House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 38% of the vote.
Copyright Modernization Act November 14th, 2011
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for another excellent speech today. He spoke very eloquently about the importance of creativity.
That said, the hon. member also spoke about economic issues. I would like to ask him if he feels that this bill is yet another example of how the Conservative government favours big business over small businesses. Artists are SMEs, small businesses.
Omar Khadr November 1st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, clearly, the entire process currently under way in Guantanamo does not in any way comply with Canadian, American or international human rights standards. The Supreme Court's decision is clear and this House was clear: Omar Khadr must be returned home to face justice here.
Why is the government now questioning the repatriation of Omar Khadr?
Omar Khadr November 1st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, a year ago the Conservative government made a clear commitment to respect the agreement between Omar Khadr and the U.S. government. It promised to bring him back this year to face justice in Canada. Now the government is going back on its word and saying it could take up to 18 months if the permit is returned at all.
Why is the government misleading our allies and retreating on its commitments?
Human Rights October 31st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, last week a Commonwealth summit was held in Australia and discussions were held on human rights. Australia and Great Britain raised the issue of decriminalizing homosexuality. Sadly, homosexuality is a crime in 41 of the 54 Commonwealth countries. Decriminalizing homosexuality is a fundamental human rights issue.
Can the Prime Minister confirm whether he raised the issue of homosexual rights at the summit?
Human Rights October 27th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, at the Commonwealth meeting in Australia, the Canadian government must take a firm stance against impunity. However, a unilateral boycott of the next meeting in Sri Lanka is far from enough. Instead of isolating itself, Canada must be a leader within the Commonwealth.
What initiatives will this government take to ensure that other countries agree to hold the meeting elsewhere, unless Sri Lanka agrees to an independent investigation of alleged war crimes?
Human Rights October 27th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the Commonwealth is at the crossroads with respect to human rights. The next meeting is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka, where the United Nations has confirmed that there are credible allegations of atrocities committed during and after the war. The Commonwealth must not condone this.
Will the Conservatives show leadership and ensure that the next Commonwealth meeting does not take place in Sri Lanka unless it accepts an independent UN investigation of alleged war crimes?
Democracy in Ukraine October 18th, 2011
Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for his speech, which is in line with my comments. If we want to ask the OSCE to be a partner in the talks with Ukraine, we can do it at the parliamentary level, but we can also do it with the organization itself. It has a great deal of expertise in democratic development and the protection of human rights.
Democracy in Ukraine October 18th, 2011
Absolutely, Madam Chair, and the tools already exist. This is not the first time that a country is in a situation where it is signing agreements with another country that still has progress to make. The European Union is a good example. It accepts into the union countries that still do not meet its standards, but it gives them benchmarks to reach. I think that is a policy that we should integrate into all of our free trade agreements. As my colleague said, it is not a matter of abandoning Ukraine. In such situations, it is important to maintain a dialogue and work together, and for Canada to bring what it can to the table.
If I may digress: in all of our free trade agreements, when necessary, we must have specific measures to ensure that human rights and democratic development are essential parts of the free trade agreement. That is true not only for Ukraine but also for Colombia and many other countries. We cannot do trade only without taking into account issues as important as human rights. If it is not a matter of being kind, it is a matter of being smart. Countries that do not respect human rights are often more unstable countries, and no one wins.
Democracy in Ukraine October 18th, 2011
Madam Chair, I thank the member opposite for his suggestion, which seems to be an interesting one.
When we are dealing with such complicated issues, it needs to be a multi-prong approach. I think parliamentarians can play an important role, especially given that one of the problems in Ukraine is the lack of independence of the parliament in the current situation. This could be very important and I am sure some people from the NDP caucus would be interested in participating in that.
I think we also need to bring to bear governmental pressure and the on-the ground expertise that Canada has on these issues.
Democracy in Ukraine October 18th, 2011
Madam Chair, I believe that his comments were quite pertinent. We thank him for that. His comments reveal a great deal about Canadian diplomacy, defending democracy and human rights, which has been an exceptional and longstanding tradition recognized throughout the world, and a source of pride.
As part of the response, such a gesture is absolutely essential. I also suggest that we could do more by examining the type of aid that we give Ukraine and by providing concrete assistance on the ground to developing democratic institutions and human rights organizations.
It is fine to say that we support democracy, but we must do our part. With Canada's expertise in democracy, human rights and democratic institutions, and given our longstanding friendship with Ukraine, we should be first in line to provide our support.