Élaine Michaud

[National Defence, May 6th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, after being forced to remove images endangering our special forces soldiers from the Web, the Prime Minister's Office had to admit that it made a serious mistake.

However, again yesterday, a senior official said that these images did not violate security protocols. That is ridiculous. Our soldiers were obviously put at risk by this propaganda campaign.

How could the Prime Minister have let this happen? Was there no one in his office who thought to say that it might not be a good idea?

[Portneuf Women's Centre, May 6th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize the first anniversary of the founding of the board of directors of the Centre Femmes de Portneuf.

Created on May 8, 2014, this community organization is dedicated to providing women with a place to meet new people and talk to each other, as well as sharing information and taking concrete action to improve the conditions and quality of life of the women in the greater Portneuf area.

The staff at the Centre Femmes de Portneuf has worked very hard to make a difference and become a strong voice for the women of Portneuf.

After just one year, this centre has a number of important achievements to its credit, including establishing a women's exhibition, hosting coffee hours, creating community engagement groups, as well as promoting the services available to women in the region.

All of the work done by Julie Blackburn, chair of the board, and her entire team is quite impressive. I want to thank each and every one of those women who invest so much in making the Portneuf RCM a great place to live, where everyone is treated equally and with respect.

[National Defence, May 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, during his latest visit to Iraq, the Prime Minister prevented journalists from publishing images of our special operations forces soldiers for security reasons. However, he released images showing the faces of these soldiers for a promotional campaign. When the issue was raised, the video was taken off the Web. Now there is talk of posting it again. Quite frankly, that is shameful.

Does the Prime Minister realize that posting this promotional video on his website compromises our soldiers' safety?

[National Defence, April 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, an action plan is only a first step. We need to get to the bottom of things to understand this systemic failure when it comes to the investigation and prosecution of sexual crimes in the military. Canada's military justice system has completely failed the women and men who have tried to speak out about sexual misconduct, harassment and abuse.

Will the minister apologize to victims for this shameful behaviour and accept all of the recommendations in the report?

[Morelle Elementary School in Saint-Ubalde, April 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, April 22 was Earth Day, and one of the elementary schools in my riding of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier celebrated that event in a very special way.

For nearly five years now, the students and teachers at the Morelle elementary school in Saint-Ubalde have been actively involved in a concerted effort to learn more about the environment and sustainable development. Over the years, they have carried out many projects to help protect the environment and preserve the shorelines of Portneuf's many waterways. In order to demonstrate their commitment to this cause, the Morelle elementary school became the first elementary school in the Portneuf school board to adopt a charter of environmental and sustainable development education.

I would like to recognize the efforts of this school's young students, the principal, Marie-Claude Gignac, and all of the teaching staff who worked together to carry out this inspiring project.

This sort of initiative not only helps children become engaged and responsible citizens in the future, but it also sets a good example for all of us to follow.

[Ongoing Situation in Ukraine, April 29th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, I think the minister must not be paying much attention in question period, because even though we do ask questions, we never get any clear answers from the government. What we are asking for here is a formal debate in the House, not a take note debate after the decision has been made.

I also think the minister's memory must be failing him, because immediately after his speech, I asked him how the government was going to keep Canadians and parliamentarians informed of the details, objectives and progress of the mission. He did not answer me.

Before I answer his question, I would like an answer to mine.

[Ongoing Situation in Ukraine, April 29th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my Liberal colleague for his question.

I find it a rather strange that he, of all people, thinks we are a bit confused. When the Liberals tried to take a position on Canada's mission in Iraq and the extension of the mission in Syria, it was very confusing. There was a lot of flip-flopping. That is what happened.

What we asked for in the House is very clear. We want detailed information so that we can make an informed decision and take a stand in a formal vote in the House. We have asked the government to make that happen multiple times. Unlike the Liberals, the NDP likes to be informed and to have the details before making decisions.

[Ongoing Situation in Ukraine, April 29th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the minister for his question.

