Paul Dewar

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

Mr. Chair, I thank the minister of state for his intervention. As he is new to his position and also to the committee, I welcome his intervention on this issue. I think it is one of his first interventions as a minister of state on a file like this.

I will ask him a question about logistics because Canada has decided to focus its attention on the Panay Island. I just want to get from him if he can, or if he can it to us later, as to why we are focusing our aid there. That is the first question.

The second question relates to what we would be doing in the medium to long term if we are going to focus our aid in that region. The Panay Island is where Canada has decided to focus its attention. Also, could the member indicate if that is where the focus of our aid shall remain for the next little while?

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

Mr. Chair, I have just a couple of specific questions.

I wonder if the minister of state could update if she has information on how many Canadians are missing. I think yesterday was the most recent update we had on how many Canadians were still missing.

The other question I have is just in terms of capacity with consular affairs. I know there had been a look at bolstering our capacity in the Philippines. Could she tell us how many consular officials have been sent to the Philippines to help support people on the ground?

Those are two very specific questions. First, how many Canadians are still missing? Second, how many Canadian consular affairs officials have been sent to the Philippines to help out on the ground?

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

Mr. Chair, I want to read a quote into the record and get my colleague's take on it. It is from Valerie Amos, the UN humanitarian coordinator.

An estimated 3.2 million women and 4.6 million children need psychosocial support and protection against violence, trafficking and exploitation. Pregnant women, new mothers and other vulnerable groups also need special care.

We heard a little bit from the government on this. This quote was from the UN coordinator on the ground. Obviously we need to be very specific on what kind of support we would give.

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

Mr. Chair, I mentioned him because I wanted to ensure that in the debate tonight we did not just leave it at the short-term response, that this has to be understood to be part of what is happening with our changing climate and that someone has taken a stand that should be noted by the rest of the world. As I said earlier, I passionately plead with the government to acknowledge that climate change is real, that it is connected to what is happening in the Philippines. This is an opportunity for us all to not just look at the short term but to look at the cause and the prevention of further typhoons. These are going to happen. This is the new reality.

A public policy review of how we actually tool up and respond is one thing, but also what we can do to bring down the GHG emissions to ensure we do our bit to deal with catastrophic climate change and the whole issue of climate justice.

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

Mr. Chair, I want to start my response by underlining something that is very important. Some people think the best thing to do is to take material goods, pack them together and send them to some of the organizations that are sending relief abroad. We want to underline the fact that is not helpful because of the expense of sending those goods. If anything, people could have a garage sale to raise some cash and donate that to the appropriate organizations. People of goodwill will want to do things in the way they see best fit, but we have to remind them that money is the way to do it. As my friend from Manitoba said, there are organizations that already have people on the ground, they have the infrastructure and they are ready to respond.

On that note, I mentioned that together.ca is one of the ways people can go online to donate. It is website of the Humanitarian Coalition, which is a couple of registered NGOs that have come together to put their resources together, a one-stop shop. UNICEF is doing great work. There are a number of organizations. I think the department has ways to access those organizations.

The other thing I want to mention is that this is an opportunity reach out to our fellow Canadians. I mentioned one of the events coming up in my riding. As parliamentarians, we should connect with our communities to find out what is going on, promote those activities and get people to connect with each other. It is very isolating if people have family members who are going through this crisis right now. They are alone and are trying to deal with it. This is a time when we, as Canadians and as members of Parliament showing leadership, donate personally, but also promote those opportunities for people to come together.

I remember well the earthquake in Haiti, its aftermath and some of the events that happened in my riding. People came together to raise funds and Haitian Canadian were there. It was enormous support, not just the money that was being raised, but also the solidarity and seeing people looking out for their community and their family members.

We know that the Filipino Canadian community has been helping to build the Philippines for many years through remittance. This is not new for them. It is just a matter of Canadians understanding it is our time to step up to do what many Filipino Canadians have been doing with remittances back home. Now is our chance to do it through to December 8 to show that we care as well. I encourage all Canadians to do this to show that we are with the people of the Philippines.

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

Mr. Chair, I am glad the minister clarified what we heard because Canadians were wondering whose money it was that was being pledged. We heard the number $40 million. We know there were $15 million, but a lot of that was pledged money.

