Laurie Hawn

[World War II Heroes, September 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 10, I was honoured to join my colleagues, veterans, and their families right across Canada to pay tribute to and remember those who fought and lost their lives in the Second World War.

On September 10, 1939, Canada stood up as a nation of just 11 million people and declared war in support of our allies. Canada rose up yet again to defend the rights of all people to live in peace and freedom. That is what makes Canadians who we are, the people who are prepared to the go to the aid of others we have never met simply because it is the right thing to do. At home, abroad, in the air, on land, and at sea, people across this great land rallied together in extraordinary ways to defeat a brutal Nazi regime and stop its unspeakable atrocities.

At this event, I was honoured to present a limited edition lapel pin and certificate to those most deserving Canadian veterans. As we pay our respects in the coming months and years, let our veterans hear with one clear voice from Parliament that we shall never forget their heroism and sacrifice.

Lest we forget.

[Royal Canadian Legion, June 17th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this week thousands of veterans gathered for the 45th Dominion Convention of the Royal Canadian Legion, and Edmonton rolled out the welcome mat in its usual exemplary fashion. I was pleased to be there.

I was especially pleased that the Minister of Veterans Affairs attended and announced that our government will increase its funding from $120,000 to $240,000 to the Royal Canadian Legion for its veterans outreach and visitation initiative.

This money will increase the Legion's capacity to spend time with their veterans who are living in long-term care facilities. This increased support allows us to further enhance the care we provide veterans and further support the important work the Legion does every day.

Since being incorporated by a special act of Parliament in 1926, the Royal Canadian Legion has been a focal point for Canada's veterans to better the lives of their colleagues and to foster remembrance across Canada.

I would like to congratulate the Royal Canadian Legion on its successful convention, and extend our appreciation for its service in support of Canada's veterans and their families. I look forward to working together with them in the decades ahead.

[Agricultural Growth Act, June 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague is from an urban riding, so I would just like to ask a question on behalf of all the farmers in Edmonton Centre, and I do not say that totally facetiously. There are actually farmers in Edmonton Centre, or certainly farmers' markets.

We heard a lot of interesting chat, and it was entertaining. I realize that I am throwing him a lob at midnight. Does the member have one specific amendment he would like to make to the bill to make it better?

[Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, June 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, there is one underlying current here tonight. I hope they do not actually mean it the way it comes across and that may be perceived by some as a vilification of the United States. There are no two greater friends, allies, and partners than the United States and Canada.

I would ask a very simple question of my colleague, and I would like a really simple answer. Because the United States has cluster munitions, because the United States has nuclear weapons and other weapons Canada does not own and would not consider using and opposes using, is the member suggesting that we should never operate with the United States and that we should get out of NATO and get out of NORAD because we are partnered with the United States? The message here is that we should never operate with an ally that has or could use those kinds of weapons. Are they suggesting over there that we should abandon NATO and NORAD because the United States is the primary partner in both those alliances?

[Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, June 16th, 2014]

I did not say that.

[Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, June 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague with interest. They keep saying that we are not participating in the debate. I am not sure what the heck I have been doing here for the last three hours, except doing that. Yes, there has been some heckling, in both directions. That is a feature of this place. However, we certainly have been debating it. Also, we gave a number of speeches during the last time this item was up for debate.

They have complained about not having enough time to debate it. We have given them five hours tonight. Like I said, they can debate their hearts out. If there were something new in each speech, that would be something, but the speeches are pretty repetitive, for the most part. However, that is okay. They should not be surprised when we ask the same kinds of questions.

The member talked about joint operations. I will point out that we did joint ops in Afghanistan, as she knows, with U.S. forces who were authorized to use land mines. There is a clause in the land mine treaty that allows us to do that, the same way that clause 11 in this treaty would allow us to do those kinds of operations in conjunction with the United States forces.

I will point out that all weapons of war are horrid. All weapons of war are designed to tear humans apart. That is regrettably what weapons do. Some do it by different methods, and so on.

However, we are already in joint operations with the Americans under the land mine treaty, with the same kind of clause that permits that. How is that different from this?

[Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, June 16th, 2014]

That is not true.

[Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, June 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of quick corrections, and then a question.

The NDP members have quoted a couple of times now the number of Canadian soldiers who were killed or injured. I forget which year they were referring to. The facts are: IEDs: yes; suicide bombers: yes; cluster munitions: no, none, zero, nada. They should quit saying that. It is just not true.

The member for Repentigny suggested that somehow Canadians had left little Canadian flags on cluster munitions that we used in Bosnia. We did not use cluster munitions in Bosnia, at all. That kind of comment disrespects the soldier who he purports to respect, because it is just not true and it is reprehensible, frankly.

The members quoted the land mine treaty a couple of times. Why is there a clause in the land mine treaty that has the same effect as clause 11 in Bill C-6? Why is it okay in the land mine treaty and it is not okay in Bill C-6?

[Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, June 16th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what we have been doing here for the last two and a half hours if not actually debating back and forth and refuting points, one side to the other. That is fine. That is what is called debate. No one is condoning the use of cluster munitions. That is why we got rid of ours. We are in the process of getting rid of the last ones. That is why we do not allow any Canadian to use them, transport them, call for them, any of those things members intimate we are still doing.

My colleague brought up the land mine treaty. It was a good treaty that Canada signed and ratified. The land mine treaty has clauses that are the same as clause 11 in Bill C-6 for the same reason. We operate with allies, principally the Americans who have reasons of their own. We cannot dictate to the U.S. what its reasons and policies are, but it is reality. It is the reality Americans deal with and it is the reality we deal with, working with the Americans as we do on pretty much every single mission. It is no different than the land mine treaty.

One of the reasons we are insisting on clause 11 is because it is common sense and it is reality. That does not mean we condone the use of the weapons at all, but it is just reality.

[Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, June 16th, 2014]

Then it's beyond you. That is for sure.