Bryon Wilfert

[Centrinity Inc., November 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, Maclean's magazine has just come out with an article featuring the top 100 Canadian employers. One of them is Centrinity Inc. in my riding.

Centrinity is a global leader in next generation communication platforms for enterprises, educational institutions and government agencies. Headquartered in Richmond Hill, the company also has offices in Sweden, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Since its inception in 1989 Centrinity has been committed to developing future proof and cost effective technology that enables its customers and partners to break free of traditional communication barriers and work on their own terms. Its technology links user's phone, fax and e-mail enabling it to increase its productivity, break free of information overload and minimize costs by accessing its information via any device anytime, anywhere.

I congratulate Centrinity on its significant achievement and the 180 employees, officers and board of directors on their contributions to making their company a top Canadian employer.

[International Trade, November 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, Canada believes that the WTO growth and development round will address the objectives and concerns of developing countries. Canada, along with other WTO members, has been working hard to demonstrate to developing countries that the new round will assist their development efforts.

I would ask the Minister for International Trade, what specific steps or proposals is the government prepared to make with regard to this round?

[Veterans Affairs, October 24th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, for three months in 1945 Canadian airmen were subjected to very harsh treatment, not as prisoners in a prisoner of war camp but as inmates at Buchenwald concentration camp. These airmen were mistakenly arrested as civilians and endured inhumane conditions as well as being forced to work.

What is the Minister of Veterans Affairs doing to recognize and compensate these brave individuals?

[Supply, October 23rd, 2001]

Madam Speaker, in the few minutes remaining in the debate, I would like to make a few comments with regard to this important issue.

There was a suggestion made by the member for Okanagan--Coquihalla that somehow we on this side of the House would call the measures outlined in the motion draconian.

Personally, I would suggest that individual initiatives that have been presented have some merit and that is what the government is acting on. The Canadian government does not want North America to be anything but a secure place but the decisions must be made by Canadians for Canadians. We must ensure that our policies and procedures are complementary, that we are not working at cross purposes with the United States, and that we do not sacrifice our sovereignty.

In recent testimony at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration the commissioner of the RCMP claimed he was strongly in favour of the perimeter initiative put forth by the Canadian government. He believes that our border officials already are setting the standard.

All Canadians can be proud of the security measures enforced by our immigration and customs officers at the Canada-U.S. border. Indeed the United States ambassador, Mr. Cellucci, recently commented that his government is very impressed with the co-operation between our two administrations and the work being done in Canada to increase security in its immigration procedures.

Canada deploys immigration and customs officials at the border in numbers that are comparable to those of the United States. Both countries have increased these numbers and are on an enhanced security level since September 11. Last year alone, Canadian officials stopped 21,000 criminals from entering Canada from the United States while the American agents stopped 14,000 criminals from entering the U.S. from Canada.

The commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service recently praised Canada's security efforts. He noted that Canadian officials helped arrest half of the 8,000 criminal aliens caught in the first six months of this year. This is despite the fact that the U.S. has eight times more agents on its Mexican border. He credited the success to Canada's “excellent system” of information sharing with the American authorities.

Under Bill C-18 passed in 1999, customs officers were given officer powers to arrest and detain individuals suspected of having committed offences under the criminal code, such as impaired driving, child abduction, or those with outstanding arrest warrants. Officers will complement the work of police forces by bridging the gap between the time an officer detects a criminal code violation and the time when police can arrive and intervene.

When proposing the bill, the minister at that time stated on May 13, 1998:

By expanding the scope of their powers to include violations under the criminal code, we will enhance the overall safety and security of Canadians.

Given that Canada customs officers already have the powers necessary to enhance the overall safety and security of Canadians, there is no reason to move Canada customs officers out of the tax collection agency and into a law enforcement agency.

With regard to the issue of detention of refugee claimants, as part of the $280 million anti-terrorism plan, the government recently invested $49 million to accelerate the Department of Citizenship and Immigration's ability to complete an increased security strategy.