I will give a rundown of the $20 million to date: UN World Food Programme, $4 million; UNICEF, $3 million; Red Cross $2 million; International Organization for Migration, $2 million; World Vision Canada, $2 million; Oxfam, $1.5 million; Plan Canada, $1.5 million; Doctors Without Borders, $1 million; CARE Canada, $1 million; Save the Children, $1 million; World Health Organization, $800,000; and the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs, $200,000.

This is the lay out of the money, but what is important to note is the lion share of the money has been coming from Canadians. I would like the government to break that open when it announces that, just to be transparent.

Finally, while we are on the issue of money, the government should also acknowledge that this fiscal year there is a lot of money that has lapsed. If the need is there, not just for the Philippines, I hope the Conservatives are ready to acknowledge that there is money they can pledge, if needed, out of the pot of money that has lapsed for this fiscal year, as we saw in the public accounts, for Syria as well.

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

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for that intervention because it is really about looking at this with a wide angle lens. I want to build on what my colleague was saying about building the resilience. It is very important to understand that where the typhoon hit hardest is in a place where people rely on coconut for their income: fruit, oil, milk and husks that comes from the coconut. Every one of us saw those pictures where it wiped out all the coconut trees.

Think of depending on that for income, for those of us who might be farmers. Imagine it wiped out all the herd. They have nothing. Farmers understand if they are left without a crop or without a herd, they are left with nothing.

That is really what we are talking about. In the short term it is ensuring that there is support in transition and then in the long term, helping these people rebuild their economy, which basically was wiped out, which is another devastation, losing a house or home, but also access to any income at all.

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

Mr. Chair, I rise today to speak about the horrific typhoon we just witnessed in the Philippines. Sadly, this is not the first time. It happened just a year ago, prior to 2012, with the 2011 typhoon. We have to acknowledge that. The people of the Philippines are a generous people, a resilient people, but this typhoon was the strongest typhoon we have seen.

The effects of the typhoon have been noted. I will go over some of the numbers. They are important to put on the record. Some 8,000 Filipinos had fled to evacuation centres before the typhoon hit. They mobilized, because they knew that this was going to happen. Many of the centres themselves were unable to withstand the tsunami-like storm surges. The winds and the storm were so strong that even the places people went for safe harbour were destroyed.

At least 13 million people have been affected throughout the Philippines. That is half the population of our country. It is hard to even conceptualize. The death toll is about 4,000, but we know that will probably rise as they enter some of the areas government officials and international contingents on the ground have not been able to access. More than 18,000 people were injured and 1,600 people are still missing. That is the latest number.

Clearly, it is a massive disaster. I do not know about you, Mr. Chair, and others in the House, but when we saw the images on television and read the reports, it broke our hearts to see so many vulnerable children without parents, to see whole communities wiped out. It has also taken a toll on the economy.

The government has responded quickly. We have to keep our eyes on what the next steps are. When we go through a tragedy like this, although each one is different, we need to have an immediate response and get resources on the ground and to the people who are able to deliver the aid and support immediately. We know that people were already on the ground ready to serve and respond. Then it is a matter of coordination and making sure that the aid will not to be stuck. We had that problem in Haiti. We had a lot of problems pushing the aid out to the people who needed it. We need to be vigilant in the Philippines.

Right now there is a vital need to help people go to the next step. We have seen the relief start to have an effect. The next steps are the following: we need to look at rebuilding in the short term to build for the long term, and we need to see cash-for-work programs.

One thing we know from the Haiti experience and the NGOs on the ground is that we need to get people to do that work themselves and we need to pay them to do the work. It is particularly effective when women are paid for work to get things moving, because they are able to distribute the money they get from work to help with their children. That is a really important, smart policy we should be focused on, the cash for work programs that some aid agencies are involved in.

We need to look at farmers. This is an important period of time for farmers and the fisheries. We need to get them the tools. A lot of their tools were wiped out, so we need to look at that in the short term. Aid agencies are looking at that.

We also need to support and protect the most vulnerable people. I mentioned women and children. The vulnerability of women and children is heightened during any catastrophe. We need to be vigilant and make sure that the programs we are funding will protect women and children in particular, but not exclusively.

On balance, things are a bit better than we have heard they were in other disasters, but the response is still a matter of coordinating everything.

