Mark Warawa

[Business of Supply, December 5th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I was speaking to the NDP's disingenuous motion on a very important topic, the environment, and what we do to provide a clean environment for this generation and the generations to follow. I was sharing with the House what we are doing in the way of funding in Canada and internationally.

Internationally, Canada was one of the first countries to step up with its fair share of climate change adaptation funding for developing countries, something we pledged to do under the Copenhagen accord. The opposition opposed those dollars going to developing countries, countries that are in need.

We heard from a number of opposition members. They get that the climate is changing. A changing climate it is having a very serious effect on a number of people in Canada and globally, yet when it comes to approving the funds for adaptation, opposition members vote against it. I am having a difficult time, and I think Canadians are having a difficult time, connecting the dots. The opposition members say they care about a changing climate and call on the government to take leadership--and we now have a government that is taking leadership, getting things done and providing funding--yet they vote against that funding. Canadians have great difficulty with that, as do I.

Internationally, we are contributing $45 million this fiscal year to help developing countries adapt to climate change as part of fast-start financing under the Copenhagen accord. Opposition members voted against that. Over four years, we have also contributed over $238 million to the Global Environmental Facility. Some of that came from our fast-track financing envelope, and the rest came from our international assistance envelope. Of course, being consistent, they voted against that. In turn, this funding reinforces our $100 million contribution in 2008-09 to the World Bank's pilot project in climate change resilience. Of course, they voted against that.

Helping Canadians and our international partners around the world adapt to the challenges posed by climate change is an important part of our overall approach to climate change. Making adjustments in our decisions, activities and thinking because of observed or expected changes in climate is essential if we want to manage the risks associated with a changing climate.

If we were to ask the average Canadian if they would support an international agreement that included 27% or 85% of emitters globally, we would find Canadians support 85%. They disregard the 27%. That is the Kyoto protocol; the Copenhagen accord is the 85%. The 27% includes no major emitters; the 85% under the Copenhagen accord includes all the major emitters. Not only do all Canadians support that, all scientists support it. If we take the issue of climate change seriously and really believe it, we have to have all the major emitters participating or it will not be possible to address the issue globally.

About a month ago we had a delegation from the EU. That was exactly their message: that we have to have all the major emitters included.

This is what Nature magazine had to say about a month ago:

One of the goals of Kyoto was to make a relatively small dent in emissions, with the prospect of significantly bigger dents to come. Without the world's two largest polluters--the United States and China--on board that now seems impossible.

There is no need to kill it. The treaty is already weakened and will prove hard to revive. The Durban meeting should be where the Kyoto Protocol, as we know it, goes to die.

A well-known Liberal made this comment in speaking about the former Liberal government. He said:

Instead, the government's plan in terms of the Kyoto agreement was basically written on the back of an airplane napkin on the way to Kyoto... There was no real negotiation with the provinces or with industry sectors. In fact--

[Business of Supply, December 5th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Wellington—Halton Hills.

The motion today talks about leadership. It is this government that has provided the leadership through the international negotiations to deal with a changing climate. I am very proud of the accomplishments of the government. In fact, we are already seeing greenhouse gas emissions going down in Canada because of the breadth of actions of the government.

The previous member for Vancouver East mentioned that she thought Canada was a laughing stock. That is not true. The fact is that Canada has great respect internationally. The only people who were laughing at these international conferences were some of the opposition members. They go on these junkets at taxpayers' expense and laugh at Canada disgracefully. That should never happen.

I appreciate the opportunity to highlight the government's recent announcements to help Canadians adapt to a changing climate, and changing it is. The government recognizes the need to address adaptation to climate change in Canada. The reality is that the climate will continue to change, regardless of the effectiveness of greenhouse gas reduction measures. Our commitment to this important area of climate change is part of our national plan with a strong, corresponding international component.

Unfortunately, the members across the way have consistently voted against these strong, concrete actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At a time when economic recovery, jobs and prosperity are the primary focus at home and abroad, it is more important than ever to ensure that we remain committed to providing a clean, improving environment. That means, even though we are currently in a period of real fiscal restraint, something this government takes very seriously, it is the right time to make investments that will protect the environment and position Canada's economy for the future. It is important that the reality of climate change be well understood and proactively managed.