Of this new money, $17 million is going to the security screening of refugee claimants. Because of the new security concerns, all refugee claimants must go through interviews and examinations upon their arrival. These include indepth questioning, checking the claimant's information against various databases, taking the claimant's photograph and fingerprints, and keeping all travel documents on file. If the claimant is considered to be a security risk, he or she is detained.

In 2000-01, 8,790 individuals were detained on the average of 16 days. Due to the increased state of alert and more intense security screenings, CIC officials expect there will be more detentions in the future.

It is important to note that when we are making decisions, we are making them in Canada's interest. I am always concerned that our friends across the way would like us simply to be absorbed by the Americans in their approaches.

[Adopt a Dog Month, October 23rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has declared October Adopt a Dog Month. It is calling upon all members of the public to do what they can to lessen the demand for puppy mill dogs and identify puppy mills in their areas.

Thousands of dogs need loving homes. Adopting helps reduce pet overpopulation. It also reduces the demand for dogs sometimes filtered through puppy mills.

Life has taken a turn for the better for one of these dogs. Honey, a two year old pup who lost an eye because of an infection and became the poster puppy in the fight against puppy mills, has been safely adopted into her new home.

The OSPCA is headquartered in the northern end of my riding. Over the summer it took in well over 200 dogs and puppies from puppy mills. As a charitable organization the society's work is funded entirely by donations from concerned individuals, associations and corporations. I would like to thank them for their hard work and dedication in caring for tens of thousands of animals every year.

[Michelle Greiver, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to commend my constituent Dr. Michelle Greiver who won the Pfizer Investigator in Practice Award from the North American Primary Care Research Group and a Janus Research in Education Scholarship from the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

By combining the convenience of a handheld personal digital assistant with the accuracy of clinical software, Dr. Greiver created a software program to help family physicians care for patients who have chest pain. Her program allows family physicians to determine if the patient's chest pain is angina without unnecessary tests or waiting a long time for an appointment with a cardiologist.

A pilot study involving family physicians from the North Toronto Primary Care Research Network will start in November. This six month study will determine if there is a more effective and efficient approach to the management of patients with chest pain.

I have had the honour of meeting Dr. Greiver and her family, and I am sure Eric and Sarah would join me in congratulating her on this outstanding achievement.

[International Actions Against Terrorism, October 15th, 2001]

Mr. Chairman, it is a pleasure to speak on this issue. It is my third time addressing the issue of international terrorism in the last month. I will put it into context at the beginning.

Terrorism is the intentional use of violence or threat of violence to communicate to a primary target a threat of future violence so that the primary target may be coerced into the desired behaviour or attitudes through intense fear or anxiety in connection with the anticipated or demand result.

Despite the problems and potential dangers, national sovereignty is still the basic element of international law and, thus, international law recognizes or reflects the fact that every country has the right to select its own government forms, to control its own domestic affairs and, within defined limits, deal with its own nationals as it will.

Therefore, terrorism reveals rather than denies one of the essential characteristics of international law. We cannot be coerced and cannot cower in fear. That would be a victory for the forces of international terrorism.

Generally international practice has been to treat terrorism on a functional basis through individual or specialized conventions. The primary threat of terrorism to international law is that it jeopardizes a fundamental rule of classic international law, that each state has a responsibility not only to allow its territory not to be used against another state as the basis for hostile operations. Yet terrorism also underscores the simple fact that violence is everywhere and indeed in many forms.

Ultimately terrorism must be judged in ethical, social and political terms. The term terrorism was coined to described a specific phase of the French revolution known as the reign of terror when the Jacobins initiated a campaign of repression in which at least 17,000 French citizens were guillotined and tortured. Terrorism was perceived as an unspeakable crime, the product of moral depravity or madness. Certainly the events of September 11 fit this definition.

