Deepak Obhrai

[Natural Resources, September 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, six years ago TransCanada put its application for the Keystone XL pipeline forward to the United States. This pipeline would create tens of thousands of jobs on both sides of the border, enhance energy security and emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions than alternative transportation methods.

The Canada-U.S. energy relationship is the most important in the world, with the value of our energy exports last year being roughly $118 billion. Our government supports this pipeline because it is an important project on both sides of the border.

Canada is a reliable, environmentally-responsible friend and neighbour. Let us hope that this year we can finally celebrate the construction of Keystone XL.

[Reform Act, 2014, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour for me to rise and speak to the reform act, 2014, brought my colleague from Wellington—Halton Hills.

My dear friend from Edmonton—Leduc gave a little history about governments and the Westminster type of government. I have travelled all over the world and have seen numerous forms of government across the world, not only the Americans but we have the French. We have military regimes and we have dictatorships and we have all kinds of other governments. However, what is very clearly important is the form of democracy that we have elected here in Canada, the Westminster style of democracy, which has stood the test of time coming from U.K.

However, in what I am saying, it is dreadful that our Senate is not an elected Senate. Having said that, the House of Commons indeed is an institution that, for all everybody says whatever they want to say, is a very respected institution giving good governance to Canada, based on my own experience travelling around the world.

I have been a member of Parliament for close to 17 years now. Through this process, I have gone through a tremendous amount of political flux that has taken place in this country. I started as a Reform MP, then a member of the Canadian Alliance, then the old Progressive Conservative Party, and then the new Conservative Party. As I like to say, I never crossed the floor, the parties crossed on me.

Going through all this system over here, we learned one thing: where is the basic situation. Sure, there are always ways and room to improve, but the main basic thing I learned from all this here is that our process has checks and balances, not through legislation and that discipline but through practice. Let me give an example of that. My friend from Leduc talked about the crisis we had during the time of the Canadian Alliance. I went through all of that and I must say I give great credit for what happened over there to Stockwell Day, who realized that the caucus was not with him at that given time and took the right step, but went back out there to seek the leadership again from the members. These are the kinds of decisions that are in practice, which we have as part of us. However, I do want to commend my colleague here for trying to formalize it.

Where I had a very strong objection to his bill was where I felt that membership's voice was being taken away by giving more power to the caucuses, to Elections Canada, and so on. However, to his great credit, he heard all of our objections, and I want to commend him for bringing in the amendments that he did, which address many of the concerns we have had. I must say that gives back, in my opinion, the powers to the membership as, for example, in his first amendment by letting the parties decide who is going to be the person in charge. It does not matter who is the person in charge, whether it is the Prime Minister or whoever, but it is the membership that will decide, and that is part of his amendment.

I want to thank the Minister of State for Democratic Reform, who worked throughout the summer with the others in bringing in a lot of amendments that have now made us feel very good, so that I feel I am in a situation where a lot of positive things are now coming out of this bill. One of those positive steps that I am quite comfortable with is the election of the caucus chair. A democratically elected caucus chair is an absolutely good idea. Also the caucus would have the ability to admit or re-admit people who have been removed from caucus. That should be a caucus choice, which makes it a democratic institution, so that is excellent.

However, I do still have some little problems over here, which he has of course addressed. Again that comes to the issue of the leadership, which he said caucuses can update. What I am saying now is that it is a bill that we can all debate and all talk about. There are some positive aspects to it that we can move forward. When the bill goes to the committee, we can talk about other areas where we have concerns. I will talk to him again about concerns that I do have, and see how best we can bridge that gap. It can allow us, at the end of the day, to make a bill that is acceptable to all of us, which will strengthen the democracy in this country.

I want to give him credit for bringing it forward. We are waiting for this. We will vote for the bill to go to the committee, and then at the committee we will bring further amendments.

[Situation in Iraq, September 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, let me say this for the Leader of the Opposition. When this House was discussing the issue of Afghanistan and the NDP was sitting over there, it was the same argument that they were trying to make: we do not want to go, we do not want to go. We do not want to be looking for excuses to do all that. The same speech he is making here today was made by Jack Layton and his people sitting over there. Today—

[Situation in Iraq, September 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate what my hon. colleague has said, that there are Canadians who are watching and seeing what is happening: the indiscriminate killing, the rape of women, and the humanitarian crisis taking place. As my colleague, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has said, we have taken the largest number of refugees from Iraq of any country that we know of.

I do understand that, but at the current time, the bigger threat is that this group does not conform to any laws. It does not conform to any human rights, does not respect any human rights or anything. That is the biggest threat that needs to confronted. To confront that, it is necessary that we take this collective action, but the government is also committed to helping with humanitarian assistance for the displaced people of Iraq.

