Hélène Laverdière

[Committees of the House, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we are all very concerned about the difficult situation in Venezuela right now. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with Venezuelans living in Canada.

I am proud to move the following motion:

That the House express its deep concern at the escalation of violence in Venezuela, convey its condolences to the families of those killed or injured during the ongoing public protest, ask the Government of Canada to urge Venezuelan authorities to proactively de-escalate the conflict and protect the human rights and democratic freedoms of Venezuelan citizens, encourage the Government of Canada to play a leading role in supporting a political dialogue in Venezuela that respects legitimate grievances and differences of opinion, and call for an end to divisive rhetoric and actions that only delay and jeopardize the inclusive political situation that the Venezuelan people deserve.

I hope this motion will get the unanimous consent of the House.

[Foreign Affairs, February 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are extremely concerned about the escalation of violence in the Ukraine. The entire world was horrified by the confrontations that left too many people dead or wounded. During this time of political transition in the Ukraine, what measures is the government taking to help find a peaceful resolution to the crisis that fully respects human rights?

[Situation in the Central African Republic, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, poverty, underdevelopment and inequality are fuelling tensions and violence in the Central African Republic. They are really part of the underlying problem whose effects we are now seeing.

We see this especially in regions where local populations do not benefit from resource extraction.

I would like to ask my colleague how her government will ensure that local populations, and not just the elite and shareholders, will truly benefit from resource development, because that does not happen automatically.

[Situation in the Central African Republic, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I remember when I used to be responsible for human security at the Department of Foreign Affairs, and I remember all the work we used to do with women on conflict prevention, conflict resolution, reconciliation and dialogue.

Earlier, someone pointed out and it should be noted that the Central African Republic has a female president. Nonetheless, besides the female president, I wondered if my colleague saw an opportunity or a particular role for Central African women in the effort that should be made to resolve this conflict and restore peace.

[Situation in the Central African Republic, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague for his very interesting speech, and especially for the conflict prevention points he raised. There are many different ways to prevent conflict, such as promoting dialogue, respecting human rights and the rule of law and combating regional and social inequality. Those are long-term approaches to preventing conflict.

I would like to ask him a specific question. My colleague talked about the responsibility to protect. According to that responsibility, the international community must intervene when a government is attacking its own citizens or is unable to protect them.

Does my colleague believe that this is an example of a time when the responsibility to protect, commonly known as “R2P”, applies?

[Situation in the Central African Republic, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, there are obviously always risks with this kind of mission. I greatly admire the humanitarian workers who go into these kinds of situations.

That is why it is important to work with organizations that have significant experience on the ground. We need to do this primarily for Central Africans, but I admire these humanitarian workers so much that I believe we need to provide them with substantial support as well.

Giving $5 million in aid is a step in the right direction, but it is just a drop in the bucket. That is $1 per citizen of CAR. Some quick math shows that that would be 15¢ or 17¢ per Canadian.

There is a tremendous need. Central Africans need us to help them, and humanitarian workers need our support.

[Situation in the Central African Republic, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, yes, that is a major issue, particularly in Syria.

It is also a major issue in the Central African Republic, but it should not be an excuse for inaction. Many people in Bangui, the capital, are in dire straits.

I heard today that people are fleeing the fighting and taking refuge in planes that are stranded at the Bangui airport. Those people are not far from the capital, so it should be relatively easy to reach them. As for a humanitarian corridor, this situation is different than Syria, but that should not be an excuse for inaction.

My colleague was kind enough to point out that I lived in Africa. In Africa, the main challenges are often related to communication. Roads are not paved and villages are far from each other, in remote areas. I would like to point out how important it is to work with organizations that have experience on the ground. Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF are all organizations with considerable experience on the ground. They are very familiar with the challenges in sub-Saharan Africa in general and in this country in particular.

Yes, there are challenges. No one is denying that, but that is all the more reason to take meaningful action.

[Situation in the Central African Republic, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, in one sense it surprises me and in another it does not.

I do not want to get into the usual practices but, often, even when it comes to important matters, life and death matters, genocide and so forth, the other side of the House is not as attentive as we would like.

Indeed, no one is rising and no one is asking questions about this issue. There are not many people present. That is surprising and disappointing. That explains why our reputation is so tarnished.

[Situation in the Central African Republic, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for his very interesting question.

Indeed, we cannot help but think of General Dallaire when comparing this situation to Rwanda. I have no doubt that he is just as troubled as we are by what is happening in the Central African Republic.

A seat on the United Nations Security Council would certainly help Canada. It is only natural for Canada to have a seat on the United Nations Security Council and to play an active role in these major international affairs.

However, in order to win that seat, we need to prove that Canada is a serious player and a real partner. We first need to prove that we do not only care about other countries when we need them or when we want to sell them something, and that Canada is a stable, serious partner.

Unfortunately, we have not proven this in Africa. The situation in the Central African Republic would be a good opportunity for us to get to work and restore our image, which, unfortunately, has become quite tarnished in recent years.

[Situation in the Central African Republic, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the hon. member for her excellent question.

Generally speaking, the members on this side of the House believe that peacekeeping is a great Canadian tradition that has fallen by the wayside in recent years. I believe that Canada now ranks 57th in its contribution to peacekeeping efforts.

In the situation before us, Canada needs to work with its partners to look at what each country can do better in order to urgently respond to what is happening. This is a humanitarian and security crisis, and there is a risk of genocide. We need to respond. However, we also need to have a long-term vision for our involvement in Africa and for development.