From the beginning Canada has stood united with those forces that oppose terrorism and those who harbour terrorists. The Prime Minister stated on September 17 and it is something worth repeating. He stated:

So, let us be clear: this was not just an attack on the United States. These cold-blooded killers struck a blow at the values and beliefs of free and civilized people everywhere. The world has been attacked. The world must respond because we are at war against terrorism and Canada--as a nation founded on a belief in freedom, justice and tolerance--will be part of that response.

Over the last few weeks the Government of Canada has responded to the threat of international terrorism, from responding to the issues of financing terrorism to airport security issues, to the anti-terrorism plan embodied in the legislation presented to the House yesterday.

The four key objectives include: stop terrorists from getting into Canada and protect Canadians from terrorist acts; work with the international community to bring terrorists to justice and address the root causes of such hatred; bring forward tools to identify, prosecute, convict and punish terrorists; and prevent the Canada-U.S. border from being held hostage by terrorists and impacting on the Canadian economy. The government has also committed Canada militarily to the struggle against terrorism.

On Saturday evening I had the pleasure of attending the annual mess dinner of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Hamilton, the regiment that my late father served in during the second world war. I had the opportunity to talk with serving officers, retired officers and supporters of the regiment.

Canada has a long and proud military tradition. From the volunteers who went to South Africa during the Boer War to the battlefields of Europe during the great war, Canadians have heeded the call and responded in numbers disproportional to our general population. Those soldiers who fought in the Somme and at Vimy Ridge believed in Canada, believed that to have freedom and to preserve it, sacrifices had to be made.

It is true that Canada truly became a nation on the battlefield at Vimy Ridge in 1917. My father knew this when he enlisted in the Canadian army in the second world war. The tyranny of fascism and Nazism could not and did not go unchecked. Our young men and women stood in the path of tyranny and contributed significantly to its destruction. With the battle of the Falaise gap, Caen and the route through the Netherlands came a great personal sacrifice for those who participated in it. My father was no exception.

He instilled in me respect for our Canadian forces and the belief that freedom and democracy were worth protecting, and there could be no passive onlookers. My constituents reaffirm my father's view that now is the time to stand united in the face of terror.

The Minister of National Defence has told the House about the contributions of the Canadian forces: HMCS Halifax , HMCS Vancouver , a Canadian naval task force, surveillance and transport aircraft, a component of JTF2. Two thousand men and women are participating in the struggle. I believe that their willingness to serve and to protect Canadian freedoms is in keeping with the proud traditions of our military. Canada supports its courageous armed forces members. Canada and our forces stand with our allies.

On October 8, the Minister of National Defence stated:

I would also encourage all Canadians to pause for a few brief moments and turn their thoughts to the men and women of the Canadian Forces and their families. Because it is through their efforts, dedication, and commitment to our country that we will succeed in ensuring a safer world for our children. They carry an enormous responsibility on our behalf. I strongly urge you, all Canadians, to give them your support as they begin this campaign.

I do not believe that there is anyone in the House who does not support our forces. Some of us may disagree as to objectives. Some may disagree on how we have got to this point. However, I believe that every member of every party in this House supports our forces now that they are committed.

As a member of the standing committee on national defence, I believe that there are no stronger actions that we can show than supporting our men and women in this very difficult time.

When our forces are in combat, their safety is our number one concern. The terrorists hope that we will be divided, that our moral resolve will crack and that our commitment will be weak. Our answer must be unequivocal: United in the defence of a free and open society, we can only become prisoners of the events of September 11, if we let it.

Together, with our important and necessary measures, both on the political, diplomatic, financial and humanitarian fronts, our military contribution to this campaign will help ensure that Canadians and the interests and values that we truly believe in will in fact be successfully defended.

[Communities in Bloom, October 4th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the town of Richmond Hill in my riding of Oak Ridges for being awarded a four bloom rating out of a possible five for its 2001 Communities in Bloom program. The results were announced on September 22 at a national awards ceremony hosted by the greater Saint John, New Brunswick area which honoured competing municipalities from each province and territory across Canada.

