Paul Calandra

[Ethics, April 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General to review all of the expenses of the Senate. I thought that was a good step to take.

At the same time, we also know that 67 members of the NDP have been found guilty of illegally using House resources. I would encourage them to repay it. I know a lot of them think is actually funny, that owing the taxpayers close to $4 million is a funny thing. Taxpayers do not think it is funny. They think they should simply do the right thing and pay it back.

[Ethics, April 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General to examine all of the senators' expenses.

At the same time, there has been an investigation in the House, and it has been discovered that the NDP owes $2.7 million for illegal offices and over $1 million for illegal advertising. I would encourage the NDP members to repay the millions of dollars in illegal expenses that they incurred. They should not wait.

That party has a history of being found guilty, whether it is accepting illegal union donations or robocalls. Here it has an opportunity to repay the $3 million.

[Ethics, April 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said on a number of occasions, we will continue to provide all the assistance that is needed by the Crown in order to prosecute Mr. Duffy. He is accused of taking illegal expenses and if he is found guilty of that, he should face the full extent of the law.

The only leader in the House who will be testifying in front of a court is the Leader of the Opposition, who owes $400,000 to the people of Canada for illegal office expenses. He can bring 67 other members of the NDP with him when they explain to Canadians how they will repay the $3 million they owe them in illegal expenses.

[Ethics, April 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I have answered that question a number of times.

Yesterday, I found out that the member for Scarborough Southwest in Toronto owes the taxpayers $144,000 for an office in Montreal. As opposed to having his staff work in his office in Scarborough, he sent his staff to Montreal, and owes the taxpayer $144,000. I hope he will do the right thing and repay that $144,000.

[Ethics, April 1st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, again, the Auditor General was actually invited in by the Senate, and of course we eagerly await the report he will be presenting.

At the same time, we hope he assists us because, as we know, the Leader of the Opposition owes $400,000 to the taxpayers of Canada for illegal offices and for illegal mailings. The gentleman beside him owes $122,000, and 66 other members of that caucus owe the remaining $2.4 million. Hopefully they will get on top of that and repay the taxpayers the money they owe them.

[Ethics, April 1st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Senate invited the Auditor General in to audit all expenses of senators, and of course we hope that all senators are co-operating with him.

The member mentioned 40 senators. I know there are some 67 NDP members of Parliament who have been found guilty of misusing House of Commons resources. I know the member over there actually owes the Canadian taxpayer $122,000 for illegal offices in parts of the country where the NDP has no members.

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 31st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the response from the Privy Council Office is as follows:

With regard to (a), the sources of each individual video clip, segment or shot used in the “24 SEVEN Exclusive: Canada stands strong and free” are the Canadian Forces Combat Camera, the House of Commons and 24 SEVEN footage.

With regard to part b), the Crown owns the copyright for the Canadian Forces Combat Camera and 24 SEVEN footage. The House of Commons owns the copyright for footage taken from proceedings in the House of Commons.

With regard to parts c) to e), permission to use the material was sought from the House of Commons. The Prime Minister’s Office obtained permission to use the footage in March 2014. This permission was not obtained in return for any payment or other consideration. The Crown owns the copyright for Combat Camera, therefore no official permission to use the material was necessary. The audio-visual team of Combat Camera is aware of its use by the Prime Minister’s Office.

[Military Contribution Against ISIL, March 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal position on this is really obscure. What the member just said is that the Liberals support deploying the Canadian Armed Forces to the region, but they voted against the motion that sent them there six months ago. That is what the Liberals are saying now.

This is what I think the Liberal Party understands. The Liberals understand that Canadians realize that this is very important. It is important to our national security that we are there, and it is important to Canadian safety and security that we be there. The Liberals understand that they are on the wrong side of Canadians and now are trying to pretend that they are on the right side and are trying to find all kinds of ways around it. They want to deploy the soldiers but not that far and not the way we have done it.

Here is the reality. The Liberals have an opportunity next week to vote in favour of a motion that sends Canadian troops and that continues to expand our mission in an area where we can protect Canada's national interests and can provide the best opportunity to save millions of lives. I hope the Liberals will reflect on that and will actually join us in this, as opposed to talking out of both sides of their mouths.

[Military Contribution Against ISIL, March 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat confused by the member's question. Warrant Officer Vincent was targeted by an individual who committed a terrorist act on Canadian soil. He killed a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. Two days later, another Canadian Armed Forces member, not 500 metres from this place, was gunned down by another radicalized terrorist.

These are people who have declared war on Canada. These are people who have suggested that other people should kill not only Canadians but our allies. It is for that reason that Canada has taken the steps we have taken to ensure that Canadians can be safe not only at home but abroad.

I would ask the member to reflect on some of the things we have talked about here today and some of the stories we have been told, in particular what we heard earlier from the member for Mississauga—Streetsville. These are people who are asking for our help, and in the great tradition of Canada, we will respond with that help.

[Military Contribution Against ISIL, March 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise to take part in this important debate. I want to make it very clear, because the opposition does not seem to understand, that we are debating this today because jihadi terrorists have declared war on Canada and our allies. That is why we are here today and why this debate is taking place. They have specifically targeted Canada and have urged their supporters to attack “disbelieving” Canadians “in any manner”. They said they should do that to make us feel insecure in our homes.

