Paul Dewar

[St. Anthony of Padua Church, February 15th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ottawa Centre, whose congregation is celebrating 100 years in 2013.

This beautiful church at Booth and Gladstone is a touchstone and a beloved landmark in Little Italy. It has survived two fires, and it holds a century's worth of memories. St. Anthony's has been at the heart of Ottawa's Italian-Canadian community, with its numerous parish associations, like the Sons of Italy, the Ladies' Aid and St. Anthony's soccer club. Who can forget Father Jerome who helped so many Italian immigrants settle in Ottawa during their first years in Canada?

I congratulate St. Anthony's clergy and staff, the Servite community and parishioners. We join them in celebrating 100 years of this proud Ottawa institution, and we look forward to the next 100 years.

[Foreign Affairs, February 14th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, from families going to Disney World to snowbirds getting away for the winter, two million Canadians travel to Florida every single year, but our driver's licences suddenly have become invalid in the sunshine state.

Why did Canadians have to learn about this through the media, and why did they have to rely on the Geneva convention to be protected? We have not heard a peep yet from the Conservatives. Has it come to the point where the cuts to the Department of Foreign Affairs have become so drastic that it cannot even phone Florida?

[Points of Order, February 7th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Prime Minister for his correction, but I do want to assure him and tell him that it was my advice to the former leader and the present leader to support the Jordan free trade agreement and—

[Points of Order, February 7th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, during question period, the Prime Minister made a suggestion that I had—publicly, I guess, because he had some evidence—suggested that we should pull out of the present EU trade talks. I would offer him the opportunity to table such documentation here in the House.

I know it has been a hard day for the Prime Minister because of what has happened in the Senate, but there is no reason to make up things and then throw them across the way without evidence.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, we have been talking a bit tonight about what the causes were for the situation in Mali, an overview of a year ago with the coup, of course, and then a perfect storm that allowed for some of the extremists to intervene.

However, one of the things we have to consider is that we are also dealing with environmental issues here, and I would like comments from the member on this. We know, from people having studied failed states and weak states, that it is because of many different aspects. One of the concerns in the Sahel area is that there is drought, severe drought, not just drought that has happened recently. Many have observed this has been because of climate change.

It is one thing to look at what is happening right now with the intervention of extremists in Mali, but it is also another thing to understand that there is an issue around climate change, the fact that the climate has really devastated this area and that we need to do more to help people there adapt to climate change.

I would like to hear his thoughts about the fact that there is the environmental aspect to this, as well as the human aspect, and what we should be doing to ensure people can withstand and adapt to climate change, so that they are not as vulnerable from outside variables and, in this case, from outside extremists.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, for his work on the committee and his intervention this evening.

We have been talking tonight about the present situation. Some have given an historical perspective along with that. It is clear that everyone agrees that Canada has to play a significant role in the region, and certainly in Mali. The question is how we do that. One of the things that we on this side of the House have mentioned is that it is absolutely critical that Canada support governance in Mali so that Mali can be revitalized as a resilient state. It is a difficult situation because of the grievances of the Tuaregs in the north, which go back to the beginning of Mali, as I am sure my friend knows.

The question is what more can Canada do than it has done? I will put aside my criticisms of the current government and its lack of action in Africa and the region, as I have put those on the record already.

Would the member agree that two things should be done? The first is that we should be contributing to the road map that the government has supported. The second is that the government should live up to its promise in the Speech from the Throne a couple of years ago to invest in an institute for the development of democracies abroad. We know that something is happening at the religious freedom office and one day we will hear about when it is going to be put together, but clearly an institute of democratic development is something that we can do. The government promised that it would do that and should do it.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, actually I am quite flattered by the fact that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs takes such a keen interest in watching me on Power and Politics. I will not react to his misquoting, but my colleague did do a good job of explaining the complexities of peacekeeping and peace building. We sincerely hope that the government, and all members and Canadians for that matter, looks at the January 21 explanation of peacekeeping and peace building that was passed and presented at the United Nations.

I want to touch on the road map. The government asked for feedback from us. One of the things I think is key when we are looking at the situation is getting Malian democracy back on track. The government says great things about it, but as was noted by my colleague from Quebec, other countries have contributed, Britain to the extent of $3 million.

Would the hon. member not think it would be a good idea for Canada to contribute to the road map, both in resources and perhaps with human resources as well, because we have some of the best in the world in terms of doing governance and certainly doing democratic development?

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, the parliamentary secretary mentioned a number of important things the government is doing, and also intending to do. Everyone who sees what is happening in Mali and the region understands that a long-term commitment is required. The government has said on many occasions that it has committed more than $100 million over the last couple of years to Mali. That is fine, but there seems to be a lack of a strategy for the region.

As we have said before on this side of the House, to actually make a difference in the region we must have long-term commitments from Canada that are seen by everyone as predictable. However, we have seen cuts to our countries of focus in Africa and decided to withdraw some of our other assets from Africa.

Would the member agree that this comes at a cost? If she does not, where does she see us going in Africa if we have a regional crisis like we have in Mali? In this regard, she mentioned the food crisis. That is something that does not go away overnight.

I do not understand how the government can say on the one hand that it intend to do all of these great things, but on the other hand withdraw resources. If we are withdrawing resources, does the member or the government not understand that it undermines not only our capacity but also our credibility?

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, it is interesting to watch the government in terms of how it applies what in fact is the mandate of CIDA, and that is to alleviate poverty, et cetera. It seems to be going down the path of wanting to support private enterprise, which we have no problem with, but whose private enterprise? Are we there to support our private enterprise or the private enterprise of the people in the region?

The Conservatives have changed their programs away from what we have considered the mandate of CIDA to look to support Canadian enterprise in other countries. Not only does that suggest ideology, it is really bad public relations when we are trying to help a country and what we are offering is support for Canadian enterprise and not private sector people on the ground in those countries we are trying to help.

[Conflict in Mali, February 5th, 2013]

Mr. Chair, the member's question displays in graphic detail the problem with the government. I gave an analogy that a part of the region of Africa was on fire and that it was not the time to talk about trade deals as the solution, which is what happened when we asked their own officials at committee. We asked what the government was doing right now in Africa. The response was that the minister was on a trade mission in both Nigeria and Ghana. That was not the question. The question was what the government was doing right now about the region that needed our help. It does not need the Minister of International Trade negotiating a trade deal. That is for later. Today it is about helping the people of Mali.