Royal Galipeau

[Military Contribution Against ISIL, October 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to speak to a critical international issue, the ongoing crisis in Iraq. Before I go any further, with your permission, I would like to share my time with the distinguished and learned member for Kitchener Centre.

While the military dimension of this crisis is important—and I will speak to this point later in my speech—Canada's involvement in Iraq is much broader than our military contribution. Indeed, Canada's contributions also aim to address the security, humanitarian, human rights and political dimensions of the crisis.

First, let me provide some context on the nature of the ISIL threat. In recent months, Canadians have observed events taking place in Iraq and Syria with growing alarm. The consequences of ISIL's advance have been dire. Thousands of people have been uprooted as they flee ISIL's advance, while thousands more who remain in their homes have been given the terrible choice of either converting to ISIL's twisted theology or facing torture and death.

Religious minorities and ancient communities such as the Yazidis have been persecuted and forced to flee their ancestral homelands. Young women and girls have been subjected to rape and forced marriages. Men have been executed in public after sham trials for supporting the government in Baghdad or for having ties to westerners.

ISIL poses a grave threat to Canada's friends and allies in the region, including Jordan and Israel. If left unchecked, ISIL could pose a threat to Canadians as well. ISIL has made repeated and direct threats against western countries, including Canada. If left unchecked, there is little doubt that ISIL will use its territory, resources and fighters to operate terrorist training camps and to plot terrorist attacks against targets in the west.

For all these reasons, inaction is not an option. The international community is acting, and Canada will play its part.

I would like to point out that since the House last debated the crisis in Iraq, the international coalition against ISIL has grown considerably.

ISIL's heinous and repulsive actions have shocked the world. As reports have emerged of whole communities being terrorized and murdered, of women and girls being forced in to sexual slavery, and of mass executions based on religious identity, the international community has grown increasingly horrified and has quickly responded to Iraq's request for military assistance.

The Obama administration has sent approximately 1,600 military personnel to advise Iraqi forces in the fight against the terrorist organization. U.S. leadership and coordination have also helped to galvanize support around the global coalition. This coalition has already brought on board almost 50 countries that have indicated support for military action against ISIL. A core group of these countries has already decided to go beyond contributing military advisers and military equipment.

Many of Canada's closest, like-minded countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.S., have committed to engage in a combat role by contributing to air strikes against ISIL in Iraq.

The international coalition against ISIL includes 10 Middle Eastern countries as well. Several of these countries, including Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have participated in, or supported, air strikes against ISIL targets.

In addition to ongoing military efforts, a broad coalition of states, from Europe to North America to the Middle East, has responded to the crisis by supplying humanitarian assistance

On September 7, the Arab League foreign ministers committed to take all necessary measures to join Iraq and the international community in confronting ISIL and other militant groups, including by stemming the flow of foreign fighters. As a six-year co-chair of the Canada Arab World Parliamentary Association, I paid attention. Canada is pleased that partners in the Middle East are doing their part to address the threat posed by ISIL.

Canada takes the ISIL threat very seriously, and that is why we are joining our international partners to confront this threat head on. As the Prime Minister recently stated:

We do our part....

That's always how this country has handled its international responsibilities, and as long as I'm prime minister that's what we will continue to do.

On the humanitarian side, Canada is one of the largest donors to Iraq and was one of the first to recognize and address the significant needs of the Iraqi people. We have allocated over $28 million to respond to humanitarian needs in Iraq. The government is working quickly to establish an overall framework for Canadian development programming in Iraq over the next five years, to build the economic and social foundations that are vital for a prosperous and stable future.

On the military side, Canada has assisted in the delivery of critical military supplies from contributing allies to Kurdish Peshmerga forces. The aptly named Royal Canadian Air Force provided airlift support to deliver military supplies donated by Albania and the Czech Republic, using CC-130 and CC-17 cargo planes. As well, special operations Canadian Armed Forces personnel are deploying to northern Iraq for an advise and assist mission.

As mentioned, many of Canada's closest allies are sending air force jets to participate in the air war against ISIL. As announced by the government on October 3, Canada is planning to participate further in coalition operations against ISIL by contributing air strike capability for a period of up to six months. Canada's air combat mission will include up to six CF-18 fighter jets, one air-to-air refuelling aircraft, two Aurora surveillance aircraft, and the necessary air crews and support personnel.

Beyond these measures designed to address the most immediate security and humanitarian challenges, Canada is actively rolling out forward-looking initiatives that will help Iraqis make the eventual transition towards longer-term recovery and sustainable peace.

Thus far, Canada has identified more than $64 million in assistance for Iraq. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has announced $15 million in new security programming alone. This sizeable contribution is being used to strengthen the capacity of security forces in Iraq by providing them with non-lethal assistance, including vehicles, computers, radios, and personal protective equipment, such as helmets and body armour.

Canada is also using these funds to advance regional efforts aimed at limiting the movement of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria. Additional support is being explored, for instance to enhance Iraq's capabilities to prevent, detect and respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats or incidents.

In short, our engagement in Iraq incorporates a range of measures to tackle the various security, humanitarian, human rights, and political aspects of this conflict.

The challenges that Iraq faces are enormous. The good news is that the international community is united in responding to the threat of ISIL.

The threat posed by ISIL is broad based, and Canada is taking a holistic approach in response to this crisis. We are doing our part. Canadians can be proud of this contribution, and we do support our troops.

