Laurie Hawn

[Democracy in Ukraine, October 18th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise and address the House tonight on this important subject, that of democracy in Ukraine.

The events unfolding in Ukraine right now with respect to the arrest, trial and conviction of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko are of deep concern to me, all members and the Government of Canada. This blatant and politically motivated persecution is very troubling and may have serious consequences for Canada's relationship with the Government of Ukraine.

The Prime Minister has written directly to the President of Ukraine indicating his deep concern with this situation. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has stated that the conduct and prosecution of this case by Ukrainian authorities undermines the development of their democratic institutions.

We in this House all agree that a strong and vibrant political opposition and a robust and fully independent judiciary are essential to a Ukraine that is prosperous, democratic and free.

Please allow me to relay to this House some examples of where it appears due process was flagrantly violated in Ms. Tymoshenko's case.

One of the more startling aspects of this trial has been the disregard of Ms. Tymoshenko's right to legal defence by the Constitutional Court. The Constitution of Ukraine, the most important legal document in that country, states:

Everyone shall have the right to legal assistance.

and:

Everyone shall be free to choose the defender of his rights.

However, in the very first trial hearings on July 15, Ms. Tymoshenko was denied this basic right.

The judge began the proceedings without asking her legal team to enter. As she rose to protest this action, she was interrupted by the judge and forced to leave the hearings “for violation of court proceedings”.

The proceedings then continued without her, and she was deprived of even the right to defend herself against charges.

This type of disregard of her basic rights is simply unacceptable.

The Criminal Code of Ukraine also states that the judge must ensure both the prosecution and the defence have adequate time to review evidence and prepare for court proceedings. The materials in the case against Ms. Tymoshenko, collected from pretrial investigation, amounted to approximately 5,000 pages. Her defence team was given between two and three days to review the documents. This again appears to be a flagrant violation of the Constitution of Ukraine, the principles of the rule of law, and Ms. Tymoshenko's right to a fair and reasonable defence.

Ms. Tymoshenko's lawyers were also prevented from speaking with her after she was arrested on August 5, thereby preventing them from building or implementing any further measures for her legal defence.

I should add that I am not presuming guilt or innocence in this case, but rather expressing my serious concerns with the apparent glaring absence of due process and fairness in this trial.

Ukrainians and the Ukrainian diaspora around the globe are not pleased with the actions of their government. Ukrainians have always been freedom-loving people, and they have a strong democratic tradition.

We witnessed this seven years ago during the Orange Revolution, when Ukrainians took to the streets in droves to protest what they knew to be an unfair and undemocratic election. In fact, the origins of democratic principles in Ukraine date back to the early 18th century. In 1710, the first Constitution of Ukraine was written by Pylyp Orlyk, and in April 2010, the 300th anniversary of this constitution was celebrated. By comparison, at 144 years Canada is not a very old democracy; as a consequence, we as Canadians sometimes take for granted the freedoms and privileges, as well as the rights and responsibilities, of living in such a stable, safe and prosperous country.

Not all the peoples of the world are so fortunate. For many years the people of Ukraine lived under the oppressive tyranny of the former Soviet Empire and the oppression of the Nazis, and endured the senseless horror of the Holodomor genocide.

Today the people of Ukraine are striving to build a prosperous, robust and healthy democratic state. They can count on Canada to stand up for their freedom.

Our foreign policy is a principled one. It is rooted in the defence of human freedom and in those things that elevate us as human beings: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We will not back down in defending and promoting these ideals for all nations and all peoples around the world.

Ukrainian Canadians have contributed much to our nation in all aspects of society, from the arts to politics and from business to sport. They have helped to build the Canada we know today, and we are all the better for it.

As Ukraine moves toward a free, open and just society, Canada will always be there to help. We will not turn a blind eye to the proceedings against Ms. Tymoshenko; our hope, however, is that our ideals, upon which our policies are based, will be shared by Ukraine.

We take comfort in the words of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, whose words provided the inspiration for Ukrainian independence:

Strive and you will triumph, for God is on your side. The rewards are glory, truth, and that most sacred of things, freedom.

[Safe Streets and Communities Act, September 28th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, I listened to my friend with interest. The members on that side put a lot of stock on the Parliamentary Budget Officer. That is fine.

However, a study came out today showing that out of 15 particular cases where the PBO had rendered an opinion, he was right four times. When the Minister of Finance or someone on this side of the House rendered an opinion they were right nine times. They agreed on two of them. I throw that out as an observation.

There was a lot of rhetoric from those members stating that anyone who grows six pot plants would be thrown into jail when in fact that is not what the legislation says. Would the member not admit that who we are really after are the people who grow it to traffic and export it? Would the member at least admit that is actually the intent of the bill?

[Safe Streets and Communities Act, September 21st, 2011]

Madam Speaker, I have three quick points to make to my colleague, whose remarks i enjoyed, as I always do. These points all relate in one way or another to costs.

First, he is forecasting massive increases in the prison population. Until now the forecasts that were put out by Correctional Service Canada were based on what we did in the past, and these huge increases simply have not materialized, so I am not sure what he is basing that on.

