House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2021, with 42% of the vote.
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22 December 7th, 2021
Madam Chair, I take that as a non-answer.
Right now, Canada has 550 soldiers in Estonia and 200 in Ukraine. Is the minister concerned, given the events with Russia's military buildup opposite Ukraine, about what is happening there? In other words, what options, military or diplomatic, is the government considering to safeguard our troops who are already there?
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22 December 7th, 2021
Madam Chair, the question to the minister was this. Would she be supportive of Poland, Lithuania or Latvia invoking article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty?
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22 December 7th, 2021
Madam Chair, I do not think it is limited to submarines.
In any event, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has told us that she is just back from Latvia. Would she be supportive of Poland, Lithuania or Latvia invoking article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty in the face of the Belarus problems and the migrant crisis?
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22 December 7th, 2021
Madam Chair, I am speaking of AUKUS, Australia and New Zealand. Are you not aware of it, minister?
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22 December 7th, 2021
Madam Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member of Parliament for Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, and all of my questions will be for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
I just heard the minister say that Canada is an important ally of the United States, yet there is a new Three Eyes partnership: a security partnership among the United States and two other partners that do not include Canada. This is embarrassing to Canada.
In the past, we have been part of the Five Eyes, and now there is this new security arrangement. What is the minister planning to do to either engage in this partnership or do something about it?
Foreign Affairs December 7th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I would love it if we got a response. What I am hearing are delays, platitudes and excuses. That is just not good enough.
There are 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members who put their lives in the hands of our allies and interpreters in Afghanistan. They served together bravely and selflessly so that we could try to build a new Afghanistan. We promised our allies and their families protection and a new life, and the government broke that solemn bond. Just talking about the 40,000 without doing anything means nothing. Canadians returned here to safety—
Foreign Affairs December 7th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, today we put forward a motion for a special all-party House of Commons committee to examine Canada's flawed evacuation in Afghanistan. Instead of saving lives, we had an election. Some 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in Afghanistan and worked closely with Afghan interpreters, whom we promised to protect and evacuate from the country. Now they are hiding in safe houses to avoid Taliban death squads.
Will the government support this motion to examine what went so wrong on its watch?
Business of Supply December 7th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, we should not be considered a minor player. We were a major player in the efforts in Afghanistan. It is with shame, I would say, how we withdrew from Afghanistan and left people behind. We should continue to, in effect, punch above our weight and be integral to bringing those people out.
Business of Supply December 7th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I am particularly concerned about the fate of women and young girls in Afghanistan. We have all seen the videos of nine-year-old girls being sold off into what they are calling “marriage”. This is very serious. I mentioned the need for education of girls and the fact that our efforts allowed them to be educated. Recently, at an international security forum, there was a woman from the former Afghani Parliament there. She was articulate. She was educated. She was passionate and so concerned about the women and girls in her country. We should be just as concerned for them.
Business of Supply December 7th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, generally speaking, I would say that I am not a big fan of closure of debate and I know my hon. friend does not like it either because he often has a lot to say in this House, and we both welcome and fear those interventions sometimes. In any event, this is a very serious and urgent situation. The reason to get on it within certain parameters is to target our discussions and get the recommendations out as quickly as possible.