Richmond Hill achieved high scores in community involvement, environmental efforts and a special mention for its efforts in the area of heritage restoration. With its four bloom rating, the town is eligible to compete on the national stage next year.

The judges noted that they were impressed with the strong support from many groups of Richmond Hill volunteers and commented “a beautiful city is being created with highly landscaped commercial areas, treed boulevards, an abundance of trees, play fields and open spaces, naturalized water drainage and urban forest areas”.

Mr. Speaker, I could not be happier to agree.

[Supply, October 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to comment on the motion before the House and indicate that from the beginning the government has condemned and deplored the horrific acts on the United States that occurred on September 11.

Former President Clinton identified terrorism as:

--the greatest security challenge of the twentieth century...we cannot have economic security in a global economy unless we can stand against those forces of terrorism. The United States will lead the way and we expect our allies to walk with us hand in hand.

The Prime Minister stated in the House on September 17:

--so let us be clear: this was not just an attack on the United States. These cold-blooded killers struck a blow at the values and beliefs of free and civilized people everywhere. The world has been attacked. The world must respond. Because we are at war against terrorism and Canada—a nation founded on a belief in freedom, justice and tolerance—will be part of that response.

A special Senate committee on security and intelligence, the Kelly committee, found that “to be effective the fight against terrorism must be through a united international front”.

Canada has reaffirmed that it will not be a bystander in this important struggle. We must win the struggle against terrorism both at home and abroad. We must shoulder our international responsibilities in the days ahead.

The Government of Canada is fully committed to resolution 1373 of the United Nations Security Council, which was unanimously adopted on September 28. The resolution reaffirms the unequivocal condemnation of these terrorist acts on the international community.

In terms of the existing framework of the United Nations, it is difficult to condemn these horrific attacks as crimes against humanity and bring the perpetrators to justice. The current international system does not have the necessary infrastructure, such as a special tribunal on terrorism or the International Criminal Court to implement this.

To recognize that international law exists is, however, not tantamount to asserting that it is as effective a legal system as the national legislative systems are. More particularly, it is effective at regulating and retaining the struggle for power on the international scene.

International law is a primitive law because it is almost completely decentralized. The decentralized nature of international law is inevitably the result of the decentralized structure of international society. Domestic law can be imposed by the group that holds a monopoly of organized force, that is the officials of the state.

It is an essential characteristic of international society, composed of sovereign states, which by definition are the supreme legal authorities within their representative territories, that no such law giving and law enforcing authority can exist there.

International law owes its existence and operation to two factors both decentralized in character: identical or complementary interests of individual states and the distribution of power among them. Where there is no community of interest nor balance of power there is no international law. Whereas domestic law may originate in and be reinforced by the arbitrary will of the agencies of the state, international law is overwhelmingly the result of objective social forces.

Clearly in the fight against international terrorism, there appears to be a strong broad consensus on the need for the international community to respond with one voice.

In terms of the United Nations it has established two international criminal tribunals in the Hague; one, for the atrocities committed in Rwanda; and the other for the atrocities committed in the former Yugoslavia. Canada has clearly indicated to the United Nations that if it establishes a separate international court for terrorism, we will support it.

Canada signed the 1998 convention for the suppression of the financing of terrorism and was one of the first countries to sign it. We will meet our commitment to ratify that.

We signed all 12 international conventions against terrorism and have already ratified 10 of them. The Minister of Justice has indicated we will ratify the other two very shortly.

Canada ratified the ICC Statute of Rome in July 2000 and was the first state to adopt a comprehensive implementing legislation; the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act on June 29, 2000. Canada has been a strong supporter of the ICC at every stage of its development and will continue to be involved as the ICC moves closer to becoming a reality. However, It should be noted that the ICC statute, which will eventually establish the ICC, does not recognize terrorism as a crime against humanity.

