John Reynolds

[G-8 Summit, April 11th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, since the government has made the head of the RCMP a deputy minister we have had a lot of assurances from the RCMP about the government. It is not acceptable to the Canadian people.

The preparation for the G-8 meeting has been bungled from the beginning by the government. As we heard yesterday, Hezbollah terrorists have boasted to CSIS, which is government too, that they have the ability to launch terror attacks in this country at will. The Ressam case made it clear that we have a problem with terrorists in this country. How much will this appalling lack of judgment add to the overall cost of security at the Kananaskis summit?

[G-8 Summit, April 11th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure our G-8 partners are very happy now that the minister has made that statement, but security experts, experts in the field, have said that the government's move was rather stupid and naive, while others have warned that Canada's international reputation will suffer.

How can the government assure our partners that their heads of states and governments will be safe at Kananaskis, not to mention the safety those who live in that area?

[G-8 Summit, April 11th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, we always knew that the government was taking security in the country lightly but we never knew how shockingly indifferent the government was until today.

The government has carelessly and foolishly put extremely sensitive documents related to the upcoming G-8 summit on the Internet. Does the government believe that terrorists and others who would disrupt this summit cannot surf the web?

[Middle East, April 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, talk in the House is cheap, but the government has not done the job. Senior military personnel have informed the government that forces are seriously overstretched. The government's soldiers are telling it that. A few weeks ago the chief of the army, General Mike Jeffery, said that “The army is being run into the ground by overcommitment and it is living on borrowed time”.

We all support the forces. With the forces leadership telling the government that the military is at the end of its rope, will the Deputy Prime Minister tell us exactly who, if anyone, is providing the Prime Minister with advice and why is the Prime Minister making promises that Canada cannot keep?

[Middle East, April 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, there is no question there is a flip-flop. The Deputy Prime Minister would not even let the Minister of Foreign Affairs answer to clear up the air.

It seems that the Prime Minister may have promised more than Canada can deliver. While we all agree that Canada should be more engaged, the reality is that the Canadian army is presently having great difficulties just by sending 1,600 troops in Bosnia and another 900 or so in Afghanistan.

The chief of defence, General Henault, says that we cannot sustain both the Bosnia mission and the Afghanistan mission. From where exactly are the troops for the potential Middle East peacekeeping mission supposed to come?

[Middle East, April 10th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that the Prime Minister has been away from Canada so long that he does not know what Canada can do or should be doing in the Middle East or what the Minister of Foreign Affairs has said Canada would do.

Now the government has flip-flopped by the Prime Minister offering to send troops into the Middle East conflict. Only a short while ago, the foreign affairs minister said that Canada would only commit peacekeepers if both parties came to an agreement. It is pretty clear there is no agreement.

How can the Minister of Foreign Affairs explain this flip-flop in Canadian policy?

[Middle East, April 9th, 2002]

That sure answered that question, did it not, Mr. Speaker?

Yesterday we asked if Canada was supporting President Bush's efforts to have the Israelis withdraw from the territories. President Bush has also demanded at the same time that Yasser Arafat denounce terrorism as a tactic.

Canada has some clout with Arafat and the Palestinian authority. I would ask the foreign affairs minister to tell Canadians if we are using any of that clout to persuade Chairman Arafat to denounce terrorism as President Bush has requested.

[Middle East, April 9th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, we realize the government can only do so much, but it would appear to Canadians that it is doing very little or is sitting idly by.

The crisis may soon be hitting Canadians in the pocketbook if Iraq decides to stop the flow of oil in support of the Palestinian side in this crisis. Could the Deputy Prime Minister explain what, if anything, Canada is doing to ensure that this crisis does not stop the flow of oil?

[Middle East, April 9th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it is still not clear that the government is doing anything sensible to bring peace and security to the Middle East. It is clear that Syria and Iraq are in fact stirring up as much trouble as they can, either inside or near Israel and the Palestinian authority, to suit their own needs. If these two troublemaker regimes were brought to heel, both the Palestinians and Israelis would be safer.

Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs explain why Canada has not put any pressure on Syria or Iraq to back away from supporting organizations or others who are waging a war of terror in this region?

[Middle East, April 8th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, if we recall the government's activity we would have no peace on either side. Both sides are wrong. We all know that. We must ensure they know we feel that way.

My next question is for the solicitor general. In the last several days we witnessed a spate of violent acts against synagogues and other sites in Canada, including a horrible attack against an institution at the heart of Saskatoon's Jewish community.

Could the solicitor general explain to Canadians what specific actions are being taken to find those responsible for these crimes and to ensure we have no further attacks?