Deepak Obhrai

[Foreign Affairs, September 15th, 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 “Protocol Amending the Convention Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Physical Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital Gains”, signed at London on September 8, 1978, as amended by the protocol signed at Ottawa on 15 April, 1980, by the protocol signed at London on 16 October, 1985, and by the protocol signed at London on May 7, 2003, done at London on 21 July, 2014; “Agreement Between Canada and the European Union on the Transfer and Processing of Passenger Name Record Data”, done at Brussels on 25 June, 2014; “Amendment to Annex 7 of the International Health Regulations, 2005”, adopted at Geneva on 24, May 2014; and “An Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America to Improve International Tax Compliance to Enhance Exchange of Information under the Convention Between Canada and the United States with Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital”, done at Ottawa on February 2014.

An explanatory memorandum is included with each treaty.

[Foreign Affairs, September 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has said, we extend our deepest sympathy to the families of all those who lost their lives in this unnecessary tragedy. Indeed it was a tragedy, and as the Prime Minister has said and the Minister of Foreign Affairs has said, we would like an international investigation to find out who actually was responsible for bringing down this aircraft. We know it was brought down in the area that was held by the rebels, and we are looking for an international investigation to come to a final conclusion as to who actually brought this aircraft down.

[Foreign Affairs, June 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is very concerned about the rise in terrorism in Iraq. We stand in solidarity with the Iraqi government and the people as terrorists occupy parts of the country. Canada condemns all acts of terrorism. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those affected by this horrific violence.

We call for restraint on the use of force in populated areas. We call on all parties to refrain from targeting civilians and to protect medical facilities.

[Rail Transportation, June 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what my hon. colleague is saying, as I just stated, and let me repeat again, in 2007 our government provided a one-time contribution of nearly $18 million to the municipalities in the Gaspé region to allow them to upgrade the rail line.

Again, let me point this out to the hon. member. Since the entire line is within the Quebec region, it is the Government of Quebec, the provincial government, that is also responsible for its safety and for looking after its regulations.

It is clearly important that it is a joint effort by all of them. At this current time, once the Government of Quebec feels the railway line is fine, it can tell VIA, and VIA, when it knows it has the capacity to do that, it will do it.

Let me say this quite clearly. As far as I will set it out here, we do provide support and will continue to provide support, but we also expect others to take on the burden as well.

[Rail Transportation, June 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, VIA Rail, is an independent federal crown corporation. It is responsible for the safety of its operation and its passengers. This includes ensuring, to the best of its ability, that the track and infrastructure on which it depends is safe and reliable.

VIA Rail suspended service along the Gaspé Peninsula because safety inspections undertaken by the Province of Quebec revealed that the tracks and signalling on this rail line did not meet standards for safe passenger rail operations. The rail line is owned by a private company. It is the rail line owner, not VIA Rail, that is responsible for repairing the tracks and signalling and ensuring safety for operations.

It is important to note that the rail line in the Gaspé Peninsula is entirely within the province of Quebec and is provincially regulated, so the safety regime of Quebec must be followed. The Government of Quebec will therefore review any work that has been undertaken to ensure that it meets provincial rail safety standards. Once the provincial government approves the repairs, VIA Rail will determine whether the track and signalling are safe to resume its operations on the line. VIA is responsible for ensuring that it has the appropriate staff and resources in place to provide safe and efficient rail service.

Given the rail line is solely within the borders of Quebec, any public funding for infrastructure repairs and upgrades for this line would be a provincial responsibility. Nevertheless, our government has taken action and has provided funding for upgrades to this line in the past. In 2007, our government provided a one-time contribution of nearly $18 million to the municipalities in the Gaspé region to allow them to acquire the rail line and to make repairs to bring the rail line back into a state of good repair.

Aside from that, our government provides VIA Rail with a significant operating subsidy to support a national network of passenger rail services. In 2013-14, this subsidy was $305 million. Over the past seven years, our government has provided VIA Rail with more than $1 billion in capital funding to upgrade infrastructure and equipment such as tracks, bridges, stations, locomotives, and rail cars.

Our government supports a passenger railway network that meets the needs of today's travellers, while supporting the efficient use of taxpayer dollars. VIA must work to ensure it is not a burden to taxpayers. It is very concerned that it is, at this time, also posting significant losses.

[Foreign Affairs, June 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that Canada is working with the United Nations on many of the issues the member is talking about, including, as I just said, with NGOs to provide development assistance out there. However, most importantly, we need a climate of security in that country so that we can work there and build on development assistance. There is no point in building all those things, and then intertribal fighting breaks out and we lose everything.

However, let me say that Canada is very much engaged internationally with our partners, most importantly with the United Nations, in achieving what the member has said. We both have the same interest, which is South Sudan finding its feet in Africa as a new nation and moving forward.