In 2007, our government announced funding for six climate change impacts and adaptation programs totalling over $85 million. These programs have laid the foundations for future work by strengthening the climate science knowledge base and addressing urgent risks in the north, infrastructure and human health. One would ask why opposition members would vote against that. It is actually shameful that they would vote against climate change and the environment.

Northern communities are of particular concern as they often are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. As a result, we are actively consulting with aboriginal and northern groups on climate change adaptation issues.

Our government recently announced $148 million of new adaptation programs to enable the government to continue to provide Canadians with information that supports their efforts to better understand and plan for climate change impacts. Building on the work already under way, these programs focus on four priority areas of action to ensure the safety and prosperity of Canadians for the future. Did the members opposite vote for that? Tragically, no.

This important funding, which extends and expands 10 programs across 9 government departments, will help us frame a credible science-based response to the impact that climate change has and will have on our economy. It is science-based, not rhetoric-based. This will ultimately serve to improve our health, our security and, in particular, our northern and aboriginal communities. There has never been a government in Canada that has cared more about our northern and aboriginal communities.

Our adaptation efforts do not just stay within our borders, though. Internationally, the government is also engaged in adaptation efforts. We believe that if we want Canada to meet the environmental challenges ahead, we need to help others do the very same thing.

That is why Canada, which I am so proud of, was one of the first countries to step up with its fair share of climate change adaptation funding for developing countries, something we pledged to deliver under the Copenhagen accord and we are delivering. The one thing this government is known for is getting it done and taking action on the environment.

[Business of Supply, December 5th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member said that the purpose of the motion today was to call the government to action. In fact, this government has been acting ever since it was elected in 2006. It has been acting aggressively to ensure that something, finally, is happening on the environment. We all know that for 13 long years the former Liberal government did absolutely nothing. However, that ended in 2006. We have received a strong mandate and we have been acting rigorously and have been providing the leadership that the world needs to take action on climate change. We recommended internationally that the world move toward an international agreement that included all the major emitters, and that is exactly the direction the world is heading.

Why would the member want to move back to the Kyoto accord that did not work? It only covered 27% of greenhouse emissions. We are now moving toward 85% when we include all the major emitters. Why would she want to choose 27% instead of 85%? Why would she want to go back to something that does not work? The world has moved on. Why would the member want to go back to the past to a program that does not work?

[Ukraine, November 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, in 2008 Canada's Parliament unanimously passed a bill to recognize the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33 as an act of genocide. The horrific truth is that millions of Ukrainians were starved and murdered by Stalin's Communist regime. That genocide is known as Holodomor.

Last year I was honoured to stand with our Prime Minister, the member for Selkirk—Interlake, and Senator Andreychuk at the national Holodomor memorial in Kiev during Canada's official visit to Ukraine. The Prime Minister placed a symbolic jar of grain at the memorial and stood with Ukrainians to remember Holodomor.

The Government of Canada is committed to remembering the victims of Holodomor and to increasing international awareness of genocide and the dignity of life in Canada and around the world. May atrocities like Holodomor never happen again.

Vechnaya Pamyat, in eternal memory, to Ukrainians who perished in Holodomor.

[Petitions, November 24th, 2011]

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition from a number of constituents in the Fraser Valley.

There are a number of severe, potentially life-threatening conditions that do not qualify for disability programs because they are not necessarily permanent. Therefore, the petitioners call upon the House of Commons to adopt legislation that would provide additional medical EI benefits at least equal to maternity EI benefits.

[Albinism in Tanzania, October 26th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a motion to the House that was unanimously supported at the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:

That this House:

1) condemn the murder and mutilation of Tanzanian adults and children with albinism for their body parts;

2) express the support of the citizens of Canada for people with albinism in Tanzania who have been the victims of such attacks;

3) recognize that the murder and mutilation of people because of this genetic condition constitutes what UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called an “unacceptable violation of human rights”;

4) urge the Government of Tanzania to prosecute actively and aggressively and convict all perpetrators of these crimes;

5) call on the Government of Tanzania to take immediate action to prevent further violence against persons with albinism and to bring to swift justice those who engaged in such practices;

6) notify officially the Government of Tanzania of this.

