Lawrence Cannon

[Foreign Affairs, February 1st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, Rights & Democracy is an independent organization funded by the government and mandated to promote human rights. We have been able to provide this organization with new leadership. We would like the opposition to join us in fully supporting this new leadership so that it can continue the excellent work it does on foreign relations.

[Foreign Affairs, February 1st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying yesterday, the Government of Canada is working closely with the Tunisian government to ensure that all options for freezing the assets of the former Tunisian regime are considered. Several options are currently on the table, and as soon as we receive confirmation we will move forward.

[Foreign Affairs, February 1st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I would be more than happy to appear before the parliamentary committee to report on the deployment of our staff to different parts of the globe and explain how these people are serving the interests of Canada throughout the world. If the hon. member would like to invite me to appear before the committee, I would be happy to do so.

[Foreign Affairs, February 1st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague should get his facts straight. The Liberals, once again, are all over the place. The Liberal opposition has not taken the time to view the tremendous work that has been done by the DFAIT officials in helping Canadians get back here on a voluntary basis.

We have been working night and day to accommodate Canadians and we have been working with our allies. As a matter of fact, we have been getting great congratulations from all of our allies, as well as all of the Canadians who were involved.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), there have been 371 applicants for compensation.

In response to (b), the total amount claimed is $10,656,869.54.

In response to (c), fiven the numerous differences between the categories of claims and characteristics of each, it would be imprudent to calculate an average based solely on the number of claims and their total value. The impact of the extraordinary security measures varies widely based on the typical revenue of the claimants, the location of the business and the length of time they were affected.

In response to (d), the auditors are in the process of identifying ineligible claims. As of January 5, 2011, 44 claims have been deemed inadmissible.

In response to (e), because it was impossible to forecast the degree to which the extraordinary financial measures put in place for the G20 would cause adverse financial consequences, the Summits Management Office maintained a sufficient budgetary margin to compensate eligible claimants.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his exempt staff are subject to proactive disclosure. The details of their travel and hospitality expenses can be seen on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade website at the following link: http://www.international.gc.ca.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas) and his exempt staff are subject to the proactive disclosure. The details of their travel and hospitality expenses can be seen on Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade website at the following link: http://www.international.gc.ca.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, since DFAIT is one department, the responses for the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of Foreign Affairs are the same.

With regard to (a), where language used in letters, speeches and interventions is reflective of Canada's international legal obligations, efforts are made to ensure that such language is consistent with terms of art used in relevant instruments, or that are meaningful for and understood by Canada's international partners. Official statements, interventions or other public foreign policy documents should, as much as possible, be drafted in such a manner as to allow Canadians and international partners to fully understand the government's policies and priorities.

With regard to (b)(i), “Child soldier” is an undefined term in international law. The optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, a treaty that Canada has ratified, does not use the term. While the protocol does not prevent states parties from recruiting persons under the age of 18 years into their armed forces, it does provide that states parties must ensure that members of their armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities. It also prohibits armed groups, as distinct from armed forces of a state, from recruiting or using in hostilities persons under the age of 18. The term “children in armed conflict”, which is used in the protocol, offers a clearer reference to international law than “child soldier”. Canada’s use of the term “children in armed conflict” reflects the fact that the UN and the international community often use this term to capture a number of grave violations against children in situations of conflict, including the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, grave sexual violence against children, abduction of children and the denial of humanitarian access for children. Moreover, the “Principles and Guidelines on Children associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups”, which Canada has endorsed, do not use the term “child soldier”; (ii) International law is, very generally speaking, the law that governs the conduct between states and certain other actors. International humanitarian law, also known as the “law of war” or the “law of armed conflict”, is part of international law. International humanitarian law is a set of rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare; (iii) In multilateral forum like the United Nations, the term “gender equality” is used interchangeably with “equality between men and women”. For example, the Beijing Declaration, from the fourth World Conference on Women, Action for Equality, Development and Peace in 1995, uses the language of “gender equality” and the Beijing Platform for Action refers to “equality between men and women”. In the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, equality of or between men and women, or equality of the rights of men and women, is used throughout the text; (iv) The phrase "prevents sexual violence" addresses the general need to prevent future acts. The phrase “impunity for sexual violence” addresses the need to ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence are held accountable for their actions, thereby helping to deter others from perpetrating similar acts in the future. When calling for effective measures to address sexual violence, Canada uses language that includes both general prevention and, more specifically, the need to bring perpetrators to justice as one element of prevention;

With regard to (c), it is common practice for any government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs or his office, to provide input into official statements, interventions or other foreign policy documents drafted by officials to ensure that public positions reflect the Government's policies and priorities.

With regard to (d), in the normal course of government business, any number of meetings are held which ensure that the terminology used by the government in public statements, letters, speeches and other similar documents remains consistent with the government's international obligations and policy objectives.

With regard to (e), no.

With regard to (f), please see response to question (d).

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, while our officials have regular and ongoing meetings with colleagues from other North American countries, at this time there is no plan to announce a security perimeter for North America.

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), Canada has not participated in meetings surrounding the renewed peace talks. These meetings have been largely restricted to the parties and the U.S., with some regional and Quartet participation.

In response to (b), DFAIT closely monitors developments on the peace process and a briefing note on the Middle East peace process is updated as appropriate.

In response to (c) and (d), as stated publicly on many occasions, including a statement in support of the continuation of peace talks on October 9, Canada is ready to assist the parties in any way they find helpful.