Richard Martel

[International Trade, May 31st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the government introduced the new NAFTA implementation bill. The Liberal government sacrificed dairy producers without knowing what the impact on our dairy industry would be. Now they have another stressful situation to deal with. The Liberals want to sign a new agreement even though they have not yet compensated producers for the two previous agreements.

Why did the government fail producers in my region?

[Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, May 31st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, major economic projects are under way in our wonderful region.

In that regard, I would like to once again remind the House that my riding produces the greenest aluminum in the world. We are able to do that because we are a proud, innovative and welcoming people.

It is a process. If we did not have Alcan in the beginning and Rio Tinto now, there would be no certified sustainable aluminum today. The use of Elysis' technology will eliminate greenhouse gases from the aluminum production process. Without Alcan, that technology would not exist.

Blackrock Metals will soon begin work in its processing plant. Arianne Phosphate Inc. received the necessary authorizations and has succeeded in securing funding. Énergie Saguenay is currently examining the impact of a liquid natural gas plant in Saguenay.

All of these projects have begun a process to provide the planet with resources it needs and will continue to need in the coming decades. These projects will be powered by hydro electricity. As a result of these projects, our region is already in a good position to provide other resources that are the greenest in the world.

I am convinced that, at the end of this process, we will develop other technology like Elysis'.

[Foreign Affairs, May 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I respect what my colleague opposite said. We know one thing for sure though: during Mr. Gauthier's extradition from Oman to Dubai, there was a 24-hour period during which there was no news. Nobody knew where he was.

Now his family is desperate. Let me reiterate that this has been going on for some time. We must support his family. That is extremely important.

Can the government promise me that it will take the necessary measures as soon as possible and implement an action plan to bring André Gauthier back home?

I would also like to know if the government is in a position to initiate good negotiations with the United Arab Emirates.

[Foreign Affairs, May 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, during today's adjournment debate, I will be talking about a human case that transcends partisanship. I am obviously talking about the case of André Gauthier, a Canadian citizen from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord who is currently being detained in the United Arab Emirates, a country with a poor human rights record.

We have been working with Mr. Gauthier's family for over two months now. The family has been working on this case for more than four agonizing years. Over the past four years, the family has knocked on many doors. It has spoken to various stakeholders and consular authorities. In four years, very little progress has been made. Does that mean that the usual non-political channels are not proactive enough? It seems clear now that unless a case gets media attention, the government is not really interested.

I will recap the events of the past few days. The media broke the news of Mr. Gauthier's detention on May 25, last Saturday. The office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs did not inform us until the evening of Tuesday, May 28, that it was trying to intervene with the Omani government before Mr. Gauthier was deported to the United Arab Emirates. However, we had known since Saturday about the urgent need to intervene before Mr. Gauthier was deported to the UAE. Why did this take so long?

Yesterday, Wednesday, we learned that the office no longer had any idea where Mr. Gauthier was, and yet it is Canada's right to know where its citizens are. We have an ambassador in the region. It is his duty to do the necessary research in a timely manner so as not to leave the family anxious and in the dark.

In my opinion, the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs did not take the situation seriously and Canada has been negligent. Nothing has changed since we began working with the family. However, once the media got wind of what was going on, suddenly there was more of an interest. Some progress has now been made, but not much. The government keeps telling us, in the media and during question period, that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is aware of the situation and that she is monitoring it closely to see if there are any developments. Is the government really trying to bring Mr. Gauthier home to Canada or it is simply trying to ensure that he has a telephone and access to the care he needs while he is in prison? There is a big difference between the two.

I am familiar with international law as it relates to these issues. I understand that the United Arab Emirates is not required to send André Gauthier back to Canada. This is where diplomacy and negotiation come in. The United Arab Emirates is the largest importer of Canadian goods in the Middle East. We have emerging trade relations with this country, which is trying to get closer to the west. The United Arab Emirates wants to attract foreign investors as well as tourists. Now is a good time for Canada to bring our citizen back.

The family are in complete bewilderment over the level of support they have received so far. Nevertheless, we are not here to put anyone on trial. At this stage, we would all be very happy for André Gauthier to come home.

I have some questions for my colleagues in the government this evening. Why has it taken so long to move this case forward? What kind of support will be offered to the family? Where do things stand right now? What concrete action will the government take to bring Mr. Gauthier back home? Has the government set a timeline for bringing Mr. Gauthier back to Canada?

[Foreign Affairs, May 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, if Canadians are in fact the Prime Minister's priority, I would like to know whether he asked the American vice-president for help with André Gauthier, a man from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord who is being held in the United Arab Emirates, a country known for its troubling human rights record.

[International Trade, May 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister volunteered to renegotiate NAFTA by promising to get a better agreement. However, Canada accepted concession after concession without getting anything in return.

The Prime Minister even signed an agreement knowing that the steel and aluminum tariffs were still in place. Now, we have learned that the wording of the new agreement implies that Canada will be subject to a quota in disguise from now on.

Why did he sign an agreement that is so bad for our workers?

[Veterans Affairs, May 29th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the valiant Medric Cousineau is joining with those who say that not all veterans who participate in the new pension for life program are treated the same. A Liberal member from Nova Scotia said that if one veteran received less, that would be unacceptable.

I remember when the Prime Minister said that veterans were asking for more than the government could give them.

Does the Prime Minister agree with what his member said?

[Foreign Affairs, May 28th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, a Canadian citizen, André Gauthier, has been detained for over three years now, first in Dubai and now in Oman. The authorities in Oman are now in the process of deporting him to Dubai, where he could face life in prison, at his age, in a country with a poor human rights record.

Canadian authorities promised his family they would intervene. When will the Liberal government finally take concrete action in this case? The life of a Canadian is at stake.

[Veterans Affairs, May 27th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the cenotaph from the Kandahar airfield, a monument dedicated to the memory of fallen soldiers from the war in Afghanistan, was moved to Ottawa and inaugurated on May 13 in secret, a move that showed a blatant lack of empathy. The families who lost loved ones in Afghanistan felt betrayed. The Minister of National Defence should apologize.

Why was the ceremony hidden from the media and, especially, from the families?

[Justice, May 16th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, by the way, we were the ones who awarded the contract, not them.

The Asterix is resounding success. It was delivered by Davie on time and on budget. Last night, the Minister of National Defence was unable to confirm when the Royal Canadian Navy could count on getting a second supply ship. He also confirmed that he endorsed the decision by the chief of the defence staff to suspend Vice-Admiral Norman.

Why did the Liberal government not support the man who was defending the Royal Canadian Navy?