Second, obviously a lot of prison structures are very old and crumbling and a lot of infrastructure has to be replaced right now, regardless of anything else. Would he acknowledge that replacement will cost some amount of money? I do not know what that is.

Third, I think we all believe in rehabilitation and deterrence, but it is difficult to quantify. The statistics I have seen say that a habitual criminal commits about 15 offences a year. Would he acknowledge that there is a significant cost, which we really could not determine, to society and victims of leaving that person on the street for a year, when as a habitual criminal the person could be incarcerated, which would prevent the 15 crimes that would prey on victims?

[Parliament Hill Softball League, September 21st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday the winners of the Bob Allen and Jean-Paul Lorrain Memorial Cup for the Parliament Hill Softball League were crowned.

The winning team, composed almost entirely of Hill staffers, played hard through a long season and embodied the twin goals of fitness and good sportsmanship with not a small touch of fun thrown in for good measure.

My apologies in advance but I salute the champions, known as the Hawntourage, for defeating the Ritz's Farm Team in a thrilling extra-innings game.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “When you play, play hard; when you work, don't play at all.”

I would also like to salute all of our colleagues' staff who do so much work on our behalf, especially as we embark on what will be a very busy fall session in Parliament.

I am sure I speak for all of our colleagues when I say that I certainly could not do my job without Drew, Jordan and Branden here in Ottawa, and Averil, Oula and Linda in Edmonton.

May we all have a productive session and perhaps abide by my personal philosophy, "Work hard, play hard, but don't tear your sweater.”

Way to go, team.

[Battle of Britain, September 19th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, this September. we commemorate the 71st anniversary of the Battle of Britain. As the first major battle fought primarily in the air and a turning point in the Second World War, the Battle of Britain remains a critical event in our past.

Britain looked to the skies for support and Canadians and the Royal Canadian Air Force were there. Our valiant airmen worked with British and allied forces to save Britain from invasion and pave the way for the liberation of Europe. When it became clear that the Royal Air Force would not buckle, the battle ended and Britain was safe.

Today, Canada remembers its heroes. We pay tribute to our history and honour the generation of Canadians who bravely served this country, as well as those who wear the Canadian uniform with pride today.

Not long ago, we revived the memory of Churchill's 'Few' as we reintroduced the Royal Canadian Air Force to Canada and our allies.

As Canadians, we owe it to our veterans to honour their legacy, and watching the Hurricane and the Spitfire slip the surly bonds of earth over Ottawa on the weekend provided a beautiful and poignant reminder of that history and heritage.

Today, Canada remembers the veterans of the Battle of Britain. Lest we forget.

[Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act, June 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard this theme of 60% not voting Conservative in the last election. I would point out to my friend that 70% did not vote NDP, 81% did not vote Liberal, 94% did not vote Bloc and 96% did not vote Green, all of which rates a big so what.

Since we have had more than two parties in Canada, there have been 28 elections, 16 of which have been majorities. In only five of those cases did the winning party have 50% of the vote. It did not happen during any of the three Jean Chrétien majorities or the three Trudeau majorities, so to suggest or imply that somehow our majority is not legitimate is, I think, a little rich.

I would also make a comment on the Public Appointments Commission that my colleague brought up. We had proposed a man, Gwyn Morgan, who was incredibly well qualified and would do the job for a dollar a year. However, that side trashed him unmercifully. It was a disgraceful display of vigilantism and it robbed Canada of one of the finest people that would ever have graced that position.

[Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act, June 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if my hon. colleague realizes that we are not even debating Bill C-6; we are debating the hoist amendment.

I also wonder if all the speeches we have heard for the last two days will be repeated again when we actually debate Bill C-6.

[Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act, June 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I just got a message on my BlackBerry. The sender is wondering if this is a debate between members or a debate between BlackBerrys.

Seriously, the member talked about extending the work of the House. It seems to me we are debating a hoist motion and we are not even debating Bill C-6. If they want to stop extending the business of the House, let us get to Bill C-6. How about it?

[Restoring Mail Delivery for Canadians Act, June 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I do have to make a couple of observations.

The member talked about the nine ways in which these kinds of things can be solved. I will not list them all, but it seems to me that the government has utilized about eight out of nine. The only one that we have not used is a commission. Maybe their answer to everything is a royal commission.

The member talked about solving it quickly. Well, it seems to me that we have been doing this for at least eight months. So I am not sure what his definition of quickly is either.

The member talked about what events like this do to the morale of companies, large and small, or people. What I would suggest it does is it undermines the confidence of companies, it undermines the confidence of business in Canada. It seems to me that in the current situation we are facing, with the economic recovery and so on, what we need most of all is confidence.

I would like to ask my honourable colleague to address the impact of what is going on right now on the confidence of companies, big and small, the confidence of Canadians to know that government, or somebody, is standing up for their future in solving these kinds of things, using eight out of nine of the instruments that the member mentioned. When does this end? We need to move forward. We need to get on with this, because it is having an impact on companies, large and small, and Canadians of all stripes.

[Libya, June 14th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary covered it with an excellent question on what we were doing on the humanitarian and support side.

Would my hon. colleague comment on the broader question of the Canada first defence strategy and the importance of maintaining the momentum in that to keep our Canadian Forces equipped to do the kind of tough jobs we ask them to do, such as Libya?