John Baird

[Foreign Affairs, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, obviously Canada has signed the UN convention with respect to torture. There is a supplemental protocol. Obviously, each country has its own internal regime, and obviously Canada internally has a strong and vibrant way to tackle this problem, which is what we are pursuing.

[Foreign Affairs, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we share the revulsion that the president of Uganda has signed this mean-spirited, repugnant law into law. We are obviously working with like-minded friends and allies on how best to respond. In 2014, this type of activity and this type of new legislation is completely unacceptable. I share with the member opposite that concrete steps are required to respond to this repugnant act.

[Foreign Affairs, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, obviously we are tremendously concerned with what has gone on in that region, that part of Ukraine. We are concerned with whether there will be a fair vote and, if there is not one, with the claims that Russia inevitably will make as to the legitimacy of the presidential election and the legitimacy of the new president.

We are obviously prepared to work with our allies and we are prepared to work within the OSCE to do everything we can to support a productive election and to support observations in that part of the country.

Having said that, I am particularly concerned about the safety of a number of members who will be travelling there. I know I have talked to the member for Parkdale—High Park and others about this, but we will continue to work with our allies and see what can be done.

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, last year the Minister of Foreign Affairs asked officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, or DFATD, to consult with all provinces and territories on the Arms Trade Treaty, after already having consulted with non-governmental organizations, including such diverse groups as Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec, Project Ploughshares, Amnesty International, and the Canadian Shooting Sports Association. Consultations between DFATD officials and provincial and territorial governments took place by telephone and/or email between December 9, 2013, and the end of January 2014.

As members of the House already know, Canada has some of the strongest export controls in the world, including through the Export and Import Permits Act and the Automatic Firearms Country Control List. In addition, Canada rigorously assesses all exports of military goods and technology on a case-by-case basis. In fact, Canada’s controls exceed those of the proposed ATT.

It is important that any treaty should neither affect lawful and responsible firearms owners nor discourage the transfer of firearms for recreational uses such as sport shooting and hunting. The government will ensure that any treaty it signs on to will be good for Canada and good for Canadians.

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the information regarding contracts under $10,000 granted by the National Capital Commission since January 1, 2013, was kept by the NCC only in the language in which the contract was issued.

Given that the information must be provided to Parliament in both official languages, and given the size of the information, it is still in the process of being translated. A supplementary response containing the information in both official languages will be tabled in Parliament by May 30, 2014.

[Foreign Affairs, May 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, no government anywhere in the world, no leader of any government in the world, has stood up more strongly and more loudly than the Prime Minister of Canada when it comes to the challenges facing the people of Sri Lanka.

I want to tell the member opposite that we are certainly very pleased to continue our strong leadership on Sri Lanka. We are pleased to work with him and his ideas and suggestions on how we can build on the strong record we have taken to stand up against war crimes, to call for accountability, and to stand up against a growing authoritarian trend across Sri Lanka.

[Natural Resources, May 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell the House what this government wants with respect to a climate change agreement. We want all the large economies, all the major emitters to be part of a solution with respect to global climate change. That is why this government, joined by the Obama administration and joined by the European Union, is working to try to get all the large emitters to accept binding targets so that we can finally break the back of growing greenhouse gas emissions and do the right thing for the environment.

[Foreign Affairs, May 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we would obviously want to verify any commitment made by the leaders of the Russian Federation. Their actions in Ukraine over the past six months have been deplorable.

Canada has stood up firmly against them. We want to do everything we can to support the Government of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, in the lead-up toward the May 25 election. We will be sending 500 observers. I am very pleased that I will have an opportunity to meet with a leader from the Ukraine Orthodox church later today.

[Foreign Affairs, May 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report to the House that Canada has no bilateral military exports to the Russian federation. I have instructed the department not to approve any export applications destined for Russia and that any pending applications are to be suspended and refused. Nothing will be approved that could benefit the military in Russia.

[Foreign Affairs, May 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, Canada has the largest number of people and organizations and businesses sanctioned of any country in the world. No other government has stood up more forcefully and more aggressively against the Russian aggression in Ukraine. This government is very proud of our record. We have expanded the sanctions list on a number of occasions, and we will be expanding it again in short order.