Rob Oliphant

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 28th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers.

With regard to part (a), the course was designed in-house with the input of internal and external subject matter experts, including self-identified Black, indigenous and other racialized employees.

With regard to part (b), as of March 31, 2021, the department invested $148,365 to develop and deliver 32 virtually facilitated sessions to 397 executives. This amount includes work for the design of the course and for the development of the supporting material, as well as the facilitation of the sessions. In future offerings, only facilitation costs will be incurred.

With regard to part (c), this was not a sole-sourced contract.

With regard to part (d), 397 employees in the executive cadre at Global Affairs Canada participated.

With regard to part (e), the training was designed to strengthen the competencies of Global Affairs Canada’s management cadre with a view to develop an understanding of what racism is, to recognize the negative impacts of racial discrimination and how it can manifest itself in the workplace, and to develop a shared understanding of the role and actions managers can take to combat racism and promote an equitable and inclusive workplace.

With regard to part (f), participants in the training were presented with research, studies and opinions from various sources in order to elicit self-reflection and discussion among themselves. These were not presented as an expression of the view of the government.

With regard to part (g), trainers and participants were free to raise and discuss subjects that were of interest to them and relevant to the objectives of the training.

With regard to part (h), the half-day training was offered in February and March 2021, as follows: February 1-4, February 8-11, February 15-18, February 22-25, March 1, March 3-4, March 8-11, March 15-18, March 23-25 and March 29-30.

With regard to part (i), the training was provided by the learning and development division of Global Affairs Canada.

[Human Rights, May 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the member is correct in saying that there are Parliaments, close to half a dozen of them, including this one, that have recognized this genocide. However, he is asking what the government response is. He is not asking what the parliamentary response is.

I believe the member does know the difference between a government and a Parliament. He knows the difference in the responsibilities of a government and the rights and authorities of a Parliament. They are different. They are different in kind. They are different in quality. They are different in the bar that is necessary for action. That is clear. In the member's statements, he recognizes this. It is fundamentally different.

Our government takes allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity very seriously. It takes the wisdom of this Parliament very seriously. It takes the wisdom of other Parliaments very seriously as well as the evidence from survivors, human rights experts, including Mr. Cotler and others. We take it very seriously and then we act responsibly as a government, as the people of Canada would expect a government to act. I am proud of that. We will continue to do it. We will continue to uphold our international obligations and stand for human rights.

[Human Rights, May 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for bringing up the week of prayer that Cardinal Bo has instituted with respect to China. I think it is very important for Canadians to be aware of that.

I would also note that in March we had a day of prayer across Canada for Hong Kong, to which parliamentarians were invited. I believe I was alone in that prayer evening. I was really touched by Canadians across the country who raised their prayers for the people of Hong Kong. Other issues were raised as well with respect to human rights in China. These are important human rights cases.

I want to acknowledge the work of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights on this issue and others as well as the testimonials that have been received from civil society, which have been considered by parliamentarians. I also acknowledge, as the member did, the recent motion carried by hon. members of the House. The government welcomes parliamentarians working together and debating this critical issue.

We all agree that the actions by Chinese authorities in the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region cannot be ignored and must be attended to. There is evidence of a sustained and systemic campaign of repression in Xinjiang by the Chinese government. We have testimonials from survivors and we have leaked government documents from credible reports of mass arbitrary detention, repressive surveillance, forced labour, forced sterilization, sexual violence, torture and other mistreatment affecting Uighurs and other ethnic minorities. This is not an exhaustive list of the violations which continue to come to light.

As we have repeatedly said, we remain deeply disturbed by troubling reports of these human rights violations in Xinjiang. Canada also takes allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity very seriously. We take them seriously enough to do due diligence and work with international partners, and work to ensure that we call things as they are in ways that will be helpful and in ways which will engage our partners and not stand alone.

The Chinese government continues to deny any possibility of human rights violations against the Uighur people. It rejects any accountability for wrongdoing and actively seeks to discredit victims and those who speak out, and we address that regularly. It is the utmost priority for this government to safeguard and protect the rules-based international order, which includes the protection and promotion of human rights around the world.

Canada has repeatedly called for an investigation so that impartial experts can observe and report on the situation first-hand. We have a responsibility to work with others in the international community. We do not stand alone. We are stronger and better when we work with the international community.

Whether a first-hand visit by experts is possible or not, as the member argues, we must ensure that such allegations are investigated by independent experts who can review available information, including first-hand accounts whenever possible. We have been clear in our view that human rights violations are occurring against Uighurs and more rigorous and comprehensive investigation evaluation should occur in co-operation with allies, and we continue in that vein.

I want to underscore what the Government of Canada has already done.

On January 12, we adopted a comprehensive approach to the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including measures against forced labour.

On March 22, through coordination with the U.K. and the U.S. and solidarity with the UN, there were new sanctions against four officials and one entity for participation in human rights violations in Xinjiang. We raise concerns regularly alongside our partners at the UN, including at the UN Human Rights Council at the UN General Assembly.

On May 12, Canada co-sponsored a virtual event at the UN in New York alongside 15 countries to raise awareness about the human rights situation in Xinjiang.

It seems to have escaped the minds of the opposition that Canada continues to provide leadership in this, and we will continue to do it. We will continue to work with others to defend fundamental human rights and freedoms and call upon China to uphold its international obligations, and we will do it well.

[Foreign Affairs, May 11th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, what victims of this atrocity are asking me, and I believe many members of Parliament, for is that we promote, protect and respect human rights and put them at the core of our foreign policy. That is what we are doing. We put them at the core of our foreign policy.

