House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2011, with 32% of the vote.
International Co-operation June 14th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, hundreds of women carrying coat hangers demonstrated in Montreal against the Conservative government's refusal to include abortion in the G8's plan for maternal health. The Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances, the Fédération des femmes du Québec, the CSN and the FIQ all denounce the Conservatives' backwards ideology.
Why is the government so keen on reopening the abortion debate, when this issue has been resolved in Quebec?
G8 and G20 Summits June 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the government still refuses to be specific about its commitments in the area of maternal health but there is no lack of detail about the extravagance of its preparations for the G20. Foreign affairs will spend $1.1 million on some backdrop to showcase the dignitaries.
Could the foreign affairs minister stop worrying about the decorations and start giving us the details of the government’s maternal health plan?
G8 and G20 Summits June 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, in addition to the environment, the government is excluding abortion from the G8 discussions for purely ideological reasons. In the view of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the G8 should not assume the right to decide which aspects of maternal and child health will be funded. That is the very opposite of what the Conservatives intend to do.
When will this government realize that its backwards ideology is jeopardizing women’s health?
International Co-operation June 1st, 2010
Mr. Speaker, in 2008, the former president of CIDA, Robert Greenhill, referred to the Canadian Council for International Co-operation—the CCIC—as a key partner. Today, the CCIC cannot even get a response from the Minister of International Cooperation regarding the renewal of their funding agreement.
Can the minister explain why she is dragging her feet on renewing funding for the CCIC, an organization that does such excellent work?
Status of Women May 26th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government has so discredited itself by taking this backward position on abortion that it could derail the G8's negotiations to improve the health of women and children in developing countries. The ONE campaign notes that there is still no concrete plan on the table one month before the summit.
Does the government realize that its ideological stubbornness regarding abortion is stifling the momentum for maternal health?
Status of Women May 25th, 2010
Quebec's National Assembly reaffirmed the right of women to freedom of choice and is asking the Conservative government to not cut funding to groups that support the right to abortion.
Instead of listening to the religious fundamentalists in its party, when will the Conservative government start listening to Quebec, which reaffirmed the right of women to freedom of choice?
Status of Women May 25th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's entourage has expressed surprise that funding for international maternal health could lead to a debate on abortion. However, the Conservative caucus has tried to reopen the debate through back-door measures that would limit access to abortion. They refuse to admit it here, but they do not hide their intentions from anti-abortion groups.
Will the government admit that the best way to not reopen the abortion debate is to fund projects that offer freedom of choice to women in developing countries?
International Co-operation May 11th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, John Kirton, the director of the G8 Research Group at the University of Toronto, has criticized the fact that with just seven weeks to go until the G8, the Conservative government's signature campaign, maternal health, is so vague that there are doubts it will ever be meaningful. No funding target has been set, and no structure for the funding has been made public.
Does this not prove that the government has completely discredited itself by isolating itself on the abortion issue?
International Co-operation May 11th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government's refusal to fund abortions abroad is jeopardizing the health of women, particularly in Africa, where nearly 5.6 million unsafe abortions are carried out every year. According to the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet, 50% of maternal deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa.
When will this government admit that its backwards ideology is jeopardizing women's health?
Omar Khadr May 6th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict points out that international protocols provide special protection to children in armed conflicts. Accordingly, she is calling on Canada and the United States to treat Omar Khadr as a child soldier.
Will Canada finally recognize Omar Khadr as a child soldier and demand his repatriation?