

This morning I asked the Iranian foreign minister to repatriate the body of Madam Kazemi to Canada. I have asked him that we conduct a third party autopsy to verify--

[Passports, April 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, in March, Passport Canada signed a memorandum of understanding with Correctional Service Canada which directly addresses the concern that was raised in the Auditor General's report.

While examiners have already checked watch lists, the MOU means they have instant electronic access to the names of individuals who are either incarcerated or on parole who may not be eligible for a passport. This has been the case for the past month and that has been acknowledged by the Auditor General as well.

[Passports, April 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that the opposition has asked this question. What the member did not say is that the Auditor General has also said that they have not found one single example of a passport that had been given to someone who should not have had it, not one single example.

The Auditor General has brought to our attention a number of difficulties and challenges that other countries meet as well. She has acknowledged that she has worked with Passport Canada. Passport Canada has started to work on some of these issues and all other issues are being resolved right now.

[Iran, April 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the hon. member has been. For two years, this government has said in this House to all Canadians that what happened in Iran is murder. The member is saying we should state it strongly and clearly for once. For two years, we have been saying what Dr. Azam has just stated.

We helped him come to Canada precisely to show the world that Canada, in its crusade against Iran, with its lack of respect for human rights, deserves the support of the international community. It is by working as a team and with the other members of the international community that we will see justice done in Iran.

[Iran, April 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we have facilitated Dr. Azam's coming to this country precisely because we wanted to say to the face of the planet exactly what took place in Iran. Dr. Azam's troubling elements, this very troubling demonstration, is something that we can absolutely put to every other country. We have been working hard with the international community to maintain pressure on Iran. We have been doing it at the United Nations commission in Geneva. We have done it in New York. We will continue until justice is rendered.

[Foreign Affairs, March 24th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I was in Geneva at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. I told the commission exactly what the position of Canada was.

We support Kofi Annan's great efforts in wanting to renew the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. We believe there is a better way of dealing with these situations. We really want to support Kofi Annan and the United Nations reform in the next few weeks.