The Prime Minister has stated that if there is a need to amend the treaty Canada will always be a participant because at the beginning of this system Canada was one of the initiators.

It is important to mention the role of world public opinion in the struggle against terrorism. World public opinion is obviously one that transcends national boundaries and unites members of different nations in a consensus with regard to at least certain fundamental international issues.

This consensus makes itself felt in spontaneous reaction throughout the world against whatever move on the chessboard of international politics is disapproved by that consensus. The events of September 11 have galvanized world public opinion.

Canada recognizes that the international legal system does not have the ability to deal effectively with international terrorism. The world community would welcome anything that Canada and other states can do to strengthen the international legal system. International law does not even provide for agencies and instrumentalities for the purpose of its enforcement part of the agencies of national governments.

In the Law of Nations Brierly describes the following situation:

The international system, has no central organ for the enforcement of international legal rights as such, the creation of any such general scheme of sanctions is for the present a very distant prospect...This absence of an executive power means that each state remains free to take such action as it thinks fit to enforce its own rights. This does not mean that international law has no sanction, if that word is used in its proper sense of means for securing the observance of the law; but it is true that the sanctions which it possesses are not systematic or centrally directed, and that accordingly they are precarious in their operation. This lack of system is obviously unsatisfactory, particular to those states, which are less able than others to assert their own rights effectively.

UN security council resolution 1372 not only condemned the terrorist attacks on the United States. It also laid out wide ranging strategies to combat the threat of international terrorism. It established a committee to monitor the implementation of its resolution and called on all nations to report within 90 days on actions they had taken to do so.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance announced the implementation of tough new regulations aimed at suppressing financing in Canada of terrorism and freezing the assets of listed persons. The regulations implement a critical measure in United Nations resolution 1373. The freezing of assets is an important tool in combating international terrorist financing.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated:

This UN resolution is an important milestone in the fight again terrorism and is a critical tool for international action. The regulations will enhance Canada's ability to shoulder our international responsibility to combat terrorist activities and to co-operate effectively with our international partners.

The regulations provide the government with the authority to freeze the assets of terrorist organizations or individuals in terrorist activities and the movement of these assets.

The measures include the prohibition of terrorist funding, the prohibition of the collection of funds to listed persons; a new listing provision which establishes a list of any persons and organization that have committed, attempted to commit or participated in a terrorist act or facilitated the commission of a terrorist act; the freezing of assets which will not permit any person in Canada or a Canadian outside the country to knowingly deal directly or indirectly with any asset owned or controlled by a listed person; a new reporting requirement that requires any person who deals in assets they believe are owned or controlled by a listed person to report this information to the RCMP and to CSIS; and a new compliance regime for financial institutions which requires that financial institutions must determine if they have any assets that belong to a listed person.

Federally regulated financial institutions must confirm their compliance with this requirement and disclose the results to the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions while provincially regulated institutions must report their information to their provincial regulator or supervisor.

The appointment of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to chair a special cabinet committee on security is a co-ordinated approach to dealing with these issues in terms of the implementation of the UN resolution. The government is moving forward to ensure that Canadians will be protected and that our rights will be secured for a time to come

[Phyllis Rawlinson Park, September 27th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce the official opening of Phyllis Rawlinson Park in my riding of Oak Ridges. Phyllis Rawlinson, an artist, naval officer, polo player, farmer, horsewoman, an all-round dynamic individual, passed away in 1995. She bequeathed the 90 acre property to the town of Richmond Hill on the understanding that it would be used as a park or for other public recreational purposes.

On Saturday, September 22, residents gathered to celebrate the wilderness at the official opening of exciting activities for those of all ages. The day's events promoted the preservation of vital land around the Rouge River, the wealth of wildlife and vegetation, as well as the abundance of natural resources and the rich history of Richmond Hill.

This is yet another way the town of Richmond Hill and environmental protection organizations are working to educate residents as well as maintain and beautify the natural environment for all of us to enjoy.