[Criminal Code, October 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, it is a real honour to rise to speak to Bill C-310. I want to thank the member for Kildonan—St. Paul for the incredible work she has done in being an advocate for this. I thank her and her family. Her husband and son have made a great sacrifice.

I think of William Wilberforce 200 years ago, who was the conscience of the British Parliament. He gave his life to see human trafficking, slavery, ended. In this Parliament we have a Wilberforce in the member, who has worked tirelessly to see modern-day slavery, human trafficking, end. I again thank her.

We have heard comments in the House today already that there appears to be unanimous support for this bill going forward. Wilberforce spent most of his life, many years, arguing in Parliament. He was nicknamed the conscience of the British Parliament. Hopefully this bill will pass very quickly so we can deal with this important issue.

The most vulnerable members of society tend to be those who are most likely to fall victim to this horrible crime. So often the most vulnerable do not have the ability to advocate for themselves. My colleague's unwavering support and determination to improve Canada's anti-trafficking responses and advocacy for those without a voice is to be commended and ensures that we as parliamentarians remain vigilant against this criminal activity.

I appreciate the opportunity to debate this bill. It affords each of us as parliamentarians the opportunity to once again discuss this serious issue of trafficking of persons. A week ago a number of young people came to my constituency office and presented 240 letters. These were young people horrified to realize that this happens in this day and age. They were from Walnut Grove Secondary School and I admire their courage and tenacity in calling on Parliament to make these important changes.

My colleague has already provided an overview of the bill and I support her comments. I do not intend to discuss the proposed amendments in any great detail, other than to say that I support this bill wholeheartedly and am committed to working closely with the sponsor to ensure it achieves its objectives.

I know that the Government of Canada has demonstrated a willingness to work with all parties, the international community and other stakeholders to address the crime of trafficking in persons. The government takes very seriously the task of improving Canada's criminal law responses in order to protect the vulnerable, to hold offenders to account and to improve community safety. These principles, offender accountability, protecting the vulnerable and standing up for Canadian communities, are at the very core of this bill and are objectives that the government strongly supports. I believe they cut across party lines and are unanimously endorsed by all members in the House. I am sure that in the spirit of collaboration we will quickly pass this bill into law.

The Government of Canada has long recognized the importance of a comprehensive, coordinated, multi-sectoral strategy to respond to trafficking in persons. The government's approach has focused on four specific objectives: one, preventing trafficking; two, protecting the victims; three, prosecuting offenders; and four, working in partnership with others. The four Ps approach has served Canada well and we remain at the vanguard of anti-trafficking efforts around the world.

Building on this approach, the government is committed to releasing a national action plan on human trafficking to better guide Canadian efforts. I applaud the government and my friend, the member for Kildonan—St. Paul, for their commitment and believe that an action plan will further strengthen our ability to prevent this crime, protect victims and hold traffickers accountable.

I would like to highlight a few examples of recent federal efforts. Recognizing the importance that a strong knowledge base can play in supporting ongoing responses, last year, in 2010, the government released a study examining the question of whether a national data collection framework could be established and the challenges associated with doing so.

The study and its recommendations continue to provide valuable guidance to all jurisdictions in Canada that are looking at this important issue.

Also last year, in 2010, the RCMP released its national threat assessment on human trafficking. The objectives of the assessment were to identify the extent of trafficking in persons in Canada, as well as organized crime involvement, transnational associations, source countries and trends involving foreign nationals and domestic victims.

The assessment includes analysis of organized criminal groups with suspected involvement in human trafficking, as well as discussions of issues, challenges and intelligence gaps that affect enforcement efforts in the disruption of human trafficking activities in Canada. In that way, the assessment aims to provide strategic guidance for enforcement efforts.

