Irwin Cotler

[Petitions, May 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present these petitions assembled by the hard work of various churches, community organizations, and human rights groups in my riding and across Canada that seek the assistance of the Canadian Parliament to end the tragic, politically motivated killings that are directed at social and human rights activists, journalists, church workers, indigent people and other innocent parties in the Philippines. Observers have noticed an alarming spike in these killings since 2001, coupled with a disturbing trend of inadequate investigation by the Government of the Philippines.

Any culture of impunity encourages further criminal conduct and the absence of accountability. The protection of human rights around the world is a core value of Canada and of our humanitarian foreign policy.

The petitions call upon the Government of Canada and the Canadian Parliament to take a leading role in the protection and support of the innocent.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is aware, a former Bangladesh diplomat with a Canadian connection is facing imminent deportation from the U.S. to Bangladesh where he will be executed after a political trial was held in absentia.

Given this humanitarian issue and that Mr. Mohiuddin Ahmed has immediate family in Canada, would the minister be prepared to review this case, to provide Mr. Ahmed with the protection this case would warrant and help secure the suspension of his deportation until this case can be reviewed?

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as the minister of--

[Canada Summer Jobs, May 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, many students look for summer work through organizations using funds from the Canada summer jobs program. Unfortunately, as a result of close to $12 million in Conservative cuts, many worthy organizations and community groups in the health, education and service sectors find themselves without summer jobs funding, while students find themselves without necessary employment opportunities.

For example, Maison Shalom, a specialized home for intellectually and physically disabled children and young adults in my riding, Mount Royal, was refused funding for the first time. The Conservative cuts are having a negative impact on groups like this.

Why is the government harming organizations, such as Maison Shalom, which seek to protect the vulnerable? Why is it closing off opportunities for student summer employment? Why should Canadians be deprived of these worthy benefits?

[Foreign Affairs, May 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the genocide convention and the ICC treaty prohibit incitement to genocide. The Conservative government has publicly condemned President Ahmadinejad's incitement to genocide.

Yet Conservative MPs voted against this motion, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that he did not want to give Ahmadinejad a forum. Mr. Ahmadinejad already has a forum and he is using it precisely to incite genocide.

Will the government implement our international obligations, or will it continue to indulge this culture of impunity? Will its actions match its words?

[World Press Freedom Day, May 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, reminding governments and the public of the profound importance of freedom of expression, the lifeblood of a democracy, and consecrated as a core freedom in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and international human rights law.

Regrettably, this right and the safety of those who espouse it is increasingly at risk in many parts of the globe where journalists are assaulted, kidnapped and even murdered with impunity. Indeed, as we meet, Bangladeshi journalist Shoaib Choudhury faces trumped up criminal charges carrying a death penalty for exercising this fundamental freedom.

I am sure that my colleagues and Canadians generally will join us in marking World Press Freedom Day, with the hope that freedom of expression will be a protected freedom and those who assault it will be held duly accountable.

[Afghanistan, May 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I was referring to the member's own scripted answers.

There have been 100 questions put this week to the government about the abuse of detainees. The answers have been contradictory, uninformed, misinformed and dissembling, preferring to blame the opposition rather than implement the Geneva convention and protect the rights of our soldiers and the detainees, so my--

[Afghanistan, May 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the secretary of state should stop reading scripted answers and answer the question. There have been over 100 questions regarding abuse of detainees--

[Afghanistan, May 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, for the last week, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and other government officials have responded to opposition questions about torture of detainees by saying that we are listening to the Taliban.

Is the U.S. state department the Taliban? Is Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch the Taliban? Is the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, the UN Commission on Human Rights and our own foreign affairs department the Taliban? Is the government disputing these reports?

When will the government stop blaming others and act responsibly?

[Afghanistan, April 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the government's entire conduct this week has been a pattern of contradiction, misrepresentation, misinformation and disinformation, and it is still continuing, and, at its core, undermining the very integrity of the Afghan mission and our responsibility to protect our own soldiers.

Why is the government seeking to blame everybody else but refuses to accept responsibility for its own action or inaction? Why does the new government not finally act as a responsible government and implement our responsibilities under the Canada-Afghan agreement and under international law? Why does the government not act responsibly?