Lynne Yelich

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP member said that in Montreal he can qualify it, but he did not qualify it in Saskatchewan. I believe it is because in Montreal they have members, so they are pooling their resources, if I understood it correctly.

I wondered if the member understood it correctly. In Saskatchewan, I do not know if he has heard, but there are no NDP members there, and I doubt there will be for a long time.

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I come from a province where we have only 14 MPs, because we have representation by population. We are protected by the Constitution, so we do not need more MPs.

The New Democrats are not represented by their party in our province. Is it ethical for them to set up an office in Saskatoon because they feel that they have to have an MP there, yet there has not been an NDP candidate elected as an MP? I want to hear the member's comments on that.

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have to check what the debate is about. I thought we did the elections debate yesterday. If we are on the debate that I thought we were on, I think the member is being very irrelevant.

[Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, March 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk a bit about my trip to Honduras and how Honduras wants to be competitive and comparative in the production of cacao. It knows it has an excellent market for that and that it creates economic and environmental benefits. It is a crop that is appropriate for small farmers. Honduras feels that social benefits generate long-term employment and gives permanence to land tenure. Cacao also benefits the environment and agroforestry systems, as cacao protects soil against erosion, improves soil conditions, and protects and improves water sources. This is one of the many areas that is important to trade deals such as the one we are working to make on Honduras.

I would like to know if the member has any experience in how important this trade could be for the agriculture area in Honduras and whether he could please tell the House about it.

[Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, March 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, when I was in Honduras, I learned that one-third of its GDP was attributed to Canadian companies. One of the companies in particular spoke about its respect for human rights and social responsibility. The company felt that while free trade agreements do not deter human rights abuses, human rights can be advanced by these agreements, because when one respects human rights like Canadian companies that are working there, it demonstrates good practices based on human rights.

Gildan itself would like to see its business grow and feels that a free trade agreement is important. If the member is open to hearing from some Canadian companies doing business there and what it means to them, I would like to hear his response to them, because I think it is important to hear from those on the ground trying to encourage human rights, such as he is speaking about. It is important for Honduras to have free trade with countries such as Canada.

[Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, March 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity to visit Honduras this year to meet with some of the business people there. They would like Canadians to understand how important the free trade agreement is to them.

Canadian companies are responsible for one-third of Honduras' GDP. Gildan, one of the companies, employs 26,000 people. The company shows how Canadian companies in Honduras promote and respect human rights and work in a socially responsible manner. I would encourage these companies to have a dialogue with the opposition and those who are opposed to this free trade agreement.

I wonder if the opposition would be open to listening to some of the companies and what they have to offer with respect to human rights. The Minister of Labour has said that Canadian companies are doing a good job in this regard. The previous speaker for the Conservative Party said that having more jobs leads to less crime, and less crime helps with human rights.

I am wondering if the member would be open to hearing about some of the good things being done by our Canadian companies.

[Foreign Affairs, March 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has been very clear. Canada stands with the Egyptian government and people in their efforts to build a stable, inclusive, prosperous, and democratic Egypt based on respect for human rights, tolerance, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.

Canada continues to call on the Egyptian government to promote the rights of journalists and to protect those rights in keeping with Egypt's new constitution and with the aspirations of Egypt's people to build a fully democratic Egypt.

[Foreign Affairs, February 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, consular officials have been in contact and are providing consular assistance. The Canadian officials have raised this case with the Egyptian authorities. We are also in regular communication with specific family members, in accordance with his wishes.

[Foreign Affairs, February 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deciding to travel to Sochi are reminded that they are responsible for their own safety. Canadians should take sensible precautions and maintain a high level of vigilance. While we are working with like-minded partners to ensure the safest environment for Canadians, Russia is solely responsible for the safety of all attendees.

We urge Canadians heading to the Sochi games to first visit our travel.gc.ca website to get the latest travel advice and to register in order to receive any of the updates.

Finally, I would like to say to all athletes, “Go for the gold”.

[Crisis in the Philippines, November 20th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, the member is absolutely correct. This is not partisan right now. We are on the ground and, as we said, we are doing what we can to reach the people who are in need.

I was in Winnipeg last week, speaking to the community. The members of the community right at hand are worried about whether the money is going to get to the people who need it, and they are very concerned about some of the scams that are going on. This is a concern of the Philippine people who can see that Canada's response has been over and above. We have always been there. I have, from CIDA, many of the key operational projects that we have had. We are not going to let them down at any time, I can assure members of that just from the investments we have made.

I was in Indonesia this year at the APEC women forum. Canada was thanked for its work and for the projects we have invested in through CIDA, and we should have no concerns about whether our government has been there, is there, and will be there because we have been, we will be, and we will continue to be there for the Philippine people.