House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2011, with 26% of the vote.
Committees of the House June 19th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on his speech about the fact that the government's behaviour toward Omar Khadr is beyond all comprehension.
I would like my colleague to explain what fate awaits Omar Khadr if he goes to military trial in Guantanamo. If he is repatriated, what would happen to him when he arrives here?
Omar Khadr June 18th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the question was for the related minister, and I would like him to have the courage to rise in this House to defend his actions.
Although a majority report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development called for his repatriation, the Conservatives, in their dissenting opinion, claimed that he could represent a danger to Canada, but acknowledged that it was not very likely he would be convicted here.
Is the only reason for the Conservative government's inconsistency in the Omar Khadr case that it does not want to offend its friend, George W. Bush?
Omar Khadr June 18th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was ratified by Canada, defines a “child” as “every human being below the age of eighteen years”.
Omar Khadr was imprisoned at the age of 15. By not bringing him back to Canada, the government is complicit with the United States, a country that does not respect the spirit or the letter of the Optional Protocol on Child Soldiers, which Canada has also ratified.
Does the government realize that by refusing to repatriate Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen, it is renouncing Canada's signature—
Foreign Affairs June 17th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the approval order refers to benefits for Lake Ontario, while offering no guarantees for the St. Lawrence River or Quebec's interests. In the name of fairness, benefits must be guaranteed both upstream and downstream from the dam.
Does the minister intend to register his opposition if the commission goes ahead with the new order?
Foreign Affairs June 17th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, according to Nature Québec representatives, the international joint commission's new water level management plan could have dire consequences for the St. Lawrence River and cause the disappearance of Lac Saint-Pierre, which UNESCO has designated as a biosphere reserve.
Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us if the government intends to support this new plan?
Interparliamentary Delegations June 12th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canadian branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, respecting its participation in the meeting of the political committee of the APF held in Strasbourg, France, on April 10 and 11, 2008.
100th Birthday of Salvador Allende June 9th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, Salvador Allende was born in Valparaiso in 1908. He earned a medical degree at the University of Chile. He began his political career by co-founding the Socialist Party of Chile. He then became a member of parliament, minister of health and a senator. His political involvement continued all the way to the presidency of Chile in 1970. He died during the coup d'état on September 11, 1973.
Despite the difficulties that followed his election, he implemented an extensive government program by distributing wealth and creating a socialist economic context.
Here, as elsewhere, the Chilean community—some 12,000 people in Quebec—will come together to celebrate the 100th birthday of this exceptional defender of human, economic, social and cultural rights.
By acknowledging the presence on the Hill of Michelle Bachelet, the President of Chile, my colleagues from the Bloc Québécois and I add our voices to those of the Chilean community in saluting this 100th birthday.
Pearson Peacekeeping Centre June 5th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, last December, the Minister of International Cooperation said that the government did not plan on closing the Montreal office of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre. In March, she told me in this House that she would look into it and get back to me. It is now several months later, and the Montreal office is empty and calls are being transferred to the Ottawa office.
Will the minister admit that the Montreal office of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre is, in fact, closed?
Foreign Affairs May 29th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' foreign affairs policy is simple: broadcast information from their international counterparts that was shared in confidence and broadcast their incompetence—the Brodie affair, the blunder with the governor of Kandahar and then this morning's gaffe. Incompetence is obviously not limited to the member for Beauce.
Is the incompetence of the Prime Minister himself not the problem?
Foreign Affairs May 29th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, this morning Canada proudly announced that Italy would modify its rules of engagement in Afghanistan. But this information was false. The Prime Minister's inner circle had to scramble to rectify matters because the information had already hit newsrooms throughout North America.
Do the Conservatives really want to show the world that their foreign affairs policy is characterized by amateurism and incompetence?