Randall Garrison

[National Defence, May 2nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, a meaningful apology must be followed by changed behaviour, transparency, and accountability, and that is just not what we are getting from the minister.

The defence minister told the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner that he knew nothing about the transfer of Afghan detainees to face torture. However, both he and his supervisor in Afghanistan have said that he played a key role in intelligence liaison with local Afghan forces. Can the Minister of National Defence tell us how he can simultaneously have known nothing about prisoner transfers to local Afghan authorities and at the same time have been Canada's key liaison person with these same forces?

[National Defence, April 13th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, in the last Parliament, Bill C-15, the strengthening military justice act, was adopted as a first step in reforming Canada's outdated military criminal justice system. The bill received royal assent four years ago, yet 44 sections of the act are not yet in force. That represents nearly one-third of the act and some of the most important reforms to the system.

Since justice delayed is often justice denied, could the Minister of National Defence explain to the House what possible excuse there can be for this long delay in reforming Canada's military justice system?

[Human Rights, April 11th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the government claims to be standing up for the human rights of LGBTQ communities around the world, yet it has neither said nor done a single thing about the campaign of mass arrests and incarceration of gay men in Chechnya. When will the government move on from symbols and platitudes and join nations, including the U.K. and even the U.S., in condemning this campaign by the Chechnyan government? Will the government now call for an international investigation into the arrests, torture, and resulting deaths of gay men in Chechnya?

[National Defence, April 4th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, given the escalating humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria and the growing famine in Africa, it is hard to imagine how the government is going to provide leadership with no new humanitarian funding in its budget.

Last Friday, the Liberals quietly announced in a press release that our mission in Iraq would be extended in a way that draws Canadian Forces further into combat. Had Canadians been asked, many would have called for a larger and more urgent focus on humanitarian assistance and stabilization efforts, rather than on new contributions to combat operations.

Will the minister commit to a debate and a vote here in the House before extending our mission in Iraq beyond June 30?

[Veterans Affairs, March 24th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, with this budget, the Liberals have yet again failed to deliver on their most crucial promise made to veterans during the election campaign: lifelong financial security for those who have served Canada and are now ill and injured. Instead, the Liberals, in their second budget, are still offering no clear commitment and no timeline. Those who have served to protect Canadians and our values deserve so much better.

When will the minister finally take action to ensure that veterans have the lifelong pensions they so rightly deserve?

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, March 24th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I would like to remind the hon. member that he should stop standing up and saying we should speak on this if we have opinions. When the government has introduced time allocation, we are not allowed that opportunity. Repeatedly he calls on me to stand up and speak on this. As the national defence critic, I would love to do that, but because of time allocation, it is not allowed.

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, March 24th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with astonishment and exasperation to the member's speech on Bill C-22. It included everything from reminding us that this is the only thing the Liberals have to say about Bill C-51, which I have a bill before the House to repeal—they have not presented anything other than this bill—to him saying that if we have objections to stand up and speak about them, when this is under time allocation and the NDP gets exactly one speaker at third reading. I am a bit exasperated.

The final thing I would say is that the member is somehow proud of a bill that, when the committee provided teeth, as the Liberal Prime Minister said he would allow committees to do, then the government proceeded to take the teeth out of this bill and put them in a glass by the Prime Minister's bed. We have a bill here that has absolutely no ability to do what it is supposed to do.

I am exasperated and astonished to hear a speech like this, which would revise history and tries to recast this in a way that is completely false. What we have here is the government taking control of a committee, overruling what was done, and producing a committee that is very important to this country, without any support from the opposition parties. What does the member have to say about that?

[Operation UNIFIER, March 20th, 2017]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister for his speech tonight and for his extension of Operation Unifier. New Democrats, too, agree with the other parties here in the House that this is an important mission for us to undertake.

One of the problems we have, though, in eastern Ukraine, is that the conflict is being made worse by the illegal flow of small arms and light weapons. It was last June that the government promised to accede to the Arms Trade Treaty, and we were promised that legislation would be introduced by December.

When I was speaking about my position on this, I promised to pass along this question to the next government speaker, so I am going to ask the minister. What is taking so long on the accession to the Arms Trade Treaty, which would help not just in eastern Ukraine but in other conflicts around the world?

[Operation UNIFIER, March 20th, 2017]

Madam Chair, I would like to ask the hon. member whether she shares my concern that in this climate of cuts to international aid budgets around the world, hopefully Canada will not participate in this week, and the increasing humanitarian needs in Ukraine that it will be forgotten in the rush to serve some of the places that get more attention in the media.

[Operation UNIFIER, March 20th, 2017]

Madam Chair, I guess it is up to me to turn that into a question for the government. I believe it was last June when the government promised to accede to the Arms Trade Treaty and promised legislation by last December. We have not see that legislation in the House. I guess I would throw that question to perhaps our next speaker and ask where the government stands on acceding to the small Arms Trade Treaty. It is very important not just to Ukraine, but around the world in preventing the expansion of conflict.