Canada and the Government of Canada stand in total opposition to violence and discrimination in all their forms. We will continue to speak out against acts of violence such as these and call on governments to address the root causes of all violence: systemic racism, gender-based violence, hatred, crimes against humanity and other atrocities. We will continue to work with like-minded partners and with allies in multilateral fora. We call upon the Chinese government to address egregious human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and we will do that together, I hope, with one voice from Canada.

[Foreign Affairs, May 11th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for not only his question tonight, but his questions in the House that led to this adjournment debate opportunity.

I know it is a bit unconventional, but before I begin I want to just commend the member for Vancouver East for her Adjournment Proceedings speech and the questions today regarding racism that is directed toward Asian Canadians and Asians in the world. It was a very moving speech, and it is not unrelated to this in how we handle these issues extremely carefully and cautiously, as parliamentarians.

The hon. member is raising important human rights issues, and he is correct in the fact that I share his concerns. The government shares his concerns as well, and we are gravely concerned with the human rights violations in China, particularly those affecting Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The government is also deeply disturbed by a recent report by the BBC, which I had thought the member might bring up, regarding documenting systemic sexual violence in the so-called re-education internment camps. Canada has reviewed the recent report as well as other compelling testimonies that have been provided to us, and I want to thank the members of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights for their work on this issue, as well as many civil society partners and human rights experts who continue to document atrocities and bring them to the attention of Parliament and of government. The government takes all reports of gender-based violence extremely seriously, and we stand with those victims and survivors and call on all governments to repair, to seek justice and to bring perpetrators to justice.

There are dehumanizing acts that are abhorrent to all of us in society, and that is the crux of this. The crux of this is not about words and language; the crux is about doing something proactively and ensuring that Canada's voice is heard on the world stage and that we will make a difference. We know that survivors of these kinds of atrocities will have lifelong effects. We will stand with them always and it is incumbent upon the international community to speak out against discrimination and violence wherever and whenever it happens.

The member is also correct in understanding that Parliament has spoken on this issue and the government has listened to Parliament, and that a few parliaments in the world have spoken and, in very similar ways, their governments are also assessing the situation differently. Governments and parliaments have different roles. This Parliament needs to reflect the concerns and the cares of the people we represent, and we do that; we represent our people well and we bring those issues to the fore. The government needs to ensure that they listen to that and bring to the world's attention those concerns, in maybe different ways but with equal import.

Canada has raised the human rights situation in Xinjiang on numerous occasions at the UN, which I have elocuted here before, including at the UN Human Rights Council and at the UN General Assembly. We have met with multilateral bodies and raised these concerns, as I have said, plus we have raised these issues with our like-minded partners as well as those who do not always agree with us. We have raised the human rights issues as well in China, and will continue to do that on a regular basis.

I appreciate the opportunity to expound on this conversation. I look forward to the member's further comments.

[Resignation of Member, May 11th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I will be as tall and sweet as the member is short and sweet.

I had a wonderful opportunity to thank her for her career when she gave her farewell speech many months ago. There is great fondness, great respect, great admiration and just a bit of fear that we all have for the hon. member. We wish her nothing but the very best in the next chapter of her life. I am interested to see what she will be doing and the differences she will be making for the people of Ontario and Canada.

[Foreign Affairs, May 7th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, our position on Russia remains unequivocal. Canada will continue to hold Russia accountable for all its actions. We have strong sanctions against Russian officials under the Magnitsky act and the Special Economic Measures Act. Our government takes foreign interference seriously. To safeguard our national interests at home and abroad, we will continue to work with our allies to put pressure on Russia to counter its foreign interference.

[Alain Baudot, May 7th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour today to pay tribute to Alain Baudot, who passed away this week.

Professor emeritus in the Department of French Studies at Glendon College, a faculty of York University located in Don Valley West, Alain Baudot created and ran departments, programs and a publishing house at Glendon over the years. He also tirelessly promoted the French language in Ontario. He loved French, but more than that, he enjoyed sharing his love of language and culture with his students.

A fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a resident of Leaside, he actively celebrated International Day of La Francophonie every year in Toronto. Alain Baudot leaves a permanent legacy in the hearts of those who knew him.

I offer my deepest condolences to his colleagues at Glendon, but especially to his wife Carla and their daughters Laure and Érica.

May he rest in peace.

[Foreign Affairs, April 30th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, two treaties.

The first is entitled “Annex V to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty”, done at Bonn on October 17, 1991; and amendments to “Annex II to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty”, done at Baltimore on April 6 to 17, 2009.

The second treaty is the Final Acts of the World Radiocommunication Conference of the International Telecommunication Union, done at Sharm el-Sheikh on November 22, 2019, known as the “Final Acts 2019”.

[Questions on the Order Paper, April 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers.

In response to (a) and (b), in processing parliamentary returns, the government applies the principles set out in the Access to Information Act. As such, information that could reasonably be expected to facilitate the commission of an offence has been withheld to protect the vulnerability of particular buildings or other structures or systems, including detection and monitoring systems, e.g. X-ray, CCTV, etc., or methods employed to protect such buildings or other structures or systems.

Information on contracts worth more than $10,000 that does not fall under the national security exemption is available on the Open Government site, under “Proactive Disclosure”: https://open.canada.ca/en/search/contracts?f%5B0%5D=org_name_en%3AGlobal%20Affairs%20Canada.