Bob Dechert

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, my friends in the NDP seem to be a little confused. They have said many times tonight that Canada closed its diplomatic mission, its embassy, in Niger. We did not do that. Canada did not have an embassy in Niger. It never did have an embassy there. What it had was a CIDA office. Niger is covered from Bamako, Mali. It was then and it is now. There has been no change.

They keep saying that Canada is reducing its contributions to Africa. That is not true. Canada has doubled its contributions to Africa since the levels of 2003-04 under the former Liberal government.

My friend asks what Canada is doing with respect to AFISMA. First, the building that AFISMA is operating out of was built largely with Canadian money. There would not be an AFISMA headquarters if it were not for the support of the Canadian government and the Canadian taxpayer.

The members want to know why Japan is putting in $100 million in and Canada is putting in, most recently, $13 million.

Canada has been contributing to Mali since 1960, not Japan. Canada has been putting in $110 million each and every year for many years. Most of that money, as we have discussed tonight, is continuing. It is only the money that was going directly to the government of Mali, which has been frozen because that government currently is not a democratically-elected government.

Canada is one of the largest donor countries in Mali. It has been before and it continues to be today.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, I thank the interim leader of the Liberal Party for his speech and his acknowledgment that this debate is happening tonight because the Prime Minister took the opportunity to reach out to the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the third party to build a broad consensus of Canadians and parliamentarians about what Canada ought to be contributing in Mali.

I have to say I am a little surprised by what I am hearing. It is unusual. If most people listening to this debate heard the hawkish comments coming from across the aisle about whacking the enemy, they would think it was coming from this side of the House. It is actually coming from over there, which I find interesting.

I do not know where the call is coming from to have Canadian troops in Africa. In fact, right now Canada is doing the same thing as the British and the Germans. We are supplying heavy lift transport aircraft to our allies, the French, who have a long-term interest and experience in the region. They have bases in the region. They are fighting a very successful mission. They pushed the rebels out of the cities. As far as we know, it is going very well. There is no need at this point for Canada to send its troops to Africa. We are doing what they are asking us to do. If and when they ask us to do something more, we will certainly consider it.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, my NDP colleague and his party want to keep throwing money at Africa. They apparently think entering into trade agreements is not the right thing to do. They talked about Nigeria being on fire. Nigeria is not on fire today.

The Minister of International Trade recently visited Nigeria and Ghana on a very successful trade mission. It was unrelated to the crisis in Mali. We believe the solution to Africa is to help these people build their economies, to give them a hand up not just a handout.

The NDP wants to keep shovelling money into Africa. That has not worked. We want to build trade, jobs and prosperity for the African people. That is what Canada and this government are doing.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, the member is unfortunately factually incorrect about something very important he mentioned both in his speech and in his earlier questions and it is incumbent upon me to correct him. Canada did not close its diplomatic mission in Niger. In fact, it did not have a diplomatic mission there. It had a CIDA office in Niger and the Canadian ambassador to Niger then, as now, is accredited from Bamako, Mali. Perhaps he should look into the history and correct himself on that. That would answer a lot of the questions he was asking himself in his speech.

In addition, the member should know that despite the CIDA office in Niger being closed, Canada continues to have significant diplomatic missions in Bamako, Dakar, Abidjan, Accra, Abuja and Cameroon, all in the area. I do not think it can be fairly said that Canada is reducing its diplomatic representation in the region.

Could my colleague comment on his quote on January 8 on CBC when he said, “We would be very different. This is what the NDP would be doing right now. First of all, we'd be engaged with peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflict resolution”. That sounds like Canadian troops in the region. Perhaps he could explain that.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, I guess it is the position of the member's party, the Liberal Party, that Canada would give money directly to a government that is not democratically elected today. This is a government that came about as a result of a military coup. Perhaps that is the Liberals' position. It is not a position that this government would take, and I do not think it is a position that Canadian voters and taxpayers would want us to take.

However, we will be assisting the democratically elected government that will emerge from the free and fair elections in July, we hope. We will continue to support the democratically elected government of Mali in the future through the democratic development programs that we have done in the past.

