James Bezan

[National Defence, February 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we sympathize with this individual and her family for everything they have gone through. The Canadian Forces Health Services group is conducting a full review of this case and all the medical decisions that were involved. This is a priority for the Canadian Armed Forces.

While this review is going on, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces are continuing to cover her medical costs and meet her medical needs related to her present condition. I can assure the House that the minister and our government are committed to doing everything possible to help Captain Young.

[Privacy, February 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, every communication with the Government of Canada network is monitored for malware and viruses. The only information that is used, retained or shared is information from malicious actors attempting to harm the Government of Canada network.

The independent CSE Commissioner constantly and thoroughly scrutinizes CSE's activities. The CSE Commissioner has never found CSE to have acted unlawfully and has noted CSE's respect for the privacy of all Canadians.

[Rise in anti-Semitism, February 24th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, this is a timely debate we are having, especially with the event that happened today in Montreal, where swastikas were painted on cars and bullets were left behind to intimidate a Jewish community.

Even though we are talking about increasing education and awareness and making sure that the hate of the Jewish people is removed from our society and cultures around this world, we are seeing increasing violence. We are seeing increasing avenues being used to actually promote anti-Semitism, such as anti-Zionism, people who do not want to recognize the State of Israel as a nation. We are seeing increased violence from groups such as the Islamic State, which wants to establish their caliphate and in that process get rid of all Jews and other non-believers in their idea of their religion.

I was wondering if the member for Thornhill could speak to the point that we are facing a dangerous time, again, in our history that we should get beyond. One would think that as an educated society, as a society that has more opportunities to disseminate information, we would be more peace-loving and accommodating to all cultures and all religions, yet we are still faced with this horrible hate, a scourge that seems to be spreading across the globe.

[Rise in anti-Semitism, February 24th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, it has been mentioned that throughout history other peoples have suffered discrimination and genocide. I have a Ukrainian heritage and have worked quite a lot on issues like the Holodomor that occurred. However, the one constant throughout history is the anti-Semitic actions of governments and peoples against the Jewish people. It is important that there be education, awareness, and measures like creating a national holocaust monument and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which makes a major contribution about the Holocaust.

I want to ask my dear friend about how our role as politicians can help influence and stop anti-Semitism in Canada and around the world.

[Ukraine, February 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it was one year ago this week that I was on the streets of the Maidan just following the massacre of the Heavenly Hundred. The people of Ukraine had taken to the streets and had paid the highest price for speaking out against the violent and repressive actions of the Yanukovych regime.

Tragically, today Ukrainians continue to fight for their democracy and the right to self-determination in the face of Russia's sustained efforts to seize territory and undermine Ukraine's sovereignty.

Canada strongly condemns the ongoing violations of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine by the Putin-backed separatists. We call on the Russian Federation and their rebel proxies in Ukraine to immediately cease their attacks, withdraw heavy weapons, halt the flow of fighters and equipment, allow OSCE monitors to do their job, and proceed with the full implementation of their Minsk commitments.

As the Prime Minister has said, whether it takes five months or 50 years, we will never, ever recognize the illegal Russian occupation of any Ukrainian territory.

[Government Advertising, February 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that it is important we advertise for retaining and recruitment for the Canadian Armed Forces, and that is what this advertising is all about. It is to maintain and increase the capabilities of the proud men and women who serve us day in and day out, who stand on the wall and protect our nation as well as carry out dangerous missions around the world.

On the member's comment about Veterans Affairs offices, I would remind her that we now have over 600 new points of service for our veterans across the country. We can indeed do both, recruit and provide services, right across our great country.

[Government Advertising, February 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, recruitment, training and retention are key priorities for the Canadian Armed Forces. The new recruitment advertising campaign is part of our commitment to support our troops in the Canadian Armed Forces. The Canadian Armed Forces recruited approximately 4,500 regular force personnel last year alone.

We are proud of our men and women in uniform. Public opinion research shows that 90% of Canadians have a positive impression of members of the Canadian Armed Forces, up from 78% in 1999.

Following a decade of darkness under the Liberals, we have increased the defence budget by over 27%, and we will not make any apologies for doing that.

[National Defence, February 19th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is very rich for the Liberals to try to preach that we have not spent enough on our Armed Forces when they oversaw a decade of darkness that gutted our armed forces. They could not make one single purchase. All they ever did was cancel helicopter contracts.

We are replacing all of our equipment. We have upgraded. We have new C-17s. We have new Chinook helicopters. We have new, upgraded frigates. We have the national shipbuilding program. We are giving the tools, the equipment, and the resources to our members of the Canadian Armed Forces they need to do the job.

[Parliamentary Precinct Security, February 16th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Kootenay—Columbia for his intervention today, as well as for his experience as a veteran of the RCMP.

All of us here recognize the value of the protection that we receive from the parliamentary protection services, whether they are at the House of Commons or the Senate, as well as the great training that they have and the risk that they are always prepared to take to protect us. What this motion speaks to is the need to move forward to a more coordinated role by making sure that we get rid the silos and that everybody is working together.

My colleague has clearly laid out how things differentiate within the House and the Senate as well as what happens outside of Centre Block and what happens beyond the fence. Communication, leadership, and coordination are what this motion is all about. It is not only about enhancing protection to us up here, because the risk factors are changing. We realize that now. As my colleague said, it is just a matter of time before the next attack.

How can we better coordinate? We have already seen some major changes take place. More security officers being trained in handgun use, and we are making sure that we receive protection not only for parliamentarians but also for all the Canadians and foreigners who come to visit us here on Parliament Hill.

[Parliamentary Precinct Security, February 6th, 2015]

What exactly is the relevance?