Lois Brown

[Situation in Syria, June 5th, 2012]

Madam Chair, my colleague's question gives me the opportunity to highlight some of the incredible work that humanitarian workers have done in the area despite the very difficult access they have. With CIDA support, our partners are meeting the humanitarian needs of the victims of violence.

I will give my colleague a few statistics. The Red Cross has distributed food and other essential items to 350,000 people and is providing emergency assistance and medical care for the wounded. The Syrian Red Crescent Society has been able to distribute essentials to 60,000 people. The United Nations World Food Programme provided food assistance to 235,000 people. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is assisting 73,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq.

We will continue working with our partners on these issues. Canada will continue to monitor the situation closely.

[Situation in Syria, June 5th, 2012]

Madam Chair, regardless of our status, of not being on the Security Council, Canada has punched much above its weight in its humanitarian involvement globally.

We are the only country in the world that is currently paid up in all of our contributions to our multilateral partners. We have contributed enormous amounts of money through organizations like the GAVI Alliance, where just a year ago we contributed an extra $50 million to assist with humanitarian issues around the world.

We have stepped up to the plate in this situation by contributing money to help those people who have been displaced and who have lost their homes in Syria. We are punching above our weight. Canada has a very fine reputation on the global scene.

[Situation in Syria, June 5th, 2012]

Madam Chair, the violence in Syria continues to take a terrible toll on the civilian population. Canadians were horrified to learn the details of the May 25 massacre in Houla, Syria. Shockingly, the dead included 49 children, executed in cold blood.

Despite an international outcry and the UN Security Council condemnation, Syrian forces continue to assault the people of Houla. This slaughter underscores the appalling impact of the Assad regime's efforts to repress the people of Syria. Since the violence began more than 9,000 Syrians, most of them civilians, have lost their lives. Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes and communities, and more than one million are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Canada has soundly condemned the Assad regime's vicious attacks on civilian populations. We welcomed the UN Security Council's condemnation of the killings in Houla, which noted that such outrageous use of force against the civilian population constitutes a violation of international law. We echo the Security Council's demands that the government of Syria immediately cease the use of heavy weapons in population centres and return troops to their barracks. We join the Security Council and our allies in calling for those responsible for the heinous attacks against the Syrian population, the regime of Bashar al-Assad, to be brought to justice.

Canada stands with the Syrian people in their time of need. In March, the Minister of International Cooperation, announced a contribution of up to $7.5 million in humanitarian assistance to allow humanitarian organizations to provide urgent life-saving relief inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. This support will provide Syrians affected by the violence with emergency food assistance, safe water, sanitation facilities, essential household items and other much needed help.

Recent attacks in Houla underscore the brutal reign of a tyrannical regime. The people of Syria, a proud people, devoted to their homes and their communities, have chosen to flee their country and seek refuge outside its borders. More than 70,000 people and their families are currently receiving help in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. In these countries, it is the quiet heroism of ordinary people who open their doors and their homes for those in need. We honour their humanity.

For many of those remaining in Syria the outlook is grim. Relief workers with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as UN agencies, are making heroic efforts to meet the urgent life-saving needs of those affected by the violence. However, these efforts continue to be obstructed by the Assad regime.

Last month, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Cooperation welcomed Valerie Amos, UN emergency relief coordinator, to Ottawa to discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria. The UN has made it clear to Syria that the humanitarian needs are enormous and access is required by the UN to provide urgent life-saving assistance. Canada continues to call for full, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian workers to reach those in need. Those in positions of power in Syria must move quickly to facilitate relief efforts. Our government will continue to press at every opportunity until that access is granted.

Canada is appalled by the threats to safety and security faced by humanitarian workers in Syria. Already, the Secretary General of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and two Red Crescent volunteers have lost their lives in the line of duty. We mourn their loss and we pay tribute to their courage. We condemn the lack of respect for life-saving medical services in Syria. Medical personnel, facilities and ambulances must not be targeted and health care personnel must be able to provide aid in safety and without hindrance. The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems must be respected by all sides.

Canada continues to support the efforts of the international community to bring an end to the violence. Recent evidence of mass graves dug by the regime's butchers is irrefutable. We have repeatedly called on all parties to co-operate with UN observers, to respect the ceasefire, and to support the efforts of Kofi Annan, joint special envoy, to resolve the crisis, including full implementation of the six-point peace plan. The plan requires the cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians, and calls upon all parties to ensure the timely provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas affected by the fighting.

The UN Security Council has repeatedly condemned the violence in Syria, including the Houla massacre, but the time has come for stronger action. The Security Council must increase the pressure on Assad to end what is rapidly becoming a humanitarian catastrophe by adopting strong sanctions against the regime.

