Albina Guarnieri

[Afghanistan, March 19th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the defence minister has been entrusted with the duty to protect the sterling record of our military and its reputation for humane treatment of detainees. Last year the minister was not living up to that duty when he relied on the Red Cross to investigate abuse when it had no access to transferred detainees.

Will the minister assure the House that detainees will not be transferred to Afghan authorities unless the necessary resources are in place to monitor their treatment and protect Canada's international reputation?

[Beijing Concord College, February 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago I had the privilege of participating in the launch of a new connection between Canada and China. In many ways it was a new silk road, a silk road of education.

The Beijing Concord College is a demonstration that Canada and China are ready to build a future of shared experience, merged possibilities and joint ventures. This college was the first of its kind to offer students in Beijing a Canadian education and Canadian credentials through the support and partnership of the government of New Brunswick.

Today more than 400 graduates have degrees from Canadian universities and thousands more will build the kinds of trade and cultural links that no trade mission could ever achieve.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the college, I would like to congratulate its founder, Dr. Francis Pang, for building a truly pan-Pacific, binational school that has put Canada on the minds of thousands and will bring thousands of great minds to Canada.

[Veterans Affairs, February 16th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, it has been over a year since the Prime Minister was chasing widows of second world war veterans with a promise to immediately deliver VIP benefits to all. It has also been a year since he vowed to “stand up for full compensation for persons exposed to defoliant spraying from 1956 to 1984”. Some 150,000 veterans now feel that they have been stood up.

Why has the Prime Minister become a fugitive from his own promise and deserted Canada's veterans?

[Veterans, February 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, in 2005 Canada kept its promise to honour our veterans with the Year of the Veteran and the new veteran's charter.

However, 2006 was a year of broken promises to veterans, a year when the new Conservative government went AWOL on its pre-election commitment to extend VIP services to all widows of second world war veterans, while it also breached the Prime Minister's personal pledge to compensate each and every veteran of Gagetown who could have been exposed to defoliants.

Canada's veterans felt a duty to deliver for their country. They deserve better than a government that sadly deserts its commitments and delivers only broken promises.

[Afghanistan, September 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that the copyright for “Stand up for Canada” ran out during the election.

Earlier this summer, the Prime Minister responded to the death of a Canadian soldier on UN duty by defending those who killed him and questioning why he was even there. Why does the Prime Minister trumpet our military's effort and then fall silent when their courage and competence is challenged?

[Afghanistan, September 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians who have lost sons and daughters in Afghanistan were themselves wounded by the remarks of Pakistan's President Musharraf who belittled their sacrifice and ridiculed their courage and resolve. Amazingly, our Prime Minister responded with flattery for Mr. Musharraf.

When will the Conservative Prime Minister defend the honour of our troops and, for once, actually stand up for Canada?

[Afghanistan, September 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP member himself is adept at blowing hot air.

Canadians who lost sons--

[Foreign Affairs, June 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, recent attacks on civilians by the Sri Lankan armed forces have reached a level of atrocity. In Mannar, navy troops lobbed hand grenades into a Catholic church where hundreds of refugees were huddled. Last week the Sri Lankan army raided a Tamil home, leaving the family hacked to death, with their seven and nine year old children hanged and disembowelled in a manner aimed to terrorize the local population.

When will the government protest the latest wave of military atrocities in Sri Lanka?

[Municipalities, June 5th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is a shame that the federal commitment to cities is about to leave town.

There can be no doubt that Canada's cities and communities need the annual transfer of $2 billion, the part of the Liberal new deal.

Will the Prime Minister put forward legislation making this transfer permanent after 2009, or will he simply admit that he is going to force cities to raise property taxes by filling the funding void left by the current government?

[Municipalities, June 5th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister appears committed to waffling on whether resources are in or out of his fiscal formula. What is absolutely certain is that the cities and communities are not on the map after 2010 and now are being told to fill tax room vacated by the federal government.

I ask the Prime Minister, why has he put the vacancy sign on the federal commitment to Canada's cities?