[Situation in Iraq, September 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of logistics as our troops go there in an advisory capacity to the government of Iraq as well as to the northern Kurdish government. Let me just answer on a different matter. We will let him know when the 30 days expire, and should anything change, we will come back to the House.

[Situation in Iraq, September 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of National Defence were at the foreign affairs committee with the Chief of the Defence Staff. Both of them made it very clear to the committee that the Canadian Forces were there in an advisory capacity, not on a combat mission. It was clear, as both sat in the committee.

[Situation in Iraq, September 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today and join my colleague, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to talk about the situation in the Middle East.

Let me remind the opposition and the people who are watching today that my esteemed colleague was our ambassador in Afghanistan. He served in Afghanistan exactly at the time when Afghanistan was facing a serious crisis of terrorism. He served with distinction there, so he is speaking with extreme authority on what is happening in the region.

Let me say this. The crisis that gathers us today hit us all in the summer, with shocking images of ISIL executions and Iraqi civilians displaced by the conflict. In order to understand how we got to that point, there are elements of Iraq's history and social fabric that must be laid out.

Iraq is a diverse country and home to several religious and ethnic minorities, some of which are now sadly famous for being targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. However, Shia Muslims, Sunni Muslims, and ethnic Kurds are the three main groups that compose its population. In the last three decades, each of these groups has suffered traumatic experiences at the hands of brutal terrorist groups, militias, and governments.

Until 2003, Iraq was governed by the Sunni-backed government of Saddam Hussein, whose gross human rights violations against his own people are well known and well documented. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, in particular Shias and Kurds, perished under his reign. Following the transitional period that followed Saddam's fall, a Shia-led government was elected in Iraq with promises of an inclusive government.

However, these promises were not fulfilled. Between 2003 and 2013, the Sunni population grew increasingly marginalized. De-Baathification laws, which were aimed at removing the influence of Saddam Hussein's party in the new Iraqi political system, barred Sunnis from employment in the public sector and made them second-class citizens. Sunnis became easy targets for arbitrary arrests under Iraq's anti-terror law, and in the spring of 2013 Iraqi forces violently cracked down on Sunni protesters, killing approximately 50 people.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish people in the north were developing their institutions and turning the region into a safe investment hub. Thanks to the safe haven and no-fly zone imposed by the U.S. and allies over northern Iraq in 1991, the Kurdistan Regional Government was relatively isolated from the violence that affected the rest of the country. The 2005 Iraqi constitution also granted the Kurds considerable autonomy and close to one-fifth of the federal budget. However, these provisions were not fully implemented in Baghdad, which fuelled discontent and aspirations for greater autonomy.

This is the situation that was in place when the recent crisis started: a centralized and authoritarian government led by the Shia majority, a disgruntled Sunni minority, and Kurdish people in the north with growing aspirations for economic and political autonomy.

ISIL's resurgence in Iraq started gradually, preying on the vulnerabilities that I described and in particular the marginalization of Sunnis. Since 2010, the terrorist group had focused most of its activities in Syria, after being defeated by Iraqi and U.S. forces backed by Sunni militias. Throughout 2013, ISIL increased the tempo of attacks and bombings in Iraq. That year alone, approximately 10,000 Iraqis died as a result of the violence. In January, ISIL took control over parts of Iraq's western province of Anbar, including the towns of Ramadi and Fallujah, less than 100 kilometres from Baghdad. At this stage, the Minister of Foreign Affairs publicly expressed Canada's concern and called upon the Iraqi government to work across religious and ethnic lines to resolve the crisis.

The population of Anbar is mostly Sunni. Some of them were so disenchanted with the Maliki government that they viewed ISIL as a viable alternative, or at least were willing to tolerate ISIL's presence. Many have changed their minds since then. Although the Maliki government was unpopular among Sunnis, the vast majority of people in Anbar did not welcome ISIL's occupation. As anyone would do in the face of brutal oppression, they tried to flee ISIL's violence, which resulted in the first wave of internal displacement. In total, almost half a million people from Anbar were forced to leave their homes between January and May of this year.

Despite these challenging circumstances, Iraq was able to organize parliamentary elections in late April. Former prime minister al-Maliki's Dawa party won, but fell short of a majority. Maliki's popularity was low, and Sunnis and Kurds were reluctant to join his coalition.

In June, ISIL made a rapid advance toward the north, reportedly with support from Sunni tribes. It captured Mosul, Tikrit, several other cities and villages, and key infrastructure. Mosul is Iraq's second city, and its control was a significant victor for ISIL, not only in terms of territory, but also because of the oil and cash seized by ISIL.