Canada has enacted strict economic sanctions against the Assad regime and has recently expelled all remaining Syrian diplomats. We call on countries around the world to adopt equally strong measures against the Assad regime to ensure that it fulfills its commitments and immediately stops the senseless slaughter of its own people. We call on countries with ties to Syria to urge an immediate implementation of the ceasefire and other provisions of the Annan plan before the humanitarian situation becomes more dire.

We call on countries with ties to Syria to offer evidence for how the Assad regime is any better than all the other alternatives.

The violence in Syria must end. The people of Syria must be saved from oppression and attacks. Civilians denied the necessities of life must be provided with humanitarian assistance. The international community must redouble its efforts to pressure the Syrian regime. The Government of Canada will continue to monitor the humanitarian situation in Syria and work with our partners in an effort to end the suffering of civilians and ensure life-saving assistance reaches those who need it most.

[Nigeria, June 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Canada strongly condemns the attack Sunday on a church in Bauchi State, Nigeria, where at least 15 people were killed and many more were injured.

We are deeply saddened to see that Nigerians gathering to practise their faith have again become the target of terrorist acts. Canada urges all people in Nigeria to work with the Nigerian government to counter extremism and terrorism and bring to justice those responsible for these reprehensible crimes.

On behalf of all Canadians, I want to offer my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of these attacks and I wish the wounded a swift recovery.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs recently met with his Nigerian counterparts to assure them of Canada's solidarity with the government and people of Nigeria as they continue their fight against terrorism.

[Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for that question because it gives me the opportunity to mention again the number of countries that Canada is lagging behind in getting this technology into place. The United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Japan, countries of the European Union, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Malaysia are countries that have already implemented biometrics.

One of the things we can consider is many members of the House have already participated in biometrics when they have applied for or received their NEXUS card. It is a tool that the United States has used as a pilot project. It already collects biometrics to facilitate the border crossings between Canada and the United States.

It has expedited the opportunity for business transactions to take place between our two countries. We know that by implementing these kinds of biometrics for our immigration system, we are going to expedite the process and have the tools we need to bring legitimate people into our country, who will be great participants in Canada.

[Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to relay to the House a little story about my own daughter. When she was in Spain her passport was stolen from her backpack. She reported the passport stolen. Two years later we received a phone call from the RCMP, which was trying to identify the status of my daughter's passport because it was being used for the fraudulent purpose of trying to bring someone into the country.

These are the kinds of things we absolutely have to stop. By using biometrics we are going to cut down on the number of people who are fraudulently attempting to get into Canada. We will make our system work far more expeditiously.

[Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we know the detention system is not working for Canadians.

I would like to talk about biometrics and the opportunity this presents for people who are coming into Canada legitimately. When people provide this kind of information it gives the Canadian immigration system new tools to help legitimate people get into Canada far more quickly. We are just following in the steps, and late in so doing may I say, of many other countries in the world that are already implementing this kind of technology. It is time Canada got on board.

[Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, June 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to add my voice today to the debate on this important piece of legislation.

As we know, Bill C-31, the protecting Canada's immigration system act, would help us carry out long-needed reforms to the refugee system and help crack down on human smugglers who may try to abuse Canada's generous immigration system. However, I would like to focus my remarks today on another important component of Bill C-31: the measures in this legislation that would allow the introduction of biometric technology for the screening of temporary resident applicants.

Currently, when individuals make immigration applications, in most cases, they only need to initially provide written documents to support their applications. Quite frankly, a modern immigration system can do a better job of ensuring safety and security. Indeed, biometrics, photographs and fingerprints to be more specific, provide greater certainty in identifying travellers than documents, which, as we all know, can easily be forged or stolen.

Our government is facilitating the travel of legitimate travellers to Canada. However, it is no secret that there are countless numbers of people each year who are not allowed to come to Canada who, nevertheless, find ways to enter. There are countless examples on an almost daily basis of violent criminals, terrorists, human smugglers and war criminals among others, who have entered Canada using false documents.

In fact, there are several examples of criminals entering Canada on multiple occasions after being deported. There are even examples of criminals re-entering Canada using false identities and documents up to 15, 19, 21 different times. This has to stop, and biometrics will help our government end this fraud and abuse. Biometrics will help our government protect the safety and the security of Canadians.

Biometrics is one of the most effective ways to correctly identify individuals. Biometrics would be an important new tool to help protect the safety and security of Canadians by reducing identity fraud and identity theft. As fraudsters become more sophisticated, biometrics would improve our ability to keep violent criminals and those who pose a threat out of Canada.

The legislation being debated today, and regulations that would follow, would allow the government to make it mandatory for travellers, students and workers from certain visa-required countries and territories to have their photographs and fingerprints taken as part of their temporary resident visa, study permit and work permit applications. This would mean that photos and fingerprints would be collected as part of a standard visa application process before the applicant arrives in Canada. This would help with processing visa applications and later, with confirming the identity of visa holders when they arrive at our borders.

