Mr. Speaker, I thought that my colleague would have taken five minutes of his precious time to read the statement guaranteeing sovereignty as well as privacy.
I will be tabling the statement in a few moments. That way, he can read it.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 30% of the vote.
Canada-U.S. Relations February 9th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I thought that my colleague would have taken five minutes of his precious time to read the statement guaranteeing sovereignty as well as privacy.
I will be tabling the statement in a few moments. That way, he can read it.
Canada-U.S. Relations February 9th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, as you know, last Friday the Prime Minister and the President of the United States signed an agreement that will allow us to work better together in the years to come to secure our borders and to keep pursuing economic prosperity for both countries.
This is a start, and I would ask my colleague to wait patiently. We will continue to maintain our excellent relations with the United States, for the benefit of all Canadians.
Foreign Affairs February 8th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the Diefenbaker award will honour individuals and groups showing exceptional courage and leadership in defending human rights and freedoms. This annual award also reflects our government's strong support for human rights and the efforts of individuals and organizations to promote freedom and democracy worldwide, often under very difficult circumstances.
Our government will continue to be a relentless advocate of human rights around the world.
Government appointments February 8th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, we informed the opposition of our intention to renew the terms of some board members. As with other appointments to Rights & Democracy, we are consulting the opposition in the hope of obtaining a positive response. If the opposition members have strong opinions and wish to make constructive comments, we would be pleased to listen to them. This is the standard procedure for such appointments.
Foreign Affairs February 7th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned last week, we are working closely with Tunisian authorities to determine the most appropriate way to achieve the intended objective. I would like to say, once again, that it is reasonable to believe that we will be able to find a solution rather quickly.
Afghanistan February 7th, 2011
I know they are laughing, Mr. Speaker. They always do that when we deal with Afghanistan. They always do that when we talk about protecting Canadian assets abroad: people, assets, and the projects we are doing. That is their way. That is not our way.
Afghanistan February 7th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, once again, we employ these companies to protect our personnel as well as our facilities. I will remind my hon. colleague that all firms contracted by the government are subject to Afghan law. As I mentioned a couple of moments ago--
Afghanistan February 7th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, Canada employs security firms to protect Canadian staff as well as our facilities in Afghanistan.
Canada adheres to the Montreux Document, and the document clearly establishes the standards through which private security is used.
We signed this International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers and this declaration in the month of November last year.
Foreign Affairs February 7th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, our government was very active in the negotiations on the Convention of Cluster Munitions, and was pleased to be among the first countries in the world to sign the convention in the month of December.
I want to reassure the member that it is our ambassador in Geneva who will indeed be leading these discussions.
Foreign Affairs February 7th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, that is completely ludicrous. It is not true.
We believe on this side of the House that cluster munitions pose a grave threat to humanity and to civilians, which indeed is a serious obstacle, obviously, to sustainable development.
On this side of the House, I will state very clearly that, no, we are not throwing anybody out of government. The ambassador to Geneva will be the person who will indeed represent Canada's interest at these negotiations and discussions.