There are some problems working with the Filipino government, but generally speaking, we need to help them where they have problems and make sure that things are coordinated.

Canadians have responded extraordinarily well, and we have heard that from the minister and others. We all have our own stories. I hope all of us have donated.

I would just make a plea to those who are watching. It is really important that people donate. They have until December 8 to donate. There is a terrific website, together.ca, where aid organizations have come together to share resources. Together.ca is a fantastic one-stop shop for that.

We have seen people do grassroots organizing. This December 3, in my own constituency, there will be a fundraiser called “Block Love”. It will be at the Orange Art Gallery in Hintonburg, not far from here. Two women, Anna-Karina Tabunar and Daphne Guerrero, decided that they would do something, and they are organizing a fundraiser on December 3 from 4:30 to 7:30.

That is why it is so important for Canadians to give and for the government to acknowledge that and ensure that the matching funds are there. We are glad to see that.

We have a disaster, and we have the response. We have to see the long-term commitment to rebuild. We have to be focused on who we are helping out, looking at farmers, women, and children, and be aware of the need to rebuild in the short term and be there for the long term.

We also have to be aware and put on the table another thing, and that is climate change. Right now, in Poland, where the negotiations have been going on, we have the delegate from the Philippines on a hunger strike, because he understands that this is about climate change. This is a genuine plea to the members of the current government. If they have the sense to follow up on the aid to the Philippines, they can do that by genuinely acknowledging that the effects of climate change are affecting the people of the Philippines more than we could ever know. If we are serious about helping the people of the Philippines, the next step for the government is to be serious about climate change, negotiate in good faith, acknowledge the science of climate change, and start helping to reduce CO₂ emissions. It is the people of the Philippines, the people of sub-Saharan Africa, and the people of the north who are most affected by climate change and who contribute the least to climate change.

I have given the Conservatives credit for responding, but I passionately urge them to acknowledge that climate change is the big player here. We have to be serious about this. It is with great sadness that we see these deaths occur. However, we have to acknowledge that we need to prevent this from happening. Some say that it is too late. I say that we have to do what we can. Let us acknowledge the delegate from the Philippines at the climate change talks in Poland right now, who is on a hunger strike trying to get attention from the world and from Canada, and actually be serious about climate change.

I want to finish by acknowledging every Canadian who has contributed, but I particularly underline the Filipino Canadian community, whom I know personally in places like Winnipeg, here in Ottawa, and Vancouver. We all know and have friends throughout the country who are Filipino Canadians. They are resilient and passionate. They are the ones who have been the first responders. Let us stay with them. Let us not abandon them. Let us ensure that Canada is in it for the long haul and that we work in solidarity with the people of the Philippines and do not turn our backs.

Let us continue this debate in a constructive way to look for solutions to help the people in the Philippines in the short term and the long term and make sure that we do not forget them.

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

Mr. Chair, I want to thank the government for its response to this horrific typhoon. In this country and in this place when we see disasters happen, be they in Haiti or in the Philippines, it is a time for us to work together to help the people who need it. I really want to convey that spirit in the debate tonight, in how we present our concerns, so that we have a respectful debate and be sure to remind ourselves that it is about the people of the Philippines. I want to say that at the start.

I want to ask the minister a question on the breakdown of the $20 million in contributions. There are, for instance, $4 million to the UN World Food Programme, UNICEF $3 million, the Red Cross $2 million and the International Organization for Migration $2 million. Could the minister give us an understanding of how these amounts were arrived at and what input he had in coming up with these donations to the various organizations?

[Business of Supply, November 7th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would love to. It is true. The government paid $65,000 to basically rent a crowd. It was an important crowd to talk to. We talked to the Canadian American Business Council when we were in Washington, but it invited us and hosted us. The government paid $65,000 of taxpayers' money to have an audience that would be receptive to its message on the pipeline. It was $6,500 just for the coffee. It is outrageous.

The other thing he mentioned, and I will underline this point, was that with the exception of Alaska, in the United States it is prohibited to export crude, in other words, unrefined petroleum. It has to be refined. Why is that? It is because the United States understands value added. That is the problem with our government. It is living in the past. It does not understand. We need to create jobs for the future of responsible development. That is what we are arguing as the official opposition, different from the Liberal Party and different from the Conservatives.