The use of biometrics as an identity management tool in our immigration and border control systems is a welcome development that is a long time in the making.

It would also bring Canada in line with what is quickly becoming the international norm in this area.

As my hon. colleagues may know, many governments around the world have already introduced biometric collection in their immigration and border programs. They include the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Japan, countries of the European Union, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Although the use of biometrics for visa applications would be a new development for Canada, the fact that so many other countries have already adopted biometrics has an added benefit. Many visa applicants to Canada would already be familiar with the process. This would make for a smoother transition to this system.

By providing a fast and reliable tool to help confirm identity, biometrics would strengthen the integrity of Canada's immigration system and help protect the safety and security of Canadians while helping facilitate legitimate travel. This would greatly help our front-line visa and border officers to manage high volumes of immigration applications and the growing sophistication in identity fraud.

At the same time, the use of biometrics would be beneficial to applicants themselves because, in the long run, as I noted, the use of biometrics would actually facilitate entry to Canada by providing a reliable tool to readily confirm the identity of applicants.

For instance, in cases where the authenticity of documents is uncertain or in doubt, biometrics could expedite decision-making at Canadian ports of entry. Using biometrics could also protect visa applicants by making it more difficult for others to forge, steal or use the applicants' identity to gain access into Canada.

The legislation and regulations would also allow for biometric data collected from foreign nationals to be used and disclosed by the RCMP for domestic law enforcement. For instance, in a criminal investigation, if there is a match to a temporary resident's fingerprints, the RCMP would be authorized to disclose that information to another law enforcement agency. This may help, for example, in cases where unidentified fingerprints are found at a crime scene, or where assistance is needed in identifying victims.

This is yet another tool to help enforce Canadian laws and to ensure that Canada's doors are not open to those who would break the law or endanger the safety of our citizens. Let me stress, however, that the use of biometric information for law enforcement purposes would be conducted in accordance with Canada's privacy legislation.

Allow me to quote from a recent editorial on Bill C-31 which appeared in the Montreal Gazette. It noted:

The collection of biometric information is a sensible security precaution that will be a valuable tool in preventing people from slipping into the country with false identities.

It would be hard to disagree with this take on biometrics. After all, the many benefits of introducing biometric technology for screening visa applicants make it a welcome and, as the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism has described it, a “historic” development for our immigration system.

Furthermore, the use of biometrics is increasingly becoming the standard by which other countries operate. By passing Bill C-31, the protecting Canada's immigration system act, we would be ensuring that Canada keeps up with the many countries already using biometrics in their immigration and border programs.

The implementation of biometrics makes so much common sense, I cannot for the life of me understand how the opposition NDP and Liberals could vote against these provisions.

Canadians, including my constituents in Newmarket—Aurora, do not want criminals to be able to enter Canada, live in their neighbourhoods and roam their streets. I am quite certain neither do the constituents of any of the NDP and Liberal MPs in this House.

The NDP and Liberals are trying to gut biometric provisions. They are voting against one of the most important measures to prevent criminals and terrorists from entering our country. They are voting against a tool that will help protect the safety and security of all Canadians, including their constituents.

It is only our Conservative government that is supporting measures that will help prevent any more innocent Canadians from being victimized by foreign criminals who should not be in Canada in the first place.

Biometrics would protect the integrity of Canada's immigration system. It is an important new tool to help protect the safety and security of Canadians by reducing identity fraud and identity theft. As fraudsters become more sophisticated, biometrics would improve our ability to keep violent criminals and those who pose a threat to Canada out.

For these reasons and many others, I wholeheartedly and without reservation urge all members to vote against the irresponsible NDP and Liberal amendments that would stop the government from implementing biometrics, and instead support Bill C-31 and ensure its speedy passage.

[Restoring Rail Service Act, May 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague has talked several times about defending workers. Many of the workers in my riding are part of the auto industry. The auto industry in Newmarket--Aurora, across the GTA, and in much of southern Ontario depends on rail service to get parts back and forth. Tens of thousands of jobs are wrapped up in that industry.

When we are in such a fragile economic time, I wonder first why the member would want to risk our fragile economy. Second, I wonder how he justifies saying that he is defending workers when the workers in my riding will be out of work when there is no rail service to transport their products. Could he comment about the fragile economy he is creating?

[Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity Act, May 11th, 2012]

On the contrary, Madam Speaker. I think Canada's voice around the world is very strong. Just from my own work in the portfolio dealing with international co-operation, Canada has a remarkable reputation. I have been in many countries where we have CIDA projects and there is incredible gratitude toward Canada. The voice that we are carrying in those countries is enormous.