I was also here for most of the speeches given in tonight's take note debate and I did not hear any details from the government about the real mandate our troops will have on the ground.

In order to take a meaningful position, we must be well informed. We need transparency and information. The government has to be prepared to answer our questions. That is not the case right now. In fact, the NDP is asking for an official debate in the House, not an extremely informal take note debate like the one we are having tonight, so that we can make our position known in an official vote. That is what we are asking for from the government, and we still have not received an answer.

[Ongoing Situation in Ukraine, April 29th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, before I begin, I would like to say that I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from Edmonton—Strathcona.

The debate we are having in the House tonight is important, and I am glad that so many MPs from all parties want to participate. The situation in Ukraine is deeply worrisome, and everyone has an opinion on it, including those of us here in the House and all Canadians.

Russia's illegitimate military intervention in Crimea and the ensuing violence, which is still ongoing, shocked the international community. According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 6,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine and over 15,000 more have been injured. People in the region are having a harder and harder time getting water and electricity, and the fighting has been going on intermittently despite ceasefires between the two parties.

My NDP colleagues and I supported and continue to support Canada's efforts to help the Ukrainian people, including our involvement in NATO'S Operation Reassurance. We stand with the Ukrainian people and we will continue to do so. We have a duty to help them. In addition to the non-lethal military support already provided by Canada, we can assist Ukraine in other ways, such as contributing to the country's democratic development or its economic stability.

I do not have much time today, but my colleagues from Laurier—Sainte-Marie and Ottawa Centre, in particular, have outlined various measures that Canada could take to help the Ukrainian people.

I would like to come back to the announcement that was made a few weeks ago by the Minister of National Defence. He announced the deployment of 200 Canadian military members to train the Ukrainian armed forces until March 2017. We know that there are some issues with the Ukrainian military at present. It can and must play a key role in stabilizing the region. Unfortunately, it continues to have difficulty modernizing and becoming more professional. Canada can certainly help train Ukrainian troops. Quite honestly, the intentions behind the deployment that was recently announced are commendable.

However, many questions still remain about exactly what our Canadians troops will be doing on the ground. There was a press conference to announce the whole thing, and tonight we are having a take note debate. However, we are getting very few additional details on the real mandate that Canadians troops will have on the ground in Ukraine.

Canadians and parliamentarians alike deserve more information on the details of the mission. This is a democracy, and transparency is important. There should be a debate in House.

My riding, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, is home to CFB Valcartier. The soldiers who are part of 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group are currently taking part in the exercise MAPLE RESOLVE. They will be in a period of high operational readiness as of July 1. Being in a state of high operational readiness means that the soldiers who are currently at Valcartier could be deployed to Ukraine in the coming months, once the group from Petawawa completes its deployment.

With that in mind, it is crucial that the soldiers in my riding and their families be kept informed of the government's intentions and of the real mandate that our troops will be assigned.

In addition to the take note debate we are having today, we need to have a formal debate and a vote in the House. For now, the government has made a unilateral decision without consulting parliamentarians from all the parties. That is unfortunate. Everyone in the House agrees that we must help Ukraine. Canada has a role to play and we can certainly contribute to democratizing the country, stabilizing its economy, and training its troops. However, we should at least debate this in the House. It is part of our responsibility as parliamentarians. Unfortunately, that was overlooked yet again. Although I appreciate the debate we are having this evening, we have to do more. We are a democracy. It is important for the government to give us the opportunity to hold a formal debate on the issue and formally vote on it in the House.

[Ongoing Situation in Ukraine, April 29th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the minister for his comments. Tonight's take note debate is important. It is the first step in finding out what Canada can do to help Ukraine.

Unfortunately, we have already seen that Parliament and Canadians were misled with regard to the mission in Iraq and Syria. I would like to know what measures the minister is going to take to ensure that parliamentarians and Canadians are properly informed of our soldiers' activities during the new deployment of troops that was announced recently. I would also like to know how we are going to be informed of what progress is being made and whether the objectives of the deployment are being met.

I simply want to know how the minister plans to keep us abreast of any developments.