Canadians were also shocked to see reports about some of their own fighting with ISIL in Iraq.

Throughout the summer, ISIL continued to move towards the north, moving toward Kurdish-controlled territory. ISIL's advance was accompanied by reports of horrible human rights abuses. ISIL itself texted and tweeted about these disgusting acts, posting pictures and videos online. Near Tikrit, several hundred members of the Iraqi army were executed and buried. Near Mosul, ISIL executed approximately 500 prisoners, and as we know, two U.S. journalists, who have since been joined by a British aid worker, were savagely beheaded in retaliation for U.S. air strikes

In July, the Prime Minister strongly condemned religious persecution by ISIL in Iraq.

Indeed, Yazidis and Christians were being kidnapped, raped, and killed. Some were able to flee to safety, but in August several thousand Yazidis got trapped on Mount Sinjar. They were families with nothing left but the clothes on their backs. At that stage the U.S. decided to intervene with humanitarian airdrops and air strikes.

Throughout June and July, the humanitarian crisis deepened. During those two months, nearly half a million Iraqis were displaced, most of whom sought refuge in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Their testimonials, some of which were shared with the Minister of Foreign Affairs while in Iraq two weeks ago, are chilling. It will take time for Iraq and the international community to get a full picture of the numerous abuses committed by ISIL during the summer months.

During this dark period, the newly elected Iraqi parliament elected a speaker, Salim al-Jabouri, and a president, Fouad Massoum, who in turn nominated a prime minister designate, Haider al-Abadi. At every step Canada encouraged the Iraqi leadership to continue its progress toward the formation of a new, inclusive government. We did so because we strongly believe there can be no enduring peace in Iraq without an inclusive government.

Like most terrorist groups, ISIL preys on divisions. The marginalization of the Sunni population under Iraq's last government allowed for ISIL's recent comeback in Iraq, so it is important for the new government not to repeat the same mistakes.

Luckily, a new, legitimate, and inclusive government led by Haider al-Abadi was sworn in on September 8. Along with our allies, we are determined to give that government the tools it needs to get the job done.

Canada is already one of the main contributors of humanitarian assistance. We will continue to support Iraqi security forces, including Kurdish Peshmerga, which are fighting ISIL. Our assistance includes air support and military advice. A broad international coalition is forming against ISIL, and a growing number of countries are doing their share alongside Canada.

Last year, we passed the Combatting Terrorism Act, which creates an offence of leaving or attempting to leave Canada to commit certain terrorism offences. These offences can carry a prison term of up to 14 years. While in Iraq, the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced $5 million in programming to stem the flow of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq. We are working with like-minded partners to address this problem, and these efforts will continue.

Canada is also committed to countering terrorist financing. ISIL, also known as al Qaeda in Iraq, is a listed terrorist entity in Canada. Under Canadian laws, our financial institutions have an obligation to freeze ISIL's assets and to disclose details of assets to law enforcement.

Finally, we will continue to push for an effective, inclusive, and representative federal government in Baghdad through our programming and diplomatic actions. By inclusive, I am referring not only to the composition of the government but also to the government's program and actions.

[Ebola Outbreak, September 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, for bringing forward this important question.

Let me say again, Canadian advice on information on travel abroad can be found on travel.gc.ca. This website should be the first stop for all Canadians planning a trip abroad.

In addition, Canadians can also use this website to register through the registration of Canadians abroad service. This free and quick confidential service allows travellers to receive updates on any development in affected places, including how to contact, where and when, Canadian officials in an emergency to help them should they require any information, or by very bad luck are infected, or for any other reason.

Again, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Let me repeat that: travel.gc.ca, registration of Canadians abroad.

[Ebola Outbreak, September 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I said in my intervention, Canada is working with the WHO and with our international partners to fight this Ebola outbreak. We all recognize that this is an international emergency and it requires internationally coordinated efforts.

My colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, will shortly be speaking on what Canada and International Development will be doing and has done to date. I can assure the member that Canada will be at the forefront of this international effort and will continue fighting against this terrible disease.

[Ebola Outbreak, September 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, before I start, I would like to indicate that I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development.

About two weeks ago, I went to Nigeria to attend a ministerial conference on security. This was my third visit to Nigeria. As is normal, one enters the country without fear of any issues. However, what was different this time was that as I entered the airport, there was a person with a little machine pointed at my head. I stopped and asked what she was doing. She said she was testing my temperature to see if I was infected with Ebola. Nigeria is one of the countries, regretfully, that is affected by Ebola, although on a smaller scale. It immediately reminded me of the danger of this disease. For a minute it created a fear minute in me that things have changed with this deadly virus.

