Peter MacKay

[Canadian Forces, May 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member is new to the file but he really should delve into the details of this issue a little further.

Using private security contractors is what all countries have been doing. This is what allows us to help train Afghans to do the type of work that we are doing now. In fact, Canada has been a leader, with other countries, working on the International Committee of the Red Cross to finalize the Montreux document on private and military security companies.

This demonstrates our country's commitment to identify and promote good practices regarding operations of private military security companies. This is exactly what we are there to do, which is to help them do the jobs we do.

[Canadian Forces, May 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I could not disagree with the hon. member more. There are no better soldiers in the world than the Canadian Forces.

If he is talking in some vague fashion about using private security contractors in the mission, which all countries are doing, which NATO countries are doing, hiring Afghans, we are working with Afghans to build their security capacity. We are working with operational mentoring liaison teams in both police and army to build their ability to secure their own country. That is exactly what we will continue to do.

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Madam Chair, I commend my colleague and I reference the fact that he is the defence critic, but I think it speaks well to this debate that we have members from all sides of the House, from various walks of life and various regions of the country, who do feel so passionately about this issue, and with good reason: It affects Canadians in a substantial way. It affects people's livelihoods. It will have a dramatic impact on the north and the people of the north. These are the perhaps the Canadians who could most passionately make the case to the Europeans.

I would ask my colleague, my hon. friend, if he believes that one of the many things we could be doing, in additional to sending a unified voice to the European Union objecting to this ban that they have undertaken and educating them to the realities of what the seal hunt is all about, is to promote seal products in other markets as well.

I would also ask him if he believes it is important to have a unified voice from Ottawa, and will he undertake to speak to Senator Mac Harb and to remind him that we do need a unified approach from Canada?

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

Mr. Chair, I congratulate my colleague on his speech.

He is right. It is appropriate and necessary for the government and all members of this House to work together on this matter. It is important for all Canadians to understand the facts. He has raised a number of good points.

The hon. member touched upon the fact that this is an issue that should be uniting Canadians, as we saw today in the House of Commons, where all members came together to facilitate this debate.

We can all spend time referencing past indiscretions and decisions. We can talk about the record of the previous government and the one before, and we can go right back through the generations. That will not help. The reality is that we have seven million seals in the North Atlantic that are eating fish at an alarming rate: seven millions tonnes a year.

Several members referenced, what had this government done? We have made interventions at the North Atlantic Fisheries Ministers' Conference. The previous minister of fisheries, Loyola Hearn, and Loyola Sullivan, the fisheries ambassador have been staunch advocates for those fishermen and women who rely heavily on this important industry. There are issues related to the industry that we have to delve into to educate Europeans, which is much of the task.

The hon. member talked about the need to engage at every level. The Prime Minister has made numerous interventions with counterparts, with leaders at the United Nations, and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans the same. This has been constantly on the agenda for Canada and will continue to be so. We can continue to revel in what happened in the past. We can act like a turnip or we can all get together and voice with one voice Canada's support for this important industry. To do so will require some discipline.

I recognize that there are members on the opposite side, including Senator Harb, who are of a different view and are advocating against the seal hunt. He was on CBC this morning doing the same.

I would encourage those members to speak to members within their own party to ensure that they are together on the issues, to bring them onside, and to educate people like Senator Harb to ensure that he knows the real story. That is what we would ask them to do, rather than rant and rave, and bring about the righteous indignation. Bring members of their own party onside on this issue.

That is what I would ask that member to do within the Bloc, within the NDP and the Liberals. If we can get everybody behind this issue, we can put a truly Canadian position forward, bring the Europeans around, educate them, and tell them that Canada is behind its sealers.

[Seal Hunt, May 5th, 2009]

That is no way to talk about Loyola Sullivan, decent guy that he is.

[Health, May 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.

This government has made a major commitment already. We have invested over $40 million in projects to upgrade and maintain the base's water supply systems. In addition, the government has announced that it will invest $13.3 million to complete construction of the water supply system for the people of Shannon.

[Resignation of Member, April 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to thank the member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley for his many years of service in this place, to Canada and certainly to his constituents.

I first came to know him not through Parliament, but through my father who had also served with the hon. member during his time in Ottawa. What he has presented here today is indicative of someone who not only holds his province, his country and his role as a parliamentarian dear, but he has demonstrated a tremendous high road human approach to what it means to be a parliamentarian.

His recognition of his family, his wife, Rosemary, his children, his recognition of other members of the House and his very heartwarming story about a health issue that he experienced and the miraculous connection he had with a prior member of the House, Chuck Cadman, demonstrates the line that connects us all.

I have other connections with the hon. member, too. We have neighbouring ridings. I know the hon. member shares a great passion for cars and has a large collection of vintage automobiles. There were a number of projects we worked very diligently on, including the Joggins Fossil museum, the female prison in his riding and the Pugwash Peace Exchange with which he is still affiliated.

I expect he will do well in his new role representing our province of Nova Scotia because of his long connection with the people and the places during the many years he has served Canada and served constituents.

I thank him for his many years of service as a parliamentarian and for his tremendous representation of the province of Nova Scotia. I was in Nova Scotia today. I am pleased to tell him it was 28° and sunny, as we made some announcements with Premier Rodney MacDonald. I know he will represent the province of Nova Scotia with the same vigour, the same enthusiasm and the same passion he has brought to this place over his many years as a parliamentarian.

I also thank him for having allowed Nancy Baker to come and work with me and continue some of the great work she did while in his office. I wish him the very best, in his health and his continued passion for being on the sea. I know he will continue to work in Ottawa, but his passion will also include spending time on his boat in Nova Scotia, back on the coast, and, first and foremost, with his family.

The very glowing tribute he paid to his wife and to his children is what really grounds us all. First and foremost, we owe a great deal of gratitude to our families that support us through what can be a very rigorous and rough place at times.

I thank the hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley. It has been a pleasure to call him a colleague and a friend. I look forward to still working with him in the days ahead on behalf of Nova Scotians and all Canadians.

[Afghanistan, April 27th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We have been very co-operative with the MPCC. We have provided thousands of documents for its perusal. The only thing that we take issue with is the jurisdiction, the efforts of this body to reach into an area of jurisdiction that we feel is not correct. That is the only issue. It has nothing to do with disclosure. It has nothing to do with withholding information. The member simply has his facts wrong.

[Afghanistan, April 27th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Defence is always pleased to receive these reports and act on the recommendations.

What the member did not reference was that the report concluded the three individuals detained by the Canadian military police in April 2006 were, in fact, treated humanely and it exonerated the Canadian military of any wrongdoing in that regard.

[National Defence, April 20th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as part of our NATO commitments, Canada has been very active in fighting piracy off the Horn of Africa. In fact, this past weekend the HMCS Winnipeg pursued, caught up, boarded and disarmed a pirate vessel that was attacking a Norwegian tanker. This is the third disruption of piracy activities in which the Winnipeg has been involved in the last month, surely a source of pride for our country.

Last fall, the HMCS Ville de Québec answered the call of the World Food Programme and safely escorted food to feed 400,000 people, over six months deterred 11 pirate attacks and has provided much stability with respect to the mission for safe passage off the coast of Somalia.

We can all be proud of the work of our navy in this regard.