Dawn Black

[Afghanistan, November 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, somehow I do not think a phone call is going to cut it.

The government should not be proud of the fact that it is reporting cases of abuse and torture. It should be ashamed that we are not doing the job that we are obligated to do under international agreements we have signed.

Right now, Canadian policy is to hand over detainees to the Afghan authorities and hope they do the best they can. I am sorry, I am truly sorry, but the men and women of the Canadian Forces deserve better from the government.

Why does the government continue to place our--

[Afghanistan, November 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been forced to release thousands of pages of reports that detail abuse and torture in Afghanistan.

Despite being obligated under the detainee agreement to track all prisoners captured by Canadian Forces, the documents clearly show it does not have the resources to do the job. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has said again that it does not have the resources to do the job either.

Will the government admit it has failed to live up to the agreement, and what steps will it take to ensure that it--

[National Defence, October 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report on military health care found serious problems. Many of the medical practitioners interviewed could not provide accreditation and there was no system for monitoring the quality of care at clinics.

Soldiers returning from Afghanistan are facing long lineups for mental health care and other services. The forces can track every bolt bought for a frigate, but it does not know how many soldiers are standing in line, waiting for mental health care.

Returning members of the forces should not have to wait in line to get health care. Why are they waiting?

[Arms Sales, October 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, how can we believe the government when it will not even produce the figures when it is supposed to? Releasing these numbers is a matter of law, and refusing to table these numbers shows contempt for Parliament and Canadians.

What is it that the government is afraid of? Is it afraid of the reaction when ordinary Canadians find out that their government is flogging small arms to war-ravaged third world countries? When we ask foreign countries to be accountable for their arms sales, why will Canada not do the same?

[Arms Sales, October 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has become one of the world's largest exporters of guns, military equipment and munitions. Canada is now the sixth largest exporter of arms in the world; not a list that many Canadians would be happy to see us so high on. Many of these weapons built in Canada eventually end up in the wrong hands.

How many weapons has Canada exported this year? Why has the government failed to provide this information on foreign arms sales? And why the lack of transparency?

[Afghanistan, October 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Prime Minister's Office is fuming over this trip. There is nothing that the Conservatives hate more than a script that they have not written.

The government is spending $86 million a month on this war. An extension of 10 years would mean a bill reaching over $10 billion.

Serious questions are being raised about civilian control over the Department of National Defence. Who is calling the shots? Who is calling the shots with the Department of National Defence? Is it the minister or is it the general?

[Afghanistan, October 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, in a display designated to demonstrate who is really in charge of the war, the Chief of the Defence Staff made an impromptu visit to Kandahar. He stated clearly that Canada should be in Afghanistan for another 10 years.

I have two questions. First, did General Hillier inform the defence minister of his plans or did he inform the Prime Minister? Second, why is the assessment of the war by General Hillier so wildly different than that of the government in its own throne speech?

[Government Contracts, October 24th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, what is the Afghan law? I know the government is obsessed with privatization, but the privatization of war goes beyond anything I could imagine.

NATO countries are refusing to take Canada's place in the south because they see what the government refuses to see. For that reason, NATO is now obligated to rent helicopters and hire pilots of fortune in Afghanistan. These old Russian helicopters are largely undefended.

Will the minister promise today that no Canadian soldier will travel in undefended aircraft and that the pilots and air crew will come under the command of the Canadian Forces?

[Government Contracts, October 24th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, when I was in Kandahar last January, I met contractors who were employees of DynCorp.

Recently a U.S. State Department audit found that little or no work was done for the $1.2 billion it paid to DynCorp.

I ask the Minister of National Defence this. Are the private security contractors hired by the government subject to the same rules of engagement as the Canadian Forces? Will he table the contracts that his government has signed with these private mercenaries in the House of Commons?

[Speech from the Throne, October 24th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, when I chat with folks in my community they tell me they are struggling to get by.

New Westminster, Coquitlam and Port Moody are wonderful cities where families can put down roots and build their lives. It is where I chose to raise my family and where I enjoy seeing my children in turn raise their kids.

However, middle class families in my riding are barely scraping by. Over and over again, I hear that people are working harder and harder for less reward. They simply cannot afford what they need for their families.

Families in my riding want fairness. They see corporate profits soar, yet they cannot access basic child care. They want a decent minimum wage and employment insurance that supports them when the worst happens. They need affordable housing and lower tuition fees. They are asking for quality health care for everyone.

These are the issues that Canadians care about. Sadly, none were addressed in the Conservative government's recent throne speech. The government has turned its back on working families.