Paul Dewar

[Foreign Affairs, November 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we have the opportunity to advance the cause of peace. Canada has an obligation to help bring the two sides closer to an agreement. A negotiated two-state solution is the best way to ensure that Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security. Cutting off diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Authority will undermine the cause of peace, and cutting off aid will undermine security.

Will the government now join our allies in trying to use this vote as an opportunity to restart the negotiations?

[Foreign Affairs, November 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we agree that a future Palestinian state will be realized through negotiations with Israel. That is why our allies, including the U.K., France and the U.S., are doing the hard diplomatic work of trying to restart negotiations. We are concerned that the Conservatives have taken an unbalanced approach and have decided to issue threats against moderates rather than work with them to find a consensus.

How is the government's threatening approach helping to encourage moderates who want to pursue the path of politics rather than the path of violence?

[Foreign Affairs, November 23rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that is an answer from a party that wants to turn development aid into business aid.

However, let us talk about protecting those civilians who are in conflict zones like the Congo. In the Congo millions have died and rape is being used as a weapon of war. The government has offered only sympathetic words but has refused to take effective action in the past.

What action will the government now take to help protect the hundreds of thousands of civilians caught up in the rebels' takeover of Goma?

[Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act, November 22nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his overview and for reminding us of the trajectory of this initiative. One of the things that frustrates us on this side of the House is that the government is bringing forward an initiative such as this when it has not dealt with the fundamentals. The fundamentals are actually about funding for first nations. A year ago we dealt with the crisis in Attawapiskat. We have seen that young people do not have access to education. Those are the real issues.

When my colleague talks to first nations people who are working on these issues, what are the priorities for them? Is it about the processes that the government comes up with or is it about getting results for everyday people?

[Foreign Affairs, November 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, maybe I will refresh the minister's memory about the following. We have an embassy building in Moscow that does not meet security standards, that is vulnerable to terrorist attacks and opens the door to foreign spies. Instead of calling in authorities to protect our diplomats, Conservatives are calling on the RCMP to investigate the leak.

What is the priority for these guys? Is it protecting our diplomats from terrorism or is it about protecting themselves from transparency?

[Foreign Affairs, November 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this is about Conservative mismanagement and it is putting Canadians at risk. The leaked memo was clear. Let us go over it. It said:

The possibility of terrorist incidents in Russia is high.... Moscow is an extremely hostile environment and the current site is highly vulnerable to counter-intelligence threats.

The memo goes on to say that the current building offers “almost no protection” against a terrorist attack. Why is the government not doing more to protect our diplomats in Moscow?

[Ex-offender Reintegration, November 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, MAP reintegration is a valuable program in Ottawa that helps get ex-offenders on the right track after their release from prison. The program pairs them up with a team of coaches to help them with their needs: everything from dealing with addiction or anger issues to finding a job and housing.

MAP is making a difference by reducing crime and changing the lives of people in our community. There are so many stories of success, like a young man in his late twenties who made a real transition in his life and is now enrolled in a college program; or a man in his fifties who, for the first time, reached out for help and has completed his parole period successfully. This is why Crime Prevention Ottawa awarded MAP with a community safety award.

However, on the same night that MAP received this award, it got news from the Conservatives that they were cutting its budget. It is a total contribution of $33,000, which is a minuscule amount for government but makes a real difference in making our community safer.

I urge the government to reverse its decision immediately.

[Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, November 2nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of focus on our party and not a lot on what we are debating, which is trade. I guess it is a difficult issue for the member and for the Liberal Party because there is difficulty in establishing exactly what their criteria is on trade at times. When there is an option to amend things like this trade deal, where we wanted to have better transparency and more accountability for Canadian workers and for the environment, we put forward amendments. Maybe not to our surprise, the government voted against them. However, his party, which claims to want to protect the rights of workers and the environment, did not. It decided that it would vote with the government on this.

Therefore, if we are going to talk about doing trade and doing it smart and well, we need to have some protections. We cannot give away the store. These free trade agreements are problematic because they are cookie cutter approaches. We need to look at the details and ensure there are provisions in them that have teeth and not these side agreements. Side agreements are just what the language would suggest. They are on the side, there is no teeth in enforcement.

Why did the member did not even think of mentioning that and why his party rejected amendments to have accountability?

[Foreign Investment, November 2nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, how can we promote trade with countries like India when investors around the world still do not know what the rules are for investing in Canada?

Two years ago, the Conservatives promised Canadians transparent criteria for evaluating foreign takeovers. Two years later, Canadians are still in the dark.

When will the minister stop the late night leaks, put an end to the midnight announcements and give Canadians clear rules for evaluating foreign takeovers?

[Democratic Republic of the Congo, November 2nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, every hour 48 women are raped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rape is used as a strategy of war to terrorize and control women and communities. It is calculated and it is brutal. In that context, Dr. Denis Mukwege, directs Panzi Hospital where staff have treated over 30,000 survivors of systematic sexual violence. He is a determined healer, despite the ruthless reality he faces on a daily basis.

I was deeply saddened to hear of an assassination attempt against the doctor. Just days before the attack, the doctor made a speech at the United Nations where he said, “we need action, urgent action to arrest those responsible for these crimes against humanity and to bring them to justice”. These are the words that angered the perpetrators of the worst human rights violation of our time. These are the words that must be echoed by our citizens and our government until justice prevails.

The government must condemn the attack on Dr. Mukwege. It must also support peace building in the Congo, end the trade of conflict minerals that finances this awful war and speak up against the culture of impunity.