Jean Dorion

[Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, April 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, it has been said many times during the debate, but it is worth repeating, that the real purpose of this agreement is not to increase trade between Colombia and Canada but to implement the provisions on Canadian investments in Colombia.

The fact is that this bill will result in Colombia relinquishing its authority to legislate in a number of areas. Canadian companies that invest in Colombia will in future be able to sue the Colombian government if new measures are adopted in all sorts of areas—particularly the environment, labour legislation, and so forth—which would reduce their profits.

First, we believe that it is always wrong for countries to essentially abandon their right to legislate, and that it is especially tragic in the case of a developing country such as Colombia.

For that reason, we must oppose this bill. A number of Colombian as well as Quebec and Canadian organizations share the Bloc's view on this matter.

[Afghanistan, April 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian troops have used the Afghan security services to get admissions from detainees. Canada does not practice torture; it contracts it out. That was confirmed by a military report from October 2007.

In this context, will the government acknowledge that Canadian troops are acting as the judge in their own case and that only a public, independent inquiry will help shed light on this affair?

[Afghanistan, April 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, according to testimony at the Military Police Complaints Commission, the main concern of Canadian troops was avoiding another incident like the one in Somalia, where detainees had been mistreated by Canadian soldiers. That explains why the government was so quick to hand over the Afghan detainees.

Is that not the government's strategy, namely to hand over detainees as quickly as possible regardless of whether or not they will be tortured?

[Democratic reform, March 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the government must understand that changes to the federal electoral map will not be acceptable unless Quebec maintains the same influence in the House.

If the government refuses to ensure that the Quebec nation will maintain its current influence in the House, does that not show that this reform is nothing more than a completely partisan move by the Conservatives, and one that will also isolate Quebec?

[Democratic reform, March 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Tom Flanagan, the Conservative guru, said out loud what many people are thinking. Adding seats in west Quebec would not only allow a majority government to be elected, but it would also isolate Quebec and marginalize the Quebec nation.

Is that not the real motive for adding 30 seats west of Quebec?

[Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, March 25th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my eloquent colleague from Elmwood—Transcona. I would like to ask him a question inspired by a press release from a coalition of Quebec organizations made up of the Comité pour les droits humains en Amérique latine, the Quebec Network on Continental Integration, the Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain CSN, the United Steelworkers, the Project Accompaniment and Solidarity Colombia, and Development and Peace, a Catholic organization.

These organizations commented on a recent report by the United Nations and Amnesty International about the escalating violence against indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, including murder and forcible displacement from communal lands to open them to agro-industrial activities and natural resource extraction.

The report also mentions that corruption and fraud are widespread among Colombian authorities. It states that currently, more than 60 members of congress have been charged or convicted or are under investigation for connections with paramilitary groups.

My question is this: Why should we believe that the Colombian government will enforce human rights, the free trade agreement and the investor protection provisions respectfully?

[Quebec Women's Museum, March 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day I had the opportunity to discover the Musée de la femme, the first of its kind in Quebec, the eighth in the world. I am very proud that it is in Longueuil, in my riding.

In addition to taking us through the history of women and underscoring their contribution to Quebec society, the museum also explains the 10-year history of the world march of women with its new temporary exhibit, “Le rêve aux pieds”.

Women's shoes recount important moments in history, symbolizing how far women have come: a journey to commend women's determination and resolve to make their dreams come true.

I would like to thank the founding president, Lydie Olga Ntap, for holding on to her dream of celebrating women's contributions by founding this museum. Thank you to everyone who, like Ms. Ntap, is working towards greater gender equality in Quebec.

[Cuba, March 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we were shocked to learn that a Cuban prisoner, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, died on February 23 after being on a hunger strike for two months to protest the conditions in which he was being held. Sentenced to 25 years in prison, he is the first political prisoner in Cuba to die in prison since 1972. And now, Agence France-Presse is reporting that another dissident, Guillermo Fariñas, has become seriously ill since he, too, went on a hunger strike.

While the Cuban government has the right to protect its national sovereignty against foreign intervention, that does not relieve Cuba of its international obligations to respect fundamental human rights. Nothing can justify suspending those rights.

The Bloc Québécois joins the international community in expressing its deep regret at the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo. We also call on the Cuban government to respect fundamental human rights.

[Tax Harmonization, March 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec is still waiting for $8 billion from Ottawa, including $2 billion for tax harmonization. The unilateral cap on equalization payments by Ottawa last year has caused Quebec to lose $1 billion. The FEUQ has reminded us that we have yet to receive $800 million to completely restore funding for post-secondary education.

What is Ottawa waiting for to make good on its debts to Quebec?

[Criminal Code, December 4th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-464, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (justification for detention in custody), a bill introduced by the hon. member for Avalon.

I would like to begin by saying that I will be voting in favour of the principle of the bill, which amends the Criminal Code to provide that the detention of an accused in custody may be justified where it is necessary for the protection or safety of the accused's minor children.

As we have already heard, this bill is meant as a legislative response to the tragic events of the Bagby-Turner case. A woman, who was charged with the murder of her spouse in the United States and was out on bail in Canada, killed her son in a murder-suicide after she realized she was going to be extradited.

Everyone agrees that this tragedy could have been avoided. Zachary Turner could have been saved. His paternal grandparents, Kate and David Bagby, believe strongly that there are gaps in the legislation regarding bail and that the law must be reformed.

Between the time when a suspect is charged and the beginning of the trial, section 515 and subsequent sections allow a judge to determine whether the accused person should be held in custody or released.

Generally speaking, the accused is released on certain conditions. However, in some cases, if the person is charged with murder for example, they are generally detained until the verdict is delivered.

In the Bagby-Turner case, which was the impetus for this bill, we do not really know why Dr. Turner was released so easily and that is troubling.

We believe that a person charged with murder should not be released if she is considered a threat to the safety of her community and more specifically to her child. That is why we think that the addition to the Criminal Code proposed in Bill C-464 will help draw the attention of the judges and prosecutors to people who are clearly the primary victims of the criminals, namely, their children.

This bill will likely also be useful in cases of spousal abuse, which are more frequent than cases as sordid as the one that resulted in the current bill.

In closing, I want to reiterate that the Bloc Québécois is especially sensitive to the fate of children, who are among the most vulnerable in our society. We make it our duty to defend them.

It appears that, with this bill, the hon. member for Avalon is giving us a way to increase the safety of children and that is why we support the bill in principle.

We hope that it will be passed at second reading. During its review in committee, we will study it carefully to ensure that the proposed legislative amendment is well drafted and inserted into the Criminal Code at the right spot, and that it will be effective.