Bob Rae

[Afghanistan, April 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, it will not do to not recognize the seriousness of the allegations that were made by the individual yesterday.

I am hearing a lot of heckling on the other side. All I can say is that it simply will not do to dismiss it. The minister cannot dismiss Mr. Gosselin, Mr. Anderson and, with respect to the minister, continue to dismiss Mr. Colvin.

There is no other place for these allegations to go except for a proper public inquiry. That is the only place these questions can be resolved. It is the only way it can be done.

[Afghanistan, April 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of National Defence. Each day, new and disturbing allegations come up regarding the treatment of Afghan detainees. These issues, which are serious and hard on Canada's reputation, have yet to be resolved.

Considering all these events and allegations, why is a public inquiry not launched to go to the bottom of this issue?

[Haiti, April 14th, 2010]

I was not invited.

[Haiti, April 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, all governments and all Haitians have made an extraordinary effort, but the problem persists. UN representatives and the mayors of Léogâne and other Haitian cities have clearly stated that Canadian heavy machinery and bulldozers are no longer on site.

That is a huge problem for the Haitian people. I hope that the government understands that it has to go back to Haiti with bulldozers, not with vague intentions.

[Haiti, April 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Haiti are digging themselves out of the earthquake with their bare hands, with wheel barrels, with picks and shovels. The Minister of International Cooperation and I were down there last week. We could see it very clearly.

I would like to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs this. Did the Government of Canada realize that when it withdrew the troops, the impact of that withdrawal would mean the withdrawal of heavy equipment, which is essential to deal with the impact of the earthquake?

[Rights & Democracy, April 13th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's answer should have been wiser. I hope that he will have a chance to think about natural and fundamental justice when it comes to an employee like Mr. Beauregard.

I have another question for the minister. There was important testimony today about governance and the activities of the board of directors appointed by the government.

Why not launch a public inquiry into the important questions asked by the witnesses today?

[Rights & Democracy, April 13th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, my question is on the same subject and for the same minister.

The minister has a very negative report with respect to the performance of Mr. Beauregard to which he has taken the strongest of objections and which was raised again by his widow, Mme Trépanier, in her testimony today.

Could the minister undertake to allow that report to be expunged and eliminated from the record of the Privy Council precisely because it is so damaging to the reputation of Mr. Beauregard and has no basis in fact?

[Afghanistan, April 12th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the same minister.

I wonder if the minister could explain how it is that the leaders of Kazakhstan, Armenia, Nigeria, India, and the list goes on, 12 leaders, are able to get a bilateral meeting with President Obama over the next two days in Washington while the President is there.

I wonder if the minister could explain why the Prime Minister of Canada is not able to discuss the future of our mission in Afghanistan with the President of the United States in a bilateral meeting.

[Afghanistan, April 12th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of National Defence on the future of the Afghanistan mission.

There is some confusion. He spoke of training Afghan police and the possibility of the presence of troops to train other troops. I have a simple and direct question for him.

Can the minister guarantee that the future of the Afghanistan mission will be the subject of a real debate in Parliament and that he will finally present the Canadian government's policy on—

[Status of Women, April 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's behaviour is no longer the issue; the issue is the Prime Minister's standards. That is the issue. This question is for the Prime Minister, not the minister.

What does it mean when the Prime Minister's document says that ministers will be held to a certain standard of personal conduct, yet clearly the message is that the minister can get away with anything? This is the Prime Minister's scandal now.