Pam Goldsmith-Jones

[Foreign Affairs, February 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

This week, the minister met with his German counterpart and discussed pressing global challenges, such as the fight against ISIL, mass migration, and the situation in Ukraine.

In Turkey, the minister participated in the High Level Partnership Forum on Somalia, where Canada received much praise from the President of Turkey for Canada's engagement in the Syrian refugee crisis.

Our international partners regard Canada, under this government, as a strong ally, a partner, and a friend.

[Foreign Affairs, February 24th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaties entitled, Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on Air Transport, done at Port of Spain on June 29, 2015; and Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments Between Canada and the Republic of Guinea, done at Conakry on May 27, 2015. An explanatory memorandum is included with each treaty.

[Foreign Affairs, February 24th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we welcome the Amnesty report. It highlights a significant positive change that this government is taking in the area of human rights.

Amnesty praises our leadership in resettling 25,000 refugees and applauds our commitment to launch an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, something the last government refused to do. We have also abandoned the arbitrary process of the last government by committing to seek clemency for all Canadians facing capital punishment.

It is no wonder Amnesty International applauds this government.

[Foreign Affairs, February 24th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the Russian interference and invasion of Ukrainian territory is completely unacceptable. The question now is how to communicate this in the most effective and strongest way to Russia.

Canada is always interested in constructive engagement with a range of countries. Engagement is not about agreement. It is about holding countries to account.

[Foreign Affairs, February 24th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, Canada stands steadfast with Ukraine. We always have and we always will, and we will continue our unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. This is well beyond partisanship for all of us.

Engaging in dialogue with Russia is not the same as agreeing with Russia. We will speak clearly, bluntly, and directly, and we have been explicit in our condemnation of Russia's unlawful annexation of Crimea.

As the government of Ukraine stated last month, “[We] believe Canada will be strong and firm in its pressure on Russia”.

[Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL, February 23rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has asked the coalition members to step up their contribution, and Canada has.

A Pentagon spokesperson said the Canadian announcement is the kind of response the secretary has been looking for, from coalition members.

Coalition commander Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland describes our mission as forward-looking.

A U.S. military spokesperson for the coalition characterizes Canada's contribution as “extraordinarily helpful”.

I would like to ask the member if he actually disagrees with the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, and the coalition commander.

[Foreign Affairs, February 22nd, 2016]

On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, Israel is not only a key ally but equally a steadfast friend. The Jewish community has deep roots here in Canada and contributes greatly to Canadian society.

A boycott would not bring us closer to any viable or constructive solution, so we will not support that. However, the motion would not bring us any closer to working constructively together. It seeks to divide.

We firmly believe that negotiations constitute the only way to arrive at lasting, durable peace.

[Foreign Affairs, February 22nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we are very pleased that our government is going to accede to the Arms Trade Treaty, something that the previous government failed to do. That is a priority for this government, because we know we have a more constructive role to play.

[Foreign Affairs, February 22nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, Canada needs to engage on the international stage much more than before, even with regimes with whom we have difficulty. Engagement does not mean that we agree with Iran's policy, but it does establish a pathway toward dialogue, regional security, and economic opportunity. Turning one's back does not help either in providing accountability for a country such as Iran.

[Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL, February 19th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we are very pleased to be acceding to the UN Arms Trade Treaty. It is unfortunate that the previous government did not do that. However, once we have conducted our due diligence, we will absolutely be joining the original signatories to that.

The success of the Canadian mission will be gauged partly by our ability to work with the 65 countries that are in this coalition to make our contribution. As I have said in my remarks, this is a long-term strategy. We are making a diplomatic effort that we see going far into the future. As the military effort has success, we are there on the ground rebuilding civil society and working in advance around the areas of conflict to ensure that it takes hold.

With regard to our exit strategy, I would think we will be moving ultimately from our military effort toward attenuation, even with the humanitarian effort, because ultimately we have stable, independent democracies operating in that area. That is a long-haul vision for our government, and we are approaching it by this integrated manner which I described.