Christian Paradis

[International Development, March 31st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague. As we speak, Canada is very well represented at the conference in question.

I would like to remind members that, to date, Canada has helped 16 million people in Syria by giving them access to clean drinking water. We have given food aid to over 4 million Syrians. What is more, we have given emergency assistance to nearly 3 million refugees in neighbouring countries, such as Jordan. These concrete improvements are a result of the commitments that we have made and kept.

We believe that, in dealing with this crisis, we do not have to choose one solution over another, to choose between security and—

[International Development, March 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Canada will be well represented at the conference, and I must remind the House that Canada is sixth-largest donor country to Syria. In the last six months, especially in Syria, Canada's support has meant that 16 million people have access to safe drinking water, 4.1 million Syrians have access to food assistance, and emergency assistance is provided to nearly three million refugees in neighbouring countries.

We should be proud of this record and we encourage the other countries that have committed to pay what they pledge.

[La Francophonie, March 23rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we actually had a very good reason to celebrate the International Day of La Francophonie, which was on March 20. Canada, with the help of New Brunswick and Quebec, managed to get Michaëlle Jean elected to lead the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.

Now it is time to build on the legacy left by Abdou Diouf when it comes to good governance, transparency and the rule of law. Ms. Jean presented an economic strategy that will further propel the Francophonie into the 21st century, and we should be proud of that. This will bring many future benefits.

[International Development, February 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Kildonan—St. Paul for her hard work and her question.

Our Prime Minister announced a sizeable contribution that will help vaccinate 300 million children and should save up to six million lives.

We are working with other donors, the private sector, international organizations, and developing countries to deliver results.

We are especially proud of our partnership with GAVI Alliance and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Gates to Ottawa tomorrow for meetings.

[Opposition Motion—Job Creation, February 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague’s speech.

Of course, my eyebrows went up at some of his statements, especially when he reminded us about the sad episodes of the Parti Québécois government, toward the end of the 1990s and early in the new millennium with Bernard Landry. I do not know if he was referring to what happened with Gaspésia, where there was a financial hole of some $300 million. If this is really the way in which the NDP plans to govern the country, I find it alarming, to say the least.

Right now, the NDP is putting forward a lot of measures involving tax cuts. In this regard, we in the Conservative Party are putting forward a coherent, appropriately timed plan that respects taxpayers’ ability to pay while at the same time giving impetus to the economy.

With all the time they have spent opposing business tax cuts, now we are wondering where they are going, because they are saying just about anything.

[International Development, December 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected people and their families.

We have dispatched an advance team to the region, and we have emergency supplies on standby. We have reached out to the government of the Philippines and offered support if needed. We have reached out to several humanitarian partners already on the ground to gather information and are funding GlobalMedic to assist with providing safe drinking water. We have in place important emergency response tools, such as the emergency disaster assistance fund, in co-operation with the Red Cross movement. We stand ready to help if needed.

[Forestry Industry, December 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely false. In fact, the opposite is true.

My colleague should stop being so divisive. We implemented measures to develop new markets through the use of new technologies and to see how we can move the forestry industry into the 21st century.

We can achieve great things by working together. By working together with Quebec, New Brunswick and the rest of the Canadian francophonie, we were able to ensure that the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean was elected as the Secretary General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. We can be proud of that.

[International Development, December 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we stand behind our friends in the Philippines and we stand ready to help if needed.

We have already reached out to several humanitarian partners on the ground to gather information on current preparedness measures being implemented and to assess potential response options. We have in place important emergency response tools, such as the emergency disaster assistance fund, to support immediate response activities of the Red Cross movement. As was noted by the Auditor General in his report, this fund allows our partners to respond rapidly when required.

We are ready and will assist if needed from the beginning.

[International Development, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I explained earlier, we spent in total $240 million more than was planned because of unprecedented crises in in Philippines, Syria, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic, which all happened at the same time. In these kinds of cases, instead of looking at one planned expenditure in a column of the budget like the opposition does, we just go on a pragmatic and effective basis to help the people most in need.

Under this government, Canada now finally pays what it pledges and fulfills all of its international commitments.

[International Development, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, that is completely false. The member is presenting facts that are incomplete and untrue. As I explained, there are places in the world experiencing unprecedented disasters, such as the Philippines, Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

We have established budgets for low-income countries, which were sent to the vulnerable affected countries. This resulted in extra spending of $240 million to help these people. We call that effectiveness and pragmatism. People want us to help others who are truly in urgent need of assistance.