House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 38% of the vote.
Foreign Affairs October 27th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the UN is preparing to vote on a resolution to ban nuclear weapons. Over a hundred countries support this initiative, but not Canada.
In the past, the Liberals argued in favour of a ban on nuclear weapons, here in the House in 2010 and at their party convention earlier this year. When the Liberals were in opposition, they were in favour of nuclear disarmament.
Why are the Liberals now refusing to support initiatives to ban these devastating weapons?
Mining Industry October 24th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, a report published today entitled The “Canada Brand” documents dozens of murders and hundreds of attacks against opponents of Canadian mining projects in Latin America.
The NDP has been talking about this for a long time. We need a massive reform of the corporate social responsibility strategy to ensure that no Canadian business is involved in such abuses.
Is the government prepared to make the necessary changes to this strategy, yes or no?
Business of Supply October 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, we all agree that the Yazidi people are in an absolutely terrible situation. The government keeps telling us that actively offering them asylum is a very complicated undertaking.
However, countries such as Germany and Australia have put together plans for this specific group of people. I would like to know if government officials or the minister have talked to those two countries to learn more about what they are doing and about their specific plans for the Yazidi people.
Business of Supply October 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the minister for his speech, and for being so frank and open. It is greatly appreciated.
However, I would like to add something to what he said regarding the solution to the terrible crisis facing Syria and Iraq. The solution must be political and diplomatic, otherwise the problem will never really be solved.
Now that I have made that brief comment, I would like to ask the minister a question. Australia and Germany, for example, have taken specific measures to quickly relocate Yazidis. Has his department been in contact with representatives from those countries in order to discuss their experience and learn from their approach?
Business of Supply October 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech.
It is vital that we give those people asylum as well as humanitarian assistance and psychosocial care because they have been traumatized by their experiences.
I heard my colleague say that those who commit these horrible crimes must be brought to justice and held responsible for their actions.
I would like to ask my colleague two questions. First, if that applies to ISIS, should we also investigate the actions of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and those of Bashar al-Assad?
Second, the search for justice requires on-the-ground investigations to collect medical and legal evidence. It is very painstaking work that requires a lot of resources. Will Canada finance such efforts on the ground?
Business of Supply October 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I think it is actually pretty straightforward. We want action, swift action. Following the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration's study, we have some recommendations, which I went over in my speech. As discussed this morning and mentioned by several people, other countries like Germany have introduced special, very effective processes. We could follow those examples, but one thing is certain: we need to act quickly, because this crisis, that has been unfolding for quite some time now, is still happening. We need to act now.
Business of Supply October 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I understand my colleague's question, and I appreciate the work he is doing on a number of files.
We have to be very careful when talking about refugees. The first key criterion for granting refugee status remains vulnerability, which can be related to a range of factors such as age, children, and sexual orientation.
In this instance, genocide is being perpetrated against members of a well-defined group. That means these people are particularly vulnerable, and there is an urgent need to help them specifically. However, nationality, skin colour, or whatever should not be our primary filter. Our primary filter should be the vulnerability of the affected populations.
Business of Supply October 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by informing you that I will be sharing my time with the member for Vancouver East
The Yazidis are a proud and ancient people. What has happened to them and what is still happening to them is absolutely horrendous. They are being tortured and killed. They are being taken into slavery and sexual slavery. The women are being separated from the men. Children are being taken from their families, often so that they can be trained for combat. It is a genocide and we are not the only ones saying so. The United Nations also agrees.
We need to take action. It is urgent and important. It calls upon our humanity. These people need help. That is why we are going to support the motion before us today. It is a very important motion and I thank my colleague for moving it.
The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development heard some very troubling testimony about the situation of the Yazidis. I know that the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration also heard some moving accounts. What is happening here today is partly the result of the extraordinary work that the committee has done in this regard, and I hope that more will be done. Following the study in committee, the NDP issued a series of practical recommendations. In a case like this, we need to be practical to determine what measures can be taken.
