Hélène Laverdière

[Citizenship and Immigration, October 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are opening the door to strikes in Syria, but they have been unable to keep their promise to Syrian refugees.

The Conservatives' budget cuts are causing major delays in refugee claim processing. Sweden alone has welcomed 30,000 Syrian refugees.

How is it that the minister has not even been able to keep his modest promise of taking in 1,300?

[National Defence, October 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, according to International Crisis Group, air strikes are counterproductive because they alienate the local populations that we are trying to save.

In the case of Syria, the situation is even worse: air strikes will help President Assad's murderous regime.

Have the Conservatives evaluated the counterproductive consequences of air strikes in their overall military strategy in Iraq and possibly Syria?

[Military Contribution Against ISIL, October 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his very inspiring speech—as always—and for the detailed measures we are proposing in this amendment.

These measures will affect refugees and displaced persons within the country. They also make me think of the Syrian refugees in Iraq, since the government had promised to take in 1,300 Syrian refugees here, in Canada. The last I heard, fewer than 300 had arrived here.

Could the leader of the opposition speak to that?

[Foreign Affairs, October 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the number of human rights violations committed by the Islamic State group is growing.

According to the United Nations, these could include war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Iraqi government needs immediate help to document these heinous crimes so that the guilty parties can be brought to justice before the international courts.

Canada has expertise in this area. A month ago, at our request, the minister promised to take action to support the Iraqi government.

What has been done since then?

[Foreign Affairs, October 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is ignoring the needs of the victims of the Islamic State armed group. I would like to quote a United Nations report dated September 14, which reads:

Displaced persons included thousands of women, children, people with disabilities, and elderly. They had travelled long distances on foot and were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including water, food, shelter and medicine.

While the Prime Minister is preparing to introduce his war plan, where is the plan to provide immediate assistance to Iraqi civilians?

[Foreign Affairs, October 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, war is not the only way to combat terrorism. There are many ways Canada could play an important role in Iraq and help save lives now. Just think—if my colleagues care to listen—of the 1.8 million Iraqis who have been displaced and are waiting for aid. Clearly, the members across the aisle have very little respect for them.

A month ago, the minister admitted that Canadian humanitarian aid in Iraq was insufficient. What has the minister done since then to increase that aid?

[Foreign Affairs, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we have long been asking how many of the 69 military personnel are on the ground. The current mission will conclude on Saturday, and we have yet to receive a response. What is more, we still do not know what their mandate is or what specific role they are playing.

When will the government finally report to the House on the current mission? When will it hold a real debate in the House on Canada's military involvement in Iraq and put it to a vote?

[Foreign Affairs, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in less than 30 days, the Conservative talking points on Iraq have evolved quite a bit. Last week in New York, the Prime Minister announced that he is now considering Canadian involvement in airstrikes. However, there has been no debate or vote in Parliament and the government is not answering our questions.

My question is very straightforward: how many of the 69 special forces personnel are on the ground in Iraq right now?

[Foreign Affairs, September 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is not about the number of sanctions but their targets.

According to the Canadian Press, the sanctions imposed on Russia very carefully avoid targeting oil and gas companies. The United States is targeting 13 oil companies, while the Conservative sanctions target only five. It is strange. The four largest companies are completely immune.

What is the Conservatives' priority? Is it to support the people of Ukraine or protect the economic interests of oil companies?

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 23rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, because of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration's lack of leadership, Canada is once again missing an opportunity to do something useful on the world stage. While the civil war in Syria has been raging for four years and 43% of the population has been displaced, Canada has received “a huge” total of 150 refugees. Canada is clearly not living up to the expectations of the international community.

Since we have the expertise and resources to receive more refugees, why is the minister dragging his feet?