House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 38% of the vote.
Citizenship and Immigration June 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, Lebanese singer Mohamed Eskandar has three concerts planned in Canada over the next few days.
However, his songs clearly incite violence against women and homosexuals. We simply cannot tolerate these kinds of messages, which fly in the face of our values. Back in 2012, the government denied him a visa.
Can the minister confirm whether a visa was granted to Mr. Eskandar, and if so, why was it granted, when it was denied in 2012?
Foreign Affairs June 8th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, an official is not enough. There have to be high level interventions. Yesterday, blogger Raif Badawi saw his 10-year prison sentence upheld by the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia. That sentence also includes 1,000 lashes. From the beginning, the NDP has been strongly opposed to the unjust and degrading treatment of the blogger and has called on the government to do everything in its power to ensure Mr. Badawi's release.
Will the government increase diplomatic pressure on Saudi Arabia in order to obtain Raif Badawi's release?
Petitions June 4th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition signed by hundreds of people who say that since 1936, CBC/Radio-Canada has been a core cultural institution, broadcasting Canada’s unique identities and linguistic realities.
These people recognize that CBC/Radio-Canada is suffering terribly right now. They know there have been major cuts over the past few decades. The petitioners are asking the government to guarantee stable, adequate, multi-year funding for our public broadcaster so that it can live up to its mandate from coast to coast to coast.
Firearms Regulations May 26th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep talking about combatting terrorism, combatting violence, and combatting civil war, except that when it comes time to get to work, substantive work to prevent terrorism, violence and civil war, they do not answer the call. We get the impression that they are not prepared to make a serious effort. When we talk about victims of crime, it never seems like this a problem to them. It does not bother them that these things happen. Then, they are keen to punish and provide a military response to what is happening. However, the very idea of trying to prevent crime, violence, terrorism and other things, is really not part of their vocabulary. The idea of working and dealing with the root of the problem is not part of their approach. When we talk about violence, international piracy, terrorism and civil war, weapons are one of the sources, in fact one of the essential aspects, of these phenomena. The availability of weapons, often obtained illegally, fuels these conflicts and gives more financial resources to unsavoury groups.
To that end, I would like to read an excerpt from a report by the group Small Arms Survey, which I have been following for years and does extraordinary work:
The illicit trade [and “illicit” is the operative word, since the members opposite do not seem to understand that we are talking about illicit trade] in small arms and light weapons occurs in all parts of the globe but is concentrated in areas afflicted by armed conflict, violence, and organized crime, where the demand for illicit weapons is often highest. Arms trafficking fuels civil wars and regional conflicts; stocks the arsenals of terrorists, drug cartels, and other armed groups; and contributes to violent crime and the proliferation of sensitive technology.
Every year, this illicit weapons trade causes tens of thousands of deaths. It also creates enormous instability in many countries, which impedes social and economic development. This phenomenon often leads to other indirect deaths, as well as serious development problems.
As I was saying, this trafficking helps reprehensible people, including terrorist organizations, to raise money. That is why the international community adopted the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The goal is to put an end to this illegal trafficking. We know that this was adopted under UN Resolution 55/255 in 2001. Canada signed it, but did not ratify it, even though at the time Canada was a leader in negotiating those kinds of agreements. Canada was really a beacon. We were a model. Since then, the government has continued to postpone ratifying that protocol. Now we see that it wants to put it off indefinitely, with a motion that, we must admit, is a little hard to understand.
First of all, this motion tells us that Canada already exceeds the firearms standards listed in resolution 55/255. Thus, if this is not a problem, why not join all the other countries, including some of our important partners such as the European Union, and simply ratify it? Why not do this in good faith to show that we care about this issue and are prepared to fight the illicit trafficking of firearms?
The resolution also mentions the burden this could represent for law-abiding firearms owners. If they are law-abiding, it is not a burden. It just means that firearms will be marked when sold or when they cross the border. The RCMP has been teaching other countries how to do this properly for years. We are quite capable of doing this. It really is not a burden for Canada.
This is typical of the Conservatives. As in the case of the small arms treaty, they are trying to make us believe that this will affect Canadian duck hunters, for example, even though this is not at all the case. This has to do with the international firearms trade.
The Conservatives are turning a blind eye and are trying to score political points with proposals and positions that completely distort the purpose of international tools that are absolutely essential. If Canada is truly interested in world peace—and I hope so—it should participate in this type of effort.
In closing, we should note that we would not be doing this just for those countries plagued by civil war, piracy—Somalia, for example—or terrorism, but also because it affects us indirectly in Canada.
In 2001, when the resolution was passed, the Canadian representative said something very relevant, and I quote:
In Canada, we know that globalization is contributing to the ever increasing sophistication of international firearm smuggling rings. Illicit transfers of firearms are often carried out through organized criminal channels and, in turn, move into the civilian markets through these transnational networks. We agree with respect to the resulting harm it poses to the public health and safety of our citizens.
Canada views the Firearms Protocol as a seminal instrument in our collective fight against this phenomenon. Canada should therefore ratify this protocol.
International Development May 14th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, let us talk about results.
The results are as follows: unsafe abortion is responsible for 13% of all maternal deaths around the world. This government claims it wants to save all women's lives, so it must save those women too.
Why is this government giving peanuts when it comes to family planning, and why is it putting its ideology ahead of women's health?
International Development May 14th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, unsafe abortion is responsible for 13% of all maternal deaths worldwide, but Canada will not help women in developing countries access safe abortion services, even though it is permitted in the majority of Canada's countries of focus for development assistance and in Canada itself.
Why is the minister refusing to save the lives of women and girls in developing countries by refusing to offer the full range of reproductive health services?
Foreign Affairs May 13th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, we have repeatedly asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs whether a status of forces agreement has been reached with Iraqi authorities. However, he remains evasive and refuses to give a clear answer.
We have just learned that, in fact, there is still no agreement in place.
What is taking so long? How does the minister explain that we still do not have a status of forces agreement with the Iraqi authorities?
Temporary Village May 13th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, last summer, Montrealers enjoyed taking over the shores of the St. Lawrence thanks to a temporary project called Village éphémère.
This year, the Association du design urbain du Québec, an organization called Pépinière & Co and the citizens' group AmiEs du Courant-Sainte-Marie are working very hard to bring their joint project of a village at Pied-du-Courant to life again. With the iconic Jacques Cartier Bridge and the St. Lawrence on the horizon, the village at Pied-du-Courant will be a gathering place where people can learn about the creativity of our local designers.
The organizers are inviting all Montrealers to contribute to the project in their own way. I will be there for sure.
Congratulations to all of the people who are rolling up their sleeves and getting involved to create a space that highlights our natural places and our heritage.
CBC/Radio-Canada May 8th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, that is just great. It is very enlightening to see what is happening on the other side of the House.
Now, we have learned that Conservative Senator Maltais insulted one of the crown corporation's executive vice-presidents before a parliamentary committee. It comes as no surprise that the senator also said that he hopes the CBC will not get any additional funding.
I see the members opposite chuckling, and that says it all.
Rather than feeding its own obsessions, will the government finally support our public broadcaster?
CBC/Radio-Canada May 8th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives really have it in for the CBC. We know that the Prime Minister said that Radio-Canada employees hate Conservative values.