House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 30% of the vote.
Quebec City Arena October 4th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, like my colleague, I am aware of the fact that the mayor wants to meet with the Prime Minister. The minister responsible for the Quebec City region would be the appropriate person to make the necessary arrangements for a meeting when the time is right. It was that minister and her colleagues in the Quebec City region who were able to take action on the airport, PEPS, the Musée de la civilisation and the exhibition centre.
Quebec City Arena October 4th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, there are requests for new infrastructure across Canada, both for the CFL and the NHL. Our position has always been clear. While we are huge fans of professional sports, funding for sports facilities must come from the private sector. The federal government's role, if indeed it has one, would be to show fairness across the country, that is, when expenditures are reasonable and affordable.
Foreign Affairs October 1st, 2010
Mr. Speaker, Canada has not been silent. Quite the opposite, in fact. At the G8 summit, the Prime Minister and our government reminded our colleagues that the ultimate goal, of course, is to see two sovereign countries emerge in that region and to have them live side by side in peace and harmony. We have also strongly insisted that both parties pursue and continue their discussions, because that is the only way to achieve lasting peace.
Canada's Engagement in Afghanistan September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, a report entitled “Canada’s Engagement in Afghanistan—Quarterly Report to Parliament for the Period of April 1 to June 30, 2010.”
Questions on the Order Paper September 20th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it is inaccurate to say that Canada has refused to recognize the massacre at Srebrenica in 1995 as genocide. Canada has consistently supported the work and findings of international judicial institutions in relation to the crimes committed at Srebrenica. These include the decisions of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, in Krstic (2001) and Popovic (2010) and the decision of the International Court of Justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Serbia and Montenegro (2007), all of which held that the events that occurred in Srebrenica in 1995 constituted genocide.
The Government of Canada has referred to the Srebrenica massacre as genocide, specifically in a press release from the Minister of Foreign Affairs on July 10, 2010 commemorating the 15th anniversary of the massacre and explicitly referring to it as genocide (http://www.international.gc.ca/media/aff/news-communiques/2010/217.aspx?lang=eng).
The government would support a parliamentary resolution recognizing and commemorating the Srebrenica genocide.
Questions on the Order Paper September 20th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, Canada recognizes the state of Somalia. The question of Somaliland's status is primarily one for Somalis to determine through peaceful processes.
G8 and G20 Summits June 17th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada, as I mentioned before, is not legally bound to pay compensation for losses suffered as a result of international meetings.
Nonetheless, there are precedents whereby compensation has been provided to those impacted by extraordinary security measures. The assessment of all claims will be made in close co-operation with Audit Services Canada.
G8 Summit June 17th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, as I have already indicated, the Government of Canada is not legally bound to pay compensation for losses suffered as a result of international meetings held in Canada. However, the policy in place is fair and has been effective in the past. It is the same policy that was in place for the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City and the summit in Kananaskis before that. The assessment of all claims will be made in close co-operation with Audit Services Canada.
G8 and G20 Summits June 17th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, Canada is very proud to be hosting the G8 and G20 meetings. We have indicated that a large part of the costs associated with these meeting deal with security concerns. These concerns are legitimate and they are in line with what most consultants have indicated to us. We are looking forward to welcoming here in Canada the leaders from these countries, as well as all of their delegations.
Questions on the Order Paper June 17th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada aims to reaffirm its collective commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, and to make balanced progress on the three pillars of this important international instrument: disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of energy.
On May 3, 2010, the Minister of Foreign Affairs made Canada’s opening statement at the start of the NPT review conference. The minister noted that on nuclear disarmament, states party must strive for implementation of commitments already accepted. In this regard, Canada welcomed the new START agreement, the newly released US nuclear posture review, and US efforts towards ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Canada calls upon all states party required for the entry-into-force of the CTBT to ratify this essential treaty as soon as possible.
Regarding the threat of nuclear proliferation, the minister noted that Canada has a long-standing commitment to strengthened national and international efforts to ensure that weapons of mass destruction do not spread to states or terrorists prepared to use them under any circumstances. In this regard, he argued that an important step forward for the review conference would be to recognize that a comprehensive safeguards agreement together with an additional protocol represents the new verification standard.