House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 48% of the vote.
Foreign Affairs May 16th, 2014
Let me repeat what I just said, 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 to isolate Russia politically and economically.
Let me tell the hon. member, our sanctions are designed to punish the Putin regime and bring economic pressure on Russia for its illegal occupation of Ukraine. If need be, we will take further action to send a strong message to Russia in protection of Ukraine.
Foreign Affairs May 16th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the strongest sanction regimes in the world. This has been coordinated with our allies to target key individuals and entities to isolate Russia politically and economically.
Our sanctions are designed to punish the Putin regime and bring economic pressure on Russia for its illegal occupation of Ukraine.
Canada will further take action if Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity continue to be tested.
Election in India May 16th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Narender Modi and the BJP on their electoral success.
These elections clearly illustrate that Mr. Modi's message of economic revival resonated with the Indian electorate. Under the leadership of Mr. Modi, India is poised to reach greater heights.
It is our hope that the reforms implemented by Mr. Modi in Gujurat can be replicated throughout India. Our government is committed to supporting and working with Mr. Modi as he embarks upon his reforms, which would not only benefit Indians but also Canadians.
Once again, I congratulate Mr. Modi and the BJP.
I would also like to congratulate the Election Commission of India for organizing an open and transparent election.
Foreign Affairs May 14th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member that Canada will attend and our representation will be determined very shortly.
Foreign Affairs May 14th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, Canada is very much concerned, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, about this kidnapping.
As the Prime Minister said yesterday, Canadians are already on the ground in Nigeria working with our U.K. and U.S. allies. Canadian personnel on the ground are there solely in a liaison and advisory capacity.
Calgary East May 13th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, my current riding of Calgary East is fortunate to have strong, vibrant community associations, namely Riverbend, Marlborough, Dover, Marlborough Park, Millican Ogden, Southview, Lynnwood, Crossroads/Mayland Heights, Forest Heights, Albert Park/Radisson Heights, Penbrooke Meadows, Forest Lawn, Erin Woods, Applewood Park, Inglewood, Douglas Glen, and Abbydale.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers of all the community associations in Calgary East for their hard work and commitment to keeping the Calgary spirit of community bright.
With new boundaries taking effect during the election in 2015, I warmly welcome the new communities of Vista Heights, Rundle, Pineridge, Monterey Park, and Coral Springs
I look forward to working with these communities in the coming years.
I also would like to thank those whom I have had the honour to represent since 1997.
Kidnapping of Girls in Nigeria May 12th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, first, the well-being of the girls is very important to us. We do not want to take any kind of action that would harm the girls. In that aspect, we are coordinating our efforts. Canadians are in Nigeria now, along with the U.S.A., Britain, and other countries. It will be one coordinated effort to look for the girls. That is an ongoing process.
As for the conference that France has called for, the reports have just come out. We are going to be working with France. We will work with our allies in that region to address many of these issues, as we have done in the past in Nigeria, as well as in Mali and Algeria.
Canada is strongly involved in the fight against terrorism. As I have stated, that whole region is subject to terrorist activities by groups. Canada is helping with capacity building. That includes Nigeria as well. We have spent close to $500,000, helping the Nigerians come up to their capacity as well.
Kidnapping of Girls in Nigeria May 12th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I will quickly answer these questions.
As I stated in my speech, we are working with our counterparts. Canada is now working jointly with the U.S.A. and Britain. Canada is on the ground helping Nigerians. We are now awaiting the report on the coordination process that is going on, and as soon as the report comes in, we will decide if this task force is requesting further assistance from Canada. Canada, as I stated, is willing to help in any capacity. That is number one.
Number two, in reference to the conference that has been called by President Hollande, of France, this has just happened recently, as we know. We are awaiting the details from President Hollande on the process. As I have stated, we are in consultation with our allies, and we will jointly take the action that is needed and do whatever we can do.
Third, to answer the last question about the overall fight on terrorism, as we know, after Libya, Gadhafi's breakup of the situation in Mali, and with what has happened in Nigeria and in Mauritania, all of these regions in Sahel are facing very serious problems of terrorism. We are now assisting in the capacity building in this partnership that I talked about for these countries to fight the war against terrorism. Out of that, $500,000 has already been spent in Nigeria, building capacity there.
It is a long-term process, as the member has already pointed out. Nigeria is an oil-rich country, and yet, as the member pointed out, there are many children not going to school. Naturally, there is serious inequality in this country. It is a long-term process, but Canada is there to do whatever it can.
Kidnapping of Girls in Nigeria May 12th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, it is with a sense of urgency that I take the floor to speak about the brutal and despicable abduction of over 250 schoolgirls in northeastern Nigeria.
Before I move on, I would like to say that I will be splitting my time with the member for Kildonan—St. Paul.
I would like to extend the solidarity of the Canadian people and their government to the families of these young girls who have been kidnapped and taken from their loved ones. We are all shocked by the scale of this atrocity.
On the night of April 14-15, heavily armed Boko Haram militants dressed as Nigerian soldiers attacked the government secondary school, in the town of Chibok, northeastern Nigeria. The girls, mostly between the ages of 16 and 18, had gathered from various regional schools to take their secondary certificate examination. The terrorists murdered the guards, burned the village, and left with over 300 young girls in a convoy of trucks. The girls were separated into small groups and dispersed to terrorist strongholds in northern Nigeria. The dispersal of the girls over a large area would challenge any government in mounting a successful rescue operation.
