House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
Iraq January 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, the best example that the process is working well is that Mr. Blix reported to the Security Council yesterday and said that he was going to present another report to the Security Council. This indicates that the Security Council's authority is being respected in the way things are being done and I hope this will always be the case.
Iraq January 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, first we have to wait for the inspectors, under the authority of Mr. Blix, to do their work and report to the UN. All of the questions the member is asking are questions that will need to be raised in the House once Mr. Blix has submitted a report, after having been satisfied with the work he has done and with the facility of carrying out his work in Iraq. In order to accomplish this, he needs time. We believe he must be given the time necessary to do the job properly.
Iraq January 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, if Saddam Hussein fails to comply with resolution 1441, not only the U.S., but its allies too will be there to ensure that weapons of mass destruction are removed from Iraq. That is the resolution. It is very clear. We must wait for a clear report from the inspectors. Mr. Blix has asked for more time to do his work. We believe that we must give him more time so that we can make a decision based on a full report.
Iraq January 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, resolution 1441 is very clear. We were one of among the first during the summer to ask the United States and Britain to go in front of the United Nations to get a resolution. Resolution 1441 is a unanimous decision of the Security Council. We want Saddam Hussein and everybody to respect the United Nations and go according to the resolution.
Iraq January 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, on this question of the resolution I would like to quote the leader of his party who said on Saturday, “I think everybody should wait and assess the evidence before deciding on the most appropriate courses of action”. That is from his leader.
What the leader, the member of Parliament, said was that it is under the control of countries that threaten our values of freedom and democracy.
For us, it is very clear. We are not to make a final decision until we know if Saddam Hussein wants to avoid a war. For him to avoid a war, it is very clear, he has--
Iraq January 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, everybody is seeking the enforcement of the resolution. This is the position of the Canadian government. We have always clearly indicated that if Saddam Hussein does not respect the condition of resolution 1441 we will then be in a position to decide what to do.
According to resolution 1441, it says there will be great consequences, but we cannot make conclusions about a report that has not been made yet. We are waiting for the report and we are saying to Saddam Hussein that it is better for him to respect resolution 1441 because the consequences will be very great.
Iraq January 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, that is certainly not what Mr. Blix reported. He reported that he has not completed his work; that he is working on that; that he needs more time to do his job, and then he will report. When he reports, if he comes to the conclusion that Iraq is in a real breach of the responsibilities imposed on it by resolution 1441, we would be in a position to react according to the report of the inspectors.
Iraq January 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, the resolution imposes a very clear path on Saddam Hussein. He must take the necessary steps to provide the information required by the inspectors.
The inspectors are doing their job, and made their report yesterday. As far as the atomic bomb is concerned, they say that a new program has not been established and that they are not satisfied with the responses obtained to date in connection with weapons of mass destruction other than atomic ones. They have asked for an extension in order to continue their work . When they come back with another report, we will be able to know whether or not Saddam Hussein has complied with resolution 1441.
Kyoto Protocol January 27th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I never said that we were influenced by that, but that is the perception. The member for Red Deer said for example that he was opposed to Kyoto because it was to help to raise money. This is on record. No Liberal member ever said that.
As a country we have an opportunity to give to Canadian institutions, which will make our society much more different. It will make sure people will keep their trust in the elected members of Parliament. Unfortunately people have lost some faith because of the appearance and not necessarily the reality. I want to eliminate that appearance as quickly as possible.
Political Party Financing January 27th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member on his try for the leadership of his party. It is good to have parliamentarians who are willing to offer their services. Of course he probably did not have a great problem with big businesses contributing to his campaign.
We will have a piece of legislation before Parliament on Wednesday. There will be a vote at second reading and the bill will go to committee.
The time has come to have a new regime for the Canadian public. I have observed the trend in the United States and I do not want the same thing to happen to the Canadian system.