Bob Dechert

[Situation in Syria, May 7th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. Liberal foreign affairs critic for his speech. I listened to it and I found it quite interesting. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome him back to the foreign affairs file and say that we on the foreign affairs committee look forward to working with him in the coming weeks and months.

To begin with, I wanted to correct a couple of things that I heard him say that I think were not quite correct.

He insinuated that Canada had somehow not done its fair share in humanitarian relief efforts in Syria. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is that Canada—and I know he has the means to check these facts—is the largest contributor on a per capita basis to humanitarian relief with respect to Syrian refugees through the refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Turkey is very grateful and thankful for the funds that have been directed from Canada through the Red Crescent Society. I had the opportunity to visit some of those Syrian refugee camps in January with the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration when that was announced.

Second, he mentioned that Turkey was not a wealthy country. Turkey is the 16th-largest economy in the world. It is a G20 nation, and relative to a lot of countries in Europe, it is doing quite well in terms of its economy these days.

Many people have suggested that something that could be done to help the people in Syria would be for the international community, including Turkey, to establish a no-fly zone along the Turkish border between Aleppo and the Turkish border. It would be a place where people could go to get away from the fighting and be safe, and anything that attacked them from the air could be knocked down by a coalition of international forces in that region.

What does the member think about that limited possibility?

[Easter in the Orthodox Church, May 3rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the upcoming celebration of Easter in the Orthodox Church calendar.

During the Easter season, many Canadians from the Orthodox Christian faith celebrate with family and friends.

Easter is the most significant and sacred time within the Orthodox Church, and consists of a series of celebrations commemorating the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As we mark this holy period, we must also recognize that not all people around the world are able to worship freely.

Through our newly appointed Ambassador of Religious Freedom, our government will continue to monitor the ability of all faith groups to practice around the world without fear of persecution.

I was especially concerned to learn about the abduction of Metropolitan Paul Yazigi of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese and Mar Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Archdiocese, both of Aleppo, Syria. It is my hope that both bishops will be returned safety for the Easter holiday.

I would like to wish all of those celebrating in Mississauga and across Canada a very happy Easter.

Kaló Páscha! Fouseh Majeed!

[Foreign Affairs, May 1st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the following treaties: an Agreement Between Canada and the European Union on Customs Cooperation with Respect to Matters Related to Supply-Chain Security, done at Brussels on March 4, 2013; an Agreement Between Canada and the Principality of Liechtenstein for the Exchange of Information on Tax Matters, done at Vaduz on January 31, 2013; an Agreement Between Canada and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay for the Exchange of Information on Tax Matters, done at Montevideo on February 5, 2013; and an Agreement Between Canada and the Republic of Panama for Tax Cooperation and the Exchange of Information Relating to Taxes, done at Panama City on March 17, 2013.

An explanatory memorandum is included with each of these treaties.

[Foreign Affairs, April 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, as that member knows well, and as I mentioned earlier, our government was among the first nations in the world to raise the issue of the use of chemical weapons in Syria and to speak out strongly against it.

In fact, our government went the extra mile to provide $2 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to do an investigation, at the UN's request, in Syria. We met in the Netherlands two weeks ago with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on just that topic. We are supporting that mission. We hope it proceeds as soon as possible.

[Foreign Affairs, April 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, as that member knows, our government has been dealing with our allies with respect to Mali. Canada supported the French troops with the provision of a C-17, which is still happening in Mali. We are monitoring the situation closely.

With respect to the UN, we are supporting the UN mission to investigate the question of the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

[Foreign Affairs, April 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, as that member will know, our government is providing real leadership on this issue through a credit of up to $2 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to conduct just such a study as the one she is referring to.

We are very concerned about these reports and remain in close contact with our allies. The use of chemical weapons on the people of Syria would be heinous and contrary to international law.

[Foreign Affairs, March 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I actually attended that conference and heard the minister's speech. I can assure the member that no such threat was made. However, I must reject the premise of the member's question.

Our government's position is clear. The only way to achieve a just and lasting peace is through direct negotiations between the parties. Unilateral actions on either side are unhelpful to the peace process, and we have conveyed this to both parties. Canada is maintaining its $300 million in assistance to the Palestinian authority, but we will not recognize a Palestinian state prior to a negotiated peace agreement with Israel.

We continue to be committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East whereby two states live side by side in peace and security.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted in his speech to the UN General Assembly on November 29 of last year, the importance of a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is rooted in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and has been a consistent theme for the last 45 years.

I can assure the member that Canada remains committed to this path.

[Foreign Affairs, March 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise this evening with the opportunity to once again remind the member of Canada's principled Middle East policy, which is not immoral, as he wrongly implies. In fact, Canadians can be proud of our government's principled policy and, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated in his original response to the question, Canada has been and remains “...a strong supporter of the peace process”.

Our position is well known, and it is the same as it has always been. We are committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East whereby two states live side by side in peace and security. We have been clear that all unilateral actions are ultimately unhelpful to the cause of peace. This of course includes the Palestinian Authority's provocative action and rhetoric at the UN General Assembly, which would obviously elicit a response from Israel.

The hon. member implies that we do not support the Palestinian society. Again, I remind him of the minister's response to this exact question. We are delivering on our commitment to provide assistance, with $300 million geared toward supporting the security and justice sectors, sustainable economic development and humanitarian needs. This assistance has been well received not only by the Palestinian Authority but also by Israel and the United States.

Canada's position has been consistent and it has been clear. We continue to believe that the final status issues are to be resolved between the two parties. We continue to urge the two parties to return to negotiations without pre-conditions.

[Religious freedom, March 5th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague, the member for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, for his stirring speech. I know this is an issue that is very close to his heart, and he is to be commended for bringing this important motion forward before this House. This is a core Canadian value, and he has said it well. His speech was well thought out, and he spoke from the heart.

Can the member give us a flavour of what he thinks the current state of religious freedoms is around the world? Does he see things improving on an annual basis? Does he see things deteriorating? Could he give us a little example of what he has seen happen over the last few years and tell us why he thinks Canada needs to stand up for this most fundamental human right?

[The Economy, February 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, while the NDP is scheming to ruin our economy by implementing a $20-billion job-killing carbon tax for Canadian families, our government is focusing on what matters to Canadians: jobs and economic growth.

Thanks to our Conservative government, Canada has the lowest debt burden by far, and we have the strongest job creation record in the G7, with over 900,000 net new jobs since July 2009. No wonder the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Association recently said, “The government’s policies with respect to taxes, technology, trade, training, and transformation are extremely important in setting the stage for the growth of advanced manufacturing industries in Canada”.

While we are working on making our economy stronger, the NDP's job-killing carbon tax would raise the price of gas, food, electricity and everything else. Our government will continue to protect Canadians from the NDP's reckless economic policies.