During the kidnapping process, about 50 girls managed to escape, but the rest remain captive. Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, says that he will sell them into marriage and slavery. The kidnappings have not stopped there, and a further 11 girls were kidnapped, on May 6, from the town of Gwoza, also in northeastern Nigeria.
Boko Haram started as an extremist but largely non-violent Islamist group in the early 2000s. In 2010, the group started attacking police, other security forces, and government officials, as a response to a strong government crackdown against the group in 2009, which left its leader and hundreds of its members dead. Since 2010, the violent attacks have continued to escalate. The group has succeeded in capturing weapons from Nigerian forces, to such an extent that the group is now well armed, including with armoured vehicles.
More recently, Boko Haram has adopted a new tactic of going into villages and conducting large-scale massacres. This was most gruesomely demonstrated by its attack on the town of Gamboru Ngala, which killed over 300 civilians, many of them burned to death when Boko Haram set fire to houses in which civilians had taken refuge from the slaughter. This brings Boko Haram's death tally for the year to over 1,000 Nigerians.
According to Africa's Human Rights Watch, with regard to Boko Haram's activities, “The killing and mutilation of ordinary Nigerians, the abduction and rape of women and girls, and the use of children for fighting are horrifying human rights violations”.
The Nigerian government has been combatting this revisionist group for several years. Nigerian President Jonathan established a state of emergency, in May 2013, in the three northeastern provinces where Boko Haram is most active.
However, as military operations have been ramped up, the Nigerian military has been accused by credible sources of major human rights violations, which have resulted in the deaths of a large number of civilians and alienated many others from the government cause. These accusations are a continuing challenge for Nigeria, and we call upon all, including Nigerian security forces, to respect international norms for human rights.
Boko Haram's attacks on civilian population targets are increasing, and it is important that the government of Nigeria receives international support to counter this terrorism. In December 2013, the Canadian government labelled Boko Haram as a terrorist organization.
Nigeria, as we know, faces many challenges. Its huge population, of over 170 million, amounts to one half of the population of West Africa. Its economy is listed by the IMF as the second largest in Africa, after South Africa. Nigeria is also a strong international player and was elected, for the fifth time, to a two-year seat on the UN Security Council, starting in January of this year. It has also contributed troops in support of several UN and African Union peace forces.
However, within the country, there remains inequality, poverty, corruption, failure to protect, and excessive use of force, attacks on religious freedom, violence against women, and early and forced marriages.
Nigeria's neighbours, particularly those bordering on the northeast part of the country, are watching this growing security problem with concern, particularly as their borders are porous. Nigeria's international partners are also watching the security developments with concern. Quite simply, a Nigeria with a major domestic security problem is a problem for all of us.
Canada joins its allies in offering assistance to the Nigerian government and its people at this time of need. Our American, British, and French allies are sending experts and search teams to assist the Nigerian security forces in locating and eventually returning the girls. Other countries, including China and Israel, have made offers of assistance.
Others who will speak after me will elaborate further on what Canada has been doing over the years to support the people of Nigeria and those in West Africa, including efforts in addressing profound challenges, which have been crystallized by the abduction of these girls. Canada has made it a priority to end child, early, and forced marriages, and while the problem is widespread around the world, some projects have taken place in Nigeria. Canada remains committed to supporting Nigeria's most wonderful people, particularly in the area of maternal, newborn, and child health. My colleague from the development side of DFATD will expand on this.
The Government of Canada has offered assistance to the government of Nigeria in providing tools aimed at finding the abducted girls and bringing them home. This measure is in addition to a series of projects funded by the Canadian government and designed to support the Nigerian government's efforts to stamp out terrorism. Through the Global Counterterrorism Forum, with its inclusive membership and action-oriented mandate, we are helping in the fight against those who resort to terror to undermine freedom and peace in all corners of the world. At the same time, we are fostering important ties between Canada's law enforcement agencies and military forces with their counterparts.
Since 2010, Canada's counterterrorism capacity-building program has committed $28.4 million in concrete programming initiatives in the Sahel that are focused on training and equipment for law enforcement, military, and intelligence bodies. Specifically, Canada's global partnership program is funding two active biological security projects in Nigeria, to secure potentially lethal pathogens kept for research and medical purposes against misuse.
In addition to counterterrorism capacity, Canada is active in building bridges among Nigeria civilians to reduce tensions and violence. The Office of Religious Freedom, of DFATD, funds a project in Nigeria of close to $733,000 Canadian, with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, to promote intercommunity dialogue and conflict mediation in the central part of the country. While not directly linked to Boko Haram, it will develop local mediation capacity and create dialogue opportunities between communities and religious leaders.
In short, we are standing steadfast with the people of Nigeria and with our allies to fight terrorism.
Thailand May 8th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, on May 7, the Constitutional Court of Thailand convicted democratically elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of abuse of power. The decision made by Thailand's Constitutional Court has resulted in the removal of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and nine members of the caretaker government.
Canada, as a friend of Thailand, wants to see a free, peaceful, and democratic Thailand. We therefore call upon all parties to show restraint. As our foreign affairs minister stated, we urge all Thais to work together to resolve their differences. Our government is calling for the forthcoming election to take place peacefully, with the broadest possible participation, in accordance with the Thai constitution and in keeping with democratic principles and the rule of law.
We wish the people of Thailand our best wishes.