[Military Contribution Against ISIL, October 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The hon. member opposite, who has been here for three and a half years already, is very familiar with the Standing Orders. She is ignoring them by naming members of the House during her presentation.

[National Cyber Security Awareness Month, October 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, during National Cyber Security Awareness Month, held every October in Canada and in the United States, Canadians are reminded how to protect themselves against cyber threats.

Central to that effort is the Get Cyber Safe initiative, a national cybersecurity awareness campaign and a key component of Canada's cybersecurity strategy.

Almost half of all Canadian adults have been a victim of cybercrime and nearly one in five Canadian youth do not know how to use the privacy settings on their social media accounts.

We all have a role to play in cybersecurity in Canada. That is exactly what we are doing in Orléans with VENUS Cybersecurity.

Therefore, it is with pleasure and urgency that I encourage everyone to visit “getcybersafe.ca” to ensure that they are as safe in the virtual world as they are in their communities.

[Rouge National Urban Park Act, October 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for the level of eloquence and knowledge he has brought to this debate.

I just want to ask him a question. What is the plan for urban reforestation under the bill?

[Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, September 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I fail to understand why the objectification of women should be a proposal in the House.

We are trying to protect the most vulnerable people in society. We are doing this, not by punishing them but by punishing all those around them who profit from their misery. I wish that the ideology of those who would want to objectify women would get out of the way and help us to do this and protect them.

[Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, September 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this bill clearly does not criminalize sex workers. The bill criminalizes the pimps—the people who profit off of these vulnerable people.

I have been here for nearly nine years. In everything I do here I try to help the most vulnerable people. I do not understand why members of the official opposition cannot recognize that the most vulnerable members of society are those who are forced to sell their bodies. These people will not be criminalized by this bill. This bill will criminalize those who abuse these vulnerable people and who mistreat them with impunity.

When I was a municipal councillor, I was against objectifying women. I did the same as a library trustee, and I will do the same here, in Parliament.

[Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, September 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to join third reading debate on Bill C-36, the protection of communities and exploited persons act. This bill would ensure that the Supreme Court of Canada's Bedford decision does not result in the decriminalization of most prostitution-related activities when the Supreme Court's one-year suspension expires on December 20.

Both the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights and the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs studied Bill C-36 this summer and heard from numerous witnesses, many of whom agree that decriminalization of prostitution would result in an increase in the exploitation of some of the most vulnerable groups in our society.

We have heard much about the proposed prostitution reforms of Bill C-36. These reforms reflect a fundamental paradigm shift toward treatment of prostitution for what it is: a form of sexual exploitation of, primarily, women and girls. We know that those who suffer socio-economic disadvantage are targeted by prostitution. We know that prostitution involves high rates of violence and trauma.

The committees have heard those stories from courageous survivors who came forth to tell their stories, stories that are supported by relevant research. This bill responds to this evidence. Its objectives are to reduce the incidence of prostitution, discourage entry into it, deter participation in it and ultimately abolish it to the greatest extent possible.

Bill C-36 contains other related amendments as well. I would like to focus on these aspects of the bill.

The bill recognizes that prostitution is linked to human trafficking. In fact, research shows that jurisdictions that have decriminalized or legalized prostitution have larger sex industries and experience higher rates of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. This is not surprising. Allowing the purchase and sale of sexual services results in an increase in demand for those services, and an increase in demand results in an increase in supply.

Research tells us who is at risk of meeting that demand: society's most vulnerable, those who are disadvantaged by sex, youth, poverty, race, drug addiction, a history of abuse. This group is equally vulnerable to the coercive practices of those who would exploit them for their own gain.

Prostitution and human trafficking exist along a continuum. For example, a person may decide to sell their own sexual services to pay rent, feed their children or just survive.

That person may be recruited or forced to work for those who would exploit her, or she may seek out the protective services of those same people, thinking that they will protect her when engaged in an inherently dangerous activity.

The concern is that it is in the economic interests of those so-called protectors to exploit the prostitution of those they claim to protect. What may have been originally conceived of as a mutually beneficial relationship can quickly become exploitative and abusive.

Traffickers use all manner of practices to keep their victims providing the services from which they profit. They threaten their victims and their victims' families, they assault, they sexually assault and they forcibly confine them. They leave their victims with no choice other than to provide the services demanded of them.

Bill C-36’s reforms would assist in preventing this trajectory by criminalizing those who fuel the demand for sexual services and those who capitalize on that demand.

When prostitution-related conduct becomes human trafficking-related conduct, the bill would increase the penalties to ensure that traffickers would be held to account for the horrific human rights abuses in which they engaged.

Specifically, Bill C-36 would impose mandatory minimum penalties, or MMPs, any time a person commits any of the human trafficking offences against a child.

Although the Criminal Code currently imposes mandatory minimum penalties for trafficking children, it does not impose MMPs for receiving a material benefit from child trafficking or for withholding or destroying documents to facilitate child trafficking. Bill C-36 would fill this gap. MMPs of two years and one year respectively would apply to this conduct, which is consistent with the MMPs proposed for child prostitution.

The bill would also impose MMPs for the offence that prohibits human trafficking. Individuals convicted of human trafficking would receive a minimum sentence of five years if they committed kidnapping, aggravated assault or aggravated sexual assault or if they caused the death of the victim, and four years in all other cases.

This is consistent with existing penalties for child trafficking of six and five years in these same circumstances. Bill C-36 properly addresses the continuum of criminal behaviour associated with the provision of sexual services for consideration.

The fact that prostitution may, and does, result in human trafficking for sexual exploitation underscores the importