Pierre Pettigrew

[National Defence, December 1st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the amendment to NORAD is something we decided in August last year. It was announced. The Prime Minister spoke with the opposition party leaders. It was completely transparent.

As for the missile defence shield, I repeat, the Government of Canada made no commitments at that time. We are having discussions with the Americans on a certain number of specific goals. There has been no pressure from the President of the United States as the hon. member implies. The decision will be made in Canada in the best interests of Canadians.

[National Defence, December 1st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, absolutely not. What we have done in the amendment to NORAD is to enable NORAD to receive certain information on which to base its actions. In any case, the decision to take part in the missile defence shield is one that will be made here, in Canada, with the contribution of Canada's Parliament, in the best interests of Canadians.

[Foreign Affairs, November 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, this is a day that we have been honouring at the United Nations for 27 years. Our solidarity with the Palestinian people is very important.

Canada will continue to promote the security and safety of the Palestinian refugees and to find a solution in the Middle East. Members can count on our country to put forward its very best efforts at this time.

I am very pleased that the member has given me the opportunity to celebrate this 27th anniversary of solidarity with the Palestinian people

[Ukraine, November 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, let me reiterate the Canadian position, which has been quite clear. We have had many conversations with the European Union, with Javier Solana who is in Kiev right now. I have had conversations with Joschka Fischer, the German foreign minister. We have rejected the results of this election. I have now asked my officials at the embassy in Kiev to attend the supreme court proceedings in that country.

We commend the Ukrainian people for maintaining their protest peacefully. We hope that there will be a resolution in that direction and that Russia will respect that process as well.

[National Defence, November 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was very clear. We are well aware that we have a defence system with NORAD. Canada has always done its part, has always been responsible and shared responsibility for the defence of the North American continent.

As regards the missile defence shield, we are having discussions with the United States. We have established a number of criteria, including the non-weaponization of space, Canada's sovereignty, and the integrity of our territory. Discussions will also take place here, and a vote will even be held in Parliament. Hon. members will then have the opportunity to express their views.

However, there is no pressure on the part of the White House at this point. We will take—

[National Defence, November 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister made it very clear. In August, we made a decision on the amendment to NORAD, a defence system that has been serving the interests of Canadians very well for nearly 50 years, that is, since it was established.

Naturally, this amendment to NORAD now gives this organization room to move and enables it to receive information which will surely be very useful for the defence of our continent in the future.

[Regional Economic Development, November 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague from regional economic development always has the interests of all the regions of Quebec, especially those of Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, very close to his heart. He will certainly look into this matter when he gets back from the summit of the Francophonie.

[Official Languages, November 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for this important question. I am proud of our history and linguistic duality, which are among Canada's best features and assets internationally.

We constantly strive to improve the delivery of our services in both official languages. We have in excess of 160 missions throughout the world, and over 5,000 employees in those missions, so this is a major challenge.

Our foreign missions all provide services in both official languages, sometimes in difficult conditions. Consular services are always provided in French and English. Web pages for Canadians are always available in English and in French—

[Softwood Lumber, November 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade has continued a wide strategy over softwood lumber, which is paying off for Canadians. We absolutely want to resolve the softwood lumber dispute that we have had with the United States for a long time. It is clear that the Prime Minister will raise it next week when the President visits us. I certainly have the intention of raising it with Secretary of State Colin Powell as well.

We will continue to fight for the softwood lumber producers of British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, producers across the country.

[Foreign Affairs, November 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleagues know, “The Responsibility to Protect” is the title of the final report of an expert panel struck by Canada to study the issue of humanitarian response.

Our objective is to ensure that the international community has both the tools and the will to respond to future tragedies such as the ones in Darfur and Rwanda. Our efforts are starting to pay off. Now, we are hoping that the United Nations will adopt the principles as its own. The Prime Minister, our officials and I are striving to achieve the necessary consensus on this objective in support of the responsibility to protect.