With respect to the member's question about support for training or putting soldiers on the ground, it is certainly not our government's position that Canadians should be involved directly in any combat mission in harm's way in Mali, but I hope he would know that Canada has participated in training ECOWAS troops in surrounding countries over the last several years, and they have been quite successful. Soldiers from some of those countries are participating in the African-led force that is fighting against the rebels in Mali.

Canada has made a fairly significant contribution there, but if it is the position of the Liberal Party that Canadian soldiers should be involved in combat operations in Mali at the front lines, that is not something this government is going to support or promote.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, as the hon. member will know, and I think he made it very clear in his question, the key word is that it is African-led. Canada thinks that is important. Most of the international community thinks it is important that, in fact, the solution in Mali is an African-led one.

Canada is contributing more than $18.7 million through the supply of the CC-177 Globemaster III aircraft and the crew involved. We are also addressing the humanitarian needs. Through our CIDA programs, we will continue to fund and work on the development of the democratic institutions in that country.

I should also point out, in terms of humanitarian aid, that Canada has supplied food and nutrition assistance to some 1.3 million people in Mali, as well as to 142,000 refugees in Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. It has supplied lifesaving water and sanitation assistance to more than 49,000 people in that country and the surrounding region, as well as vaccination of more than 58,000 children in that country, who are being displaced because of both the humanitarian and drought crises in the region.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, as the hon. member will know, of the $110 million Canada has been spending each and every year for several years now in Mali, some of that programming was in fact for the building of democratic institutions in Mali.

Mali was, prior to the unfortunate coup in March 2012, one of the most successful democratic countries in Africa. We hope that, after this short crisis, it will return to being that very successful democratic country.

Canada will continue to support Mali, as it has in the past. Of course, the government is always open to suggestions. We are negotiating and speaking frequently with our allies in the region and with the Malian government about how we can best support the return to democracy in Mali.

I will be clear that Canada will hold the current government of Mali to that road map to ensure those democratic reforms actually occur and those free and fair elections take place this July.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for his question and his participation in the foreign affairs committee hearings on this very important matter.

As the member would know, in addition to the $13 million of new money for humanitarian assistance directly related to the internally displaced persons in Mali as a result of this crisis, Canada has been one of the largest donors to Mali in the international community for more than 20 years. In fact, Mali is one of Canada's top 20 countries of focus. Since 2007, the Canadian government, through various CIDA projects, has been spending, on average, over $110 million each and every year in Mali.

It is certainly not the case that Canada is abandoning Mali or any other part of Africa. In fact, we are putting in more money than ever, and we are one of the largest donor countries in the world in that region.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, I am pleased to rise to participate in today's take note debate on the situation in Mali.

As members of this House will know, this debate is only one part of our government's commitment to engage parliamentarians in Canada's reaction to the conflict in Mali, following on the footsteps of last week's meeting of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.

It is also in addition to previous briefings by senior officials held for members of both the NDP and Liberal Parties following a direct offer from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is our hope that we will find consensus on this important matter.

Late last March, a coup was undertaken by junior officers of the Malian armed forces, which brought an end to two decades of democratic government in that country. The junta, led by Captain Sanogo, deposed President Amadou Toumani Toure and took place despite the fact that presidential elections, in which President Toure was not a candidate, were scheduled to take place a month later, on April 29, 2012.

The coup in Mali was a major setback to the country's development plans and damaged its ability to protect an already weak northern Mali. It was a serious blow to that country.

Canada reacted quickly and strongly to condemn the coup and to demand the return of constitutional rule. On March 21, as soon as the first news of the coup was received, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs) expressed deep concern about the attacks by members of some elements of the armed forces on the presidential palace. They called on the perpetrators of these attacks to immediately withdraw and to respect democracy. They insisted that differences must be resolved by dialogue and democratic process to restore security and stability for the long term.

Two days later, to underscore Canada's insistence that Mali again find its way back to democratic and representative governance, both the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Cooperation took decisive and strong action to suspend direct bilateral aid transfers.

As one of the poorest countries in the world, Mali's government has had little ability to control the northern part of the country, and in the past decade, terrorist groups have been able to work freely in the region. In January, the main rebel Malian group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, or MNLA, following the return of armed Tuareg rebels from the Libyan army, attacked Malian forces and started to advance from the north.

