Deepak Obhrai

[Diwali, November 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, today is Diwali, also known as Deepawali. It is also known as the Festival of Lights celebrated by all Hindus, Sikhs and others around the world.

On this day, people light their homes to symbolize the dawning of light over darkness. They mark Diwali with religious blessings, or pooja, and celebrate in a festive mood with the exchange of sweets. It is the dawn of a new year.

I am proud to say that, in 1998, I spearheaded the celebration of Diwali on Parliament Hill, which has today blossomed into a national Diwali celebration. Over the years since then, Canadians have joined prime ministers and members of Parliament, including you, Mr. Speaker, to celebrate this event on Parliament Hill.

This year, the 10th national Diwali celebration will be held on November 16 at the Government Conference Centre in Ottawa, starting at 6:30 p.m. I cordially extend an invitation to all my colleagues to join community members from Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal to celebrate Diwali.

Happy Diwali to all my colleagues.

[Foreign Affairs, November 4th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express our concerns with the cases of Ms. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, Mr. Hossein Derakhshan and Mr. Hamid Ghassemi-Shall.

We are concerned by their continuing mistreatment at the hands of the Iranian authorities.

Iran is a signatory to the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights. As such, Iran is obligated to ensure that the rights of these detained individuals are upheld. Failure to do so is a failure by the Iranian government to meet its legal obligations.

Yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs called in the senior representative of Iran in Canada to answer for his government's continued mistreatment of Ms. Ashtiani.

Today a motion was passed unanimously in this House to express the concern of Canadians regarding the treatment of Ms. Ashtiani.

Canada and the international community will continue to hold the Iranian authorities accountable to their international obligations.

[International Co-operation, October 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I will summarize what our government has done with our international aid.

Under our watch, Canada is the first G8 country to double our aid to Africa. The opposition ignores the fact that, under our watch, Canada is doubling its international assistance to a record $5 billion. We led the world in addressing the MDG goals 4 and 5. Under our watch, we became world leaders in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

[International Co-operation, October 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I see the hon. member has given me a last chance, so I will repeat that our government's position has not changed on this matter.

All projects funded by CIDA are assessed against our effectiveness standards. After due diligence, it was determined that the KAIROS proposal did not meet the Government of Canada's priorities.

I will repeat this again. Our priorities are: more food, more education and more help. In other words, our priority is to make a real difference.

[International Co-operation, October 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the position of the government has not changed on this matter. Our government has been very clear. We have an aid effectiveness strategy and we are acting on it. We are delivering real results for people in developing countries.

All projects funded by CIDA are assessed against our effectiveness standards. After due diligence, it was determined that the KAIROS proposal did not meet the Government of Canada's priorities.

Our priorities are: more food, more education and more help. In other words, our priority is to make a real difference.

[North Korea, October 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, our government has taken a firm, principled stand against the North Korean government's continued reckless and unacceptable behaviour, including its aggressive weapons program and the sinking of the South Korean vessel Cheonan.

The imposition of tough, targeted economic sanctions and the adoption of a controlled engagement policy limiting our bilateral relations with the North Korean government sends a clear message that its aggressive actions will not be tolerated.

These new sanctions are targeted specifically against the North Korean government and not the people of North Korea. We will not block remittances or humanitarian aid from reaching the people of North Korea.

We strongly believe that North Korea must take tangible steps to improve its behaviour and comply with its obligations under international law.

Our government continues to fight for the values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law around the world.

[Calgary East, October 27th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, after years of neglect by the Liberals of western Canada's aspirations, I am delighted to see that federal funding is finally flowing into western Canadian communities.

Thanks to this Conservative government, my riding of Calgary East has seen its fair share of federal grants, kick-starting new projects and giving hope to the riding's residents during these tough economic times.

Our government has contributed funds to the Parks Foundation Calgary for the construction of 13 playgrounds and recreation facilities. Our government is supporting the youth possibilities program, which will help youth facing employment barriers to develop job skills to ease their transition to work or return to school. We have provided funding to help persons with mental health disabilities to become self-employed.

Funding alone does not achieve results. Our people make the real difference. I wish to recognize all the volunteers who have worked tirelessly to improve their community.

I congratulate the people of Calgary East for supporting these worthy projects.

[International Co-operation, October 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we are delighted that the Prime Minister is going to the Francophonie summit this weekend. The PM's presence at the Francophonie summit demonstrates our engagement toward this important international organization. We will continue to support this great organization.

[Human Smuggling, October 22nd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, on Monday in Vienna, I delivered a speech at the 10th United Nations conference against transnational organized crime. I had the opportunity to reaffirm the government's commitment to combatting human smuggling.

This goes hand in hand with the bill introduced by the member for Kildonan—St. Paul, which has been given royal assent. The member has worked relentlessly on this issue.

As well, yesterday our government introduced a bill that targets those who prey and abuse our immigration system through illegal human smuggling activities.

Let me be very clear: legal migration enriches us all. Canada is determined to maintain trust in its regular immigration and refugee systems, ensuring they work effectively and fairly for everyone. Their manipulation by criminal networks will not be tolerated.

Our government will continue its fight against human smuggling and protect the integrity of our immigration system.

[Foreign Affairs, October 21st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said, the Government of Canada is fully capable of supporting its military commitment in Afghanistan. The Government of Canada always chooses arrangements that are in the best interest of Canada and the best value to Canadians. What the UAE was offering was not in the best interest of Canada.