I want to take another second to reiterate something that a number of members have talked about. This is what the so-called spokesperson for the Islamic State said:

If you can kill a disbelieving American or European--especially the spiteful and filthy French--or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner....

That is what this brutal group has said. Those bone-chilling statements are exactly why I am very proud to be supporting this government and this Prime Minister as we move forward with another motion to do even more in the fight against the Islamic State. As has been mentioned by a number of speakers already, one of the most important things a government can do is protect its citizens, and that is what I believe this motion would do.

We have seen first hand that this is not a problem in a faraway land, or as the Leader of the Opposition said, that it is someone else's war. That is simply not true. On October 20, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent lost his life at the hands of an Islamic State-inspired terrorist. On October 22, Corporal Nathan Cirillo was shot as he stood on guard at the National War Memorial. He was killed by an Islamic State-inspired terrorist simply for wearing the uniform of a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

That is why Canada is not sitting on the sidelines, as the Liberals and the NDP would have us do, and that is why we are very proud of the fact that we are part of this international coalition to push back and save the people in this region against the Islamic State.

It is, of course, very important that we fight terrorism and the ideologies that drive people to engage in violent extremism both at home and abroad, and I am proud that this government has been succeeding on both fronts. I want to speak just a bit about what we are doing here at home.

Our government introduced Canada's first counterterrorism strategy. It has four pillars: prevent, detect, deny resources, and respond. We also passed the Combating Terrorism Act, which made it illegal to travel for terrorist purposes. This is important legislation, because we have recently seen the phenomenon of westerners, including Canadians, travelling to Iraq and Syria to join in the fight with the Islamic State.

We also passed the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, which allows the government to revoke citizenship from dual nationals who engage in the traitorous act of taking up arms against the brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces or from those who are convicted of terrorist offences. Shockingly, the leader of the Liberal Party suggests that it is not a Canadian value to revoke the citizenship or even the passport of a dual national who takes up arms against a Canadian or who commits a terrorist act. That is what the leader of the Liberal Party thinks.

On this side of the House, we find it completely unacceptable that we would share the gift of Canadian citizenship with anyone who thinks that the way to solve a political disagreement is by capturing people and cutting off their heads or capturing people and putting them in cages and lighting them on fire. That is not what we stand for, and that is one of the other reasons we are so engaged in this fight. These are barbaric actions, and we will continue to do our part.

We also introduced the protection of Canada from terrorists act and recently introduced the anti-terrorism act, 2015. This act is important for a number of reasons. It would update the no-fly list, which would give our partners better power and better authority to ensure that our airlines are safe. It would criminalize those who would seek to promote terrorist activity, such as with the videos I spoke about earlier. We know that the Islamic State uses videos to encourage people to commit terrorist acts in countries around the world, including Canada. It leads to their radicalization. Under the bill, that would become a criminal offence. It would give our law enforcement partners, those we task with keeping our country and our communities safe, important new tools so that they could do that job. It would enhance oversight and would include judicial authorization for the new authorities we would give these security agencies to keep us and Canadians safe.

We have also heard and understand that it is very important that we also address the humanitarian impact of ISIL in this region. Canadians have said this and our government believes this. That is why we have been working with United Nations agencies and agencies such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other non-governmental organizations in the area to provide assistance. What does this assistance provide? It has provided food for up to 1.7 million people and shelter and relief supplies for 1.26 million people. It has also improved access to education opportunities for up to 500,000 children.

Finally, I want to take a moment to speak directly to the people of my riding of Oak Ridges—Markham. Obviously the decision to send the Canadian Forces into harm's way is one that is very difficult. Many speakers have already highlighted the fact that it is one of the most difficult decisions a member of Parliament or a government will ever make. I want to say very sincerely and directly to my constituents that I believe that it is very important for Canada to continue to play a role to ensure the safety and security of our country and our community.

Throughout the great history of my riding and the communities that make up Oak Ridges—Markham, mainly Markham, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Richmond Hill, and King City, we have always been ready to answer the call to service both at home and abroad. Our local regiments, the Governor General's Horse Guards and the Queen's York Rangers, have always been prepared and have always answered the call when conflict was brought to our shores or when our assistance was needed abroad. I am very proud of the fact that we have such a rich history.

In my riding we have very important non-governmental organizations, churches, and community groups that are willing and ready and are always providing assistance to people in need.

While I understand that not all of my constituents might necessarily agree with the actions we have taken or the actions we will continue to take, I do know that all of my constituents agree that it is very important that we do whatever we can to ensure the safety and security of our nation and our community. I believe that what we are doing here and what we have done over the last six months is in the very great tradition of Canada as an important ally, a reliable partner, and a nation that seeks peace but is always willing to fight anyone who would seek to destroy what generations of Canadians have built here.

It is with that that I say to my constituents and the House that I am very proud to support the motion. I hope that the opposition will reflect on that and the dangers to Canada and will do the right thing and support the motion to support the extension of the mission.