We therefore made very practical recommendations with regard to relocation, for example. We think that the Government of Canada, through the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, should use the discretionary power granted under section 25 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and take immediate action to bring Yazidis who are fleeing the genocide to Canada. To that end, credible organizations on the ground would identify and select the genocide victims who would be relocated to Canada. These measures should build on the policies and initiatives already in place.
As far as humanitarian assistance is concerned, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Foreign Affairs should ensure that humanitarian assistance levels are increased and they should work more closely with credible groups on the ground to ensure that the humanitarian assistance gets to those who need it.
The processing delays are a major issue. The additional oversight provided by Canada, in other words, the additional interviews conducted by Canadian officers, cause inexcusable and unacceptable delays in the current context. We urge the government to ease up on this additional oversight and bring to Canada the Yazidis selected for resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. If the government is not on board with this and decides that additional oversight is necessary, although it is not clear why, then there are some mechanisms that can be used for this purpose. For example, it could use a process similar to the one used for family reunification, whereby additional oversight may be used in cases that raise red flags. Otherwise, the government could proceed the way it does for family reunification.
Refugees selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees could obtain a temporary visa to enter Canada and then get permanent resident status once the next stage of the screening process is done here. We know that generally speaking this group of people does not pose any significant threat.
We must use our imagination to find ways to accelerate the process given the terrible situation in which these people find themselves.
We must give them asylum, but we must also give them justice. That is important. These people have a right to justice, but in addition to that right and the importance it could have for them, it would serve to prevent further genocide. Failing to deal with crimes of genocide could result in them being repeated again and again. We must prevent them on the ground, and we must prevent them by ensuring that justice is served when a case such as this arises.
Justice does not just happen. People do not just find themselves before the International Criminal Court or other tribunals where decisions are rendered. It requires evidence and detailed analyses on the ground.
I am now appealing to the current government. Largely due to our efforts, in 2015 the Conservative government agreed to allocate a little bit of money, or just over $1 million, for what is known as transitional justice in Iraq and Syria. I believe we should be doing much more than that, but at least it was a first step. That was in May 2015, and we have not heard much since then. I would like to know if the program still exists. I would also like to strongly encourage the government to invest in the program and, naturally, to work with our partners so that this matter is presented to the International Criminal Court and all other similar bodies.
Finally, we must fight those who commit crimes against humanity. The Yazidis have suffered a tragedy in a context where the abuse of human rights is generalized, and not just by ISIS. We must never stop pointing out that the Bashar al-Assad regime is blatantly attacking its own citizens and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Unfortunately, we are seeing too many such crimes.
Everyone knows we sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, and apparently the Saudi coalition is committing crimes against humanity in Yemen too.
I do not have enough time left to delve into all of these issues, but I do know for sure that we must act, and that includes providing humanitarian aid. We have to stop the flow of arms to those regions. We have to cut financial lifelines to the whole region, with our first priority being to impede those who are perpetrating genocide against the Yazidi people.
We also need to keep in mind the need to rebuild not only cities and roads, but communities, and hopefully soon. That will be key to ensuring lasting peace.
I would like to close with a quote from the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, whom I believe was absolutely right when he said that over the longer term, the biggest threat to terrorists is not the power of missiles; it is the politics of inclusion.
Business of Supply October 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we need to help the Yazidi people. As my colleague mentioned near the end of his speech, there is also the issue of justice. We need to take steps to ensure that justice is done.
However, justice cannot be done in a vacuum. Detailed information needs to be gathered on the ground. In May 2015, the Conservative government of the day had approved a one-year $1.2-million investment for justice and transition initiatives in Iraq and Syria. However, we have heard nothing about it since that time.
Can my colleague confirm whether the current government is funding or will fund these kinds of initiatives on the ground to gather evidence?
Business of Supply October 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by sincerely thanking my colleague for her passionate, moving, and visionary speech. I would also like to say that I was a little surprised, but I applaud her very strong support for the United Nations, at least in this context.
In March 2015, the prime minister at the time, Mr. Harper, argued that Canada did not need to concern itself with international law to justify air strikes in Syria and Iraq because ISIS did not have lawyers.
Does the member agree that, instead of joking about international law, which is our best guarantee of security, we have to work with the UN, respect international law, and bring this issue to the Security Council?