I know the government is also working hard in the areas of prevention and awareness and has recently launched into two national awareness campaigns—

[Democracy in Ukraine, October 18th, 2011]

Mr. Chair, I would agree that it has been a reversal. Many of us in this Parliament have Ukrainian interns working in our offices. I have asked them if they expected this to happen. They said no. They said they had been watching it closely but had no idea that this was going to be happening. When we were there a year ago, there was no idea that this kind of serious situation would be arising.

We encourage the Ukrainian judiciary to do what is right. The world is encouraging them. There were letters written from the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group, from the government, and I am sure from many in this Parliament encouraging them to do the right thing. Now we find Yulia Tymoshenko sentenced to seven years in jail.

She cannot serve. That is just not right. We encourage the right thing to be done.

[Democracy in Ukraine, October 18th, 2011]

Mr. Chair, I want to thank the NDP member across the way. It is not often that everybody in the House will row in the same direction. That is happening tonight, and I know it is going to be happening in the months to follow as we are all committed to seeing democracy, respect for human dignity and the rule of law in Ukraine.

Canada joins many other countries, as do we as parliamentarians. We are world leaders in that respect, working together and challenging Ukraine to do what is right and to be transparent and democratic. As we look at countries throughout the world and the history of the world, we see that countries that are based on democracy and fundamental principles of the rule of law can prosper. If a country does not respect the rule of law and its citizens, that country will not prosper. It is that simple.

We want to see a positive future for Ukraine. We will continue to pull together as parliamentarians and work with other international partners to encourage the Ukraine judiciary to make sure things are done properly and with transparency. The situation with Yulia Tymoshenko hopefully will be reviewed and the right thing will be done, because the opposition cannot be treated in that way.

[Democracy in Ukraine, October 18th, 2011]

Mr. Chair, I rise this evening to participate in this important debate on the serious democratic situation in Ukraine. As others have stated before me, this is an important issue, and over the last months Canada has not shied away from making its views known on the situation.

Canada has long been a special partner to Ukraine. For over 20 years we have supported and co-operated with Ukraine as it sought to develop into a free, democratic and prosperous country.

Against this backdrop, I and all Canadians cannot help but find the recent conviction of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko to be very troubling. The apparent political motivation behind this act would seem to be not only to eliminate the individual who came so close to defeating current President Yanukovych in the last presidential elections in 2010, but to intimidate and eliminate all political opposition.

I will be sharing my time with the amazing member for Edmonton Centre.

Is this to eliminate and intimidate all political opposition? Those are strong words, and I acknowledge that, but the indications are there for all of us to see.

Sadly, the Yulia Tymoshenko trial and conviction is just the tip of the iceberg. Over the last year, a series of arrests and intimidating actions have been carried out against former opposition members.

I was honoured to be a member of the Canadian delegation that went there in October 2010, and we sensed that things were happening. We met with a number of people, and a lot of concern was expressed to us.

While no one can argue against the fact that it is essential to tackle the scourge of corruption that so cripples Ukraine's economic and social development, it must be tackled in a transparent manner that respects the proper judicial process and the rule of law.

This would appear not to be the case. The prosecutions have been very selective, focusing extensively on leading members of the opposition. There are clear signs that the court proceedings fall far short of internationally recognized norms of fairness, transparency and due process. All of this is deeply distressing to the Ukrainian people, who so courageously stood up against political corruption in 2004, challenging the presidential election results and forcing the election to be re-held.

The Orange Revolution, as it came to be known, marked a turning point in the newly independent Ukraine's democratic development. We cannot allow the democratic gains won through those brave civil actions to be taken away.

Canada has proudly supported the Ukrainian people as they rebuilt their society after 70 years of Soviet rule. Canada was the first western country to recognize Ukraine's independence in 1991, and we have provided significant assistance since then as part of our special partnership. We have done so out of principle, but also out of friendship. Ours is a deep friendship, rooted in shared values and shared history.

Canada is home to more than 1.2 million Ukrainian Canadians, who collectively have contributed so much to building Canada. I am one of those Canadians whose grandparents came from Ukraine about 115 years ago. I am a proud Canadian and proud of my Ukrainian heritage. I am proud that I was with the Prime Minister in Ukraine.

We owe it to our friends in Ukraine to support them as they work to build a new future.