As we know, the World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease in West Africa to be a public health emergency of international concern. The Ebola outbreak is putting a strain on already fragile nations. Of greatest concern are the condition of health systems in the most affected countries and the lack of knowledge about Ebola, which have created conditions for its spread. Security forces that have been deployed to deal with the outbreak have little or no experience in dealing with such a threat. The use of quarantine as a preventive measure is causing alarm, and public fears based on misconceptions about the disease have spread to others.

Against the advice of the WHO, regional and international airlines have cancelled flights to affected areas. Border closures are creating supply shortages and impeding the transfer of laboratory specimens, equipment, and supplies necessary for the response. Responses by neighbouring countries and the fears of investors would likely accelerate the economic impact of the crisis.

It is vital for Canadians to be aware of the risks in travelling to the affected countries I just mentioned. As always, the safety of Canadians is of highest priority. We strive to prepare our citizens for international travel by providing information and advice on the safe travel to foreign countries and to help Canadians abroad in handling consular difficulties or emergencies.

The Government of Canada's advice and information on travel abroad can be found on travel.gc.ca. The website should be the first step for all Canadians planning a trip abroad. It offers a wealth of information and tools to help travellers make responsible and informed decisions. This includes travel advice and advisories on more than 200 countries, which gives an overview of the security situation in the country, information on entry and exit requirements, health recommendations, contact information to the nearest Canadian office, and much more. Canadians can also use this website to register with the registration of Canadians abroad service. This free, quick, and confidential service allows travellers to receive updates on any local developments that may affect their safety and security.

Several PHAC travel health notices have been issued to Canadians in the affected areas. The registration of Canadians abroad service alerts them to the changing travel advisories, border closures, and flight suspensions, and it reminds Canadians of where to call if they need assistance. We will continue to work closely with PHAC to ensure Canadians receive the latest information. We also provide public communication and outreach products to educate Canadians on how to travel safely and responsibly. Ultimately, the decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller, who is best placed to make appropriate choices about his or her own safety.

Due to the Ebola outbreak and its impact on mobility and access to quality health care, the Government of Canada recommends against non-essential travel to Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The Government of Canada's ability to provide consular assistance is extremely limited in the affected regions. We urge Canadians whose presence in the region is not essential to consider leaving by commercial means while it is still possible, as it becoming increasingly difficult to do so.

These recommendations are intended to inform Canadian travellers and to make it easier for health officials in these countries to dedicate their resources toward controlling the outbreak. Greater public education and awareness will alert Canadian travellers and Government of Canada employees to the fact that risks to public health workers are high in the affected areas, as most human infections result from direct contact with the body fluids of an infected patient.

There may also be difficulty in accessing health care services due to an increased burden on the health care system. The WHO has reported that more than 240 health care workers have been infected with the Ebola virus disease and more than 120 of them have died.

While no Canadians have contracted Ebola to date, a growing number of Canadian health care workers are on the front line providing treatment. Their work puts them at an increased risk of exposure, and we must be prepared for the possibility that they may contract the disease. In the event that Canadians are infected, officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, abroad and in Canada, will direct the patient to the closest medical provider and refer them onward as appropriate. These officials would discuss medically appropriate recommendations for the return to Canada of the patient and his or her family, based on advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the patient's treating doctor. Protocols for the treatment or transfer of Canadian health workers are in place based on the level of exposure to the virus, and they would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The Government of Canada will work with allied governments and international organizations, including the World Health Organization, the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain, at civilian and military levels, on the conduct of their medical evacuations in Ebola-affected countries.

Beyond medical evacuation planning, there are necessary security concerns in the affected areas which require more detailed contingency planning. While commercial options for the departure in Ebola-affected areas continue to exist, capacity is significantly reduced from normal levels due to the suspension of flights to European and African destinations. While we are not currently contemplating an evacuation of Canadians from any of these areas, our embassies in the region are monitoring the security situation, verifying the status of flights and land borders, and observing how governments are maintaining medical services and other public institutions, as well as how quarantine measures are being implemented. The goal of WHO is to stop Ebola transmission in the affected countries within six to nine months. This can be achieved with proper and effective infection prevention and control measures.

The Government of Canada is fully committed to supporting international efforts to control the Ebola virus outbreak. The assistance we are providing to affected countries in West Africa will not only contribute to preventing further spread of the disease, it will also help to safeguard the security and well-being of Canadian citizens, whose safety is of the highest priority.