The MNLA was supported by foreign terrorist troops, such as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, as well as by the Salafist movement Ansar Dine, comprising both Malian and foreigners. Following these attacks, the Malian army collapsed.

The March 2012 coup that toppled the government led to political disorder, which permitted various groups of Islamists and extremist militants to drive out Malian government forces and capture the northern two-thirds of the country. For the first time in history, terrorist groups were in control of a large geographic area that could have served as a base for destabilizing southern Mali and neighbouring countries in the absence of a constitutional government that could serve as a legitimate interlocutor with the international community.

The occupation of the north worsened the already precarious humanitarian situation in Mali, where approximately 4.23 million people have been affected by the humanitarian crisis. The terrorists imposed a harsh form of Sharia law and destroyed many protected cultural sites in the town of Timbuktu.

The UN Security Council, on December 20, 2012, adopted resolution 2085, which wisely places emphasis on both the political track and the security track to resolve the situation in Mali. To that end, our government has been actively exploring ways to support resolution 2085 and the efforts of the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union in finding a sustainable solution to this crisis.

In response to an invitation from Mali for support in stopping a terrorist advance into the south, France started air strikes in Mali on January 11, 2013. Canada supports the French initiative. We believe that the establishment of a safe haven for terrorist groups in this region is a threat to Mali, to its neighbours and to the broader international community.

At France's direct request, Canada was pleased to extend, after an initial one-week period, a CC-177 Globemaster aircraft until February 15, 2013, for a total of one month, to move French equipment and personnel to Mali's capital of Bamako. It is important to note that this aircraft is only available to France and that this aircraft and Canadian armed forces personnel have not been and will not be part of combat operations.

Throughout this process, we share with our partners and those in the AU and ECOWAS the objective of Mali's return to fully democratic and constitutional rule.

Our government strongly believes that there can be no progress on a political track without security in Mali. There cannot be long-term security in Mali without the political stability brought by a democratic government. We must support the return of a government in Mali whose political legitimacy is achieved through free and fair elections.

On January 17, 2013, Canada's ambassador in Bamako, together with the ambassadors of the U.S., U.K., France, Denmark and Sweden, urged interim President Traore and his government to present a road map to restore democratic governance. We are pleased that 12 days later, the Mali National Assembly unanimously adopted the road map to elections. These polls are to be held at the end of this July.

Last week, at a specially convened African Union meeting to raise funds for the African-led international force in Mali, or AFISMA, which was created under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2085, and for the Malian security forces, the international community pledged $455 million to support international efforts against terrorists and extremists in the Mali and Sahel regions. Canada announced an additional $13 million in humanitarian assistance for Mali. This new funding will be channelled through NGOs and international organizations.

Canada stands ready to help a democratic Mali build a better, brighter future for all Malians, as they hope to maintain their country's territorial integrity. While we are hopeful that the actions being taken by the interim government to restore democratic governance in Mali will result in positive steps for that country, we remain vigilant and want to ensure that words are not only words but are followed up by real action.

Canada will be monitoring the implementation of this road map to confirm that it is implemented in a manner in which civilian authority is reinforced and fully restored in the lead-up to and during the presidential and legislative elections. We need to be clear on where we hope Mali will be one year from now and two years from now. We want a stable and peaceful partner to address the real needs of the Malian people and the security threats that straddle man-made borders.

Canada will work diplomatically and with our allies on how to address the many complex facets of the situation in Mali. We look forward to today's debate.

[Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, January 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would point out that he is not a citizen and he has committed serious offences.

However, what the member should know, if she has ever had an opportunity to read the Criminal Code of Canada, is that there are a number of hybrid offences, offences whereby the Crown can proceed by way of indictable or summary conviction offence. They are very serious crimes, crimes such as sexual assault, armed robbery, and the list goes on.

In order to ensure that justice is done swiftly, the Crown often chooses to proceed by summary conviction and, as members will know, they would then get a sentence of two years less a day and would then, under the current law, be able to remain in Canada despite the fact that they had committed a sexual assault, an armed robbery or some other serious offence such as that.

We are putting an end to that today with this bill and Canadians wish us to do so.