Deepak Obhrai

[Foreign Affairs, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaties entitled “Agreement Between Canada and the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the Promotion and Protection of Investments”, done at Abuja, on May 6, 2014; and “Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Serbia for the Promotion and Protection of Investments”, done at Belgrade on September 1, 2014. An explanatory memorandum is included with each treaty.

[Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, September 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am looking at my watch. If you look at your watch, I think that the time is now 1:30 p.m., if you agree.

[Foreign Affairs, September 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government deplores ISIL's destruction of the Armenian Holy Martyrs church, in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, as well as the Museum of the Holy Martyrs. This is yet another example of ISIL's contempt for religious freedom and human dignity. ISIL attacks are indiscriminate, targeting Christians, Shia, Yazidis, Sunni Muslims, and their places of worship. Canada continues to condemn this terrorist group, which has a distorted and warped message of Islam and has murdered thousands of innocents.

[Floods in Kashmir, September 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly three weeks since Kashmir was struck by devastating floods. Reports indicate that at least 480 people have died in this disaster, and some say that this is the worst flooding in decades.

Indian and Pakistani officials have been working diligently to address this situation; however, much work is still needed.

Quick action is needed to contain any possible outbreak of water-borne diseases, which can significantly aggravate the already dire humanitarian situation.

Canada stands ready to assist in addressing this humanitarian tragedy.

I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have passed away in this tragic disaster.

[Westgate Mall Attack, September 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi.

This is a mall I visited on many occasions on my previous visits to Kenya. This attack claimed the lives of 67 individuals, including two Canadians, Naguib Damji and Annemarie Desloges.

Annemarie, a distinguished public servant who served at Canada's High Commission in Kenya, lost her life in this senseless act of violence perpetrated by al Shabaab.

Our thoughts continue to be with the victims and families affected by this horrific attack. Terrorism remains a serious threat in East Africa. That is why we have been directly supporting international efforts to combat al Shabaab in Africa, in particular through our support of AMISOM.

We will continue working with Kenya to fight terrorism, which is a menace with no boundaries.

[Mining Industry, September 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government has long been committed to combatting conflict minerals and is always looking for ways to improve our efforts. Unfortunately, Bill C-486 is fundamentally flawed, and instead of making tangible progress on the issue, it stigmatizes the region in Africa and creates burdens and red tape that would only serve to harm the people of the Great Lakes. Canada will continue to work with the Great Lakes region and the Canadian industry to increase transparency and accountability in resource development.

[Foreign Affairs, September 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should have listened to the President of Ukraine when he said that Canada is one of the best friends that Ukraine has ever had. That should answer her question in reference to Canada's very strong support for the Ukrainian people, including their government.

We will continue, as we have said, to look at this situation, and we will continue to be a strong supporter of Ukraine in its fight for freedom from Russia.

[Foreign Affairs, September 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the strongest sanctions against the Russian regime. Let me quote the figures exactly. Canada has approximately 171 sanctions against the Russians. In contrast, the U.S. has only 107 and the European Union 146.

This government is leading the sanctions against Russia. She should check her facts.

[Foreign Affairs, September 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the strongest sanction regimes in the world, which has been coordinated with our allies to target key individuals and entities and isolate Russia, politically and economically.

As the president of Ukraine said, we are Ukraine's best friend. We have been helping them fight the Russian aggression. We will continue doing so and we will maintain that we are the leading country in the world to put sanctions against Russia. We will continue to act accordingly with our allies.

[Foreign Affairs, September 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, following receipt of the new information and further investigation and analysis, these entities are being removed from the list. They are deemed to be sufficiently divorced from the events and Russian aggression against Ukraine. Because of the concentrated efforts by Canada and our allies, the Russian economy is now in recession and key individuals and entities are feeling the effects of these global sanctions.