[Foreign Affairs, June 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for raising this issue of the situation in South Sudan. I agree on many of the points with respect to the situation in South Sudan. Due to the conflict and other reasons, it is deteriorating very badly and requires attention. I can tell her in no uncertain terms that, contrary to what she has been telling us—that Canada is not involved—Canada has been involved in South Sudan from the day that country became independent. Prior to that, Canada was one of the major countries, not only as a donor but in assisting toward achieving peace.

I myself have visited that country twice. Following the birth of this nation, we had great hopes that this would move forward. Unfortunately, the political infighting that has taken place has really put South Sudan way back with respect to development assistance.

Together with its partners, Canada has been working to see what is the best way forward, working with the Government of South Sudan in moving forward to meet its development assistance needs.

It is true that the UN is there now to stop the fighting.

Some good news that I want to share with the hon. member, which came yesterday, was that both parties who were fighting have agreed to peace in Addis Ababa, led by the African Union. Hopefully, that peace will work toward assuring a climate where all the assistance we have been giving reaches its destination.

Making announcements or attending donor conferences is not the one effective way to reach out or to offer assistance. Rather, it is to work together jointly with the other partners that we have identified. In the case of South Sudan, we have identified partners and what we can do.

Only two weeks ago in Calgary I announced development assistance to the Red Cross so it can use mobile units for the child maternity cases in South Sudan. We are working with our NGO partners. Canada is on the ground in South Sudan. We hope that the people of South Sudan very quickly resolve their differences and move forward, and that the situation, as the hon. member has described, is averted, most importantly the humanitarian crisis.

[Tourism, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I know it is late at night, but I can assure the hon. member that my head is out looking at these things. It is not in the sand, as she said.

Let me say that there is plenty of good news to report about tourism in Canada. The industry continues to grow, as I have stated. In 2013, tourism revenues in Canada increased by 3% to over $84 billion.

We also have a very talented marketing agency, which does a great job of attracting international tourists to Canada. The Canadian Tourism Commission continues to promote Canada as a premier tourist destination in priority markets around the world, some of which are showing impressive growth.

Canada has one of the strongest country brands in the world. Our government is committed to working with our provincial and territorial counterparts as well as with the tourism industry to ensure that Canada remains a top tourist destination.

[Tourism, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to respond to the comments made earlier by the hon. member regarding tourism marketing.

Tourism is an important sector for all regions across Canada. The Government of Canada supports the competitiveness of our national tourism sector and works closely with industry to ensure that Canada remains a top tourist destination. This is exactly what we committed to in last year's Speech from the Throne.

There is plenty of good news on this front. I am pleased to note that the industry continues to grow. In 2013, tourism revenues in Canada increased by 3% to over $84 billion, and the tourism sector provided more than 618,000 jobs.

To sustain the growth and positive momentum of our tourism sector, the Government of Canada launched the federal tourism strategy in 2011. The strategy positions Canada's tourism sector to take advantage of international growth opportunities. So far it has yielded tangible results to reduce barriers that were hampering the performance of the sector. For example, we have signed 80 air transport agreements with top priority markets such as China, India, and Japan. There are also a growing number of visa application centres worldwide.

We have a very talented marketing agency that does a great job of attracting international tourists to Canada. The Canadian Tourism Commission promotes Canada as a premier tourist destination in priority markets around the world, some of which have shown impressive growth. For example, the number of visitors from China grew by over 22% last year. India is another market that is showing great growth potential. That is why the Minister of State for Tourism led a tourism stakeholder mission to India in February 2013.

The Canadian Tourism Commission has also been successful in attracting meetings, conventions, and business travellers to Canada, which together generated $120 million in revenue last year. In fact, the CTC played a central role in convincing the internationally renowned TED Conference to relocate to Vancouver from its home in California this year and in 2015. This was a huge win for Canada.

Furthermore, the Canadian Tourism Commission's business model allows it to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and to leverage new opportunities as they arise. In fact, the CTC leveraged 80¢ in contributions from industry partners for every dollar of appropriations in 2013, allowing for a greater marketing and advertising reach for Canadian tourism.

Last year the Canadian Tourism Commission's partners contributed $47.7 million to its marketing activities and events.

Tourism in Canada is growing. At the same time, our industry is facing increased competition worldwide. To be successful, Canada's tourism industry must innovate and adapt to offer the memorable experiences travellers are seeking. Governments can help by creating an environment for our tourism businesses to compete and thrive.

[Foreign Affairs, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is very seriously concerned by these new reports that have come out that say Boko Haram has kidnapped 20 additional women. We are very concerned about the security situation in West Africa. Canada is doing its part, helping with its allies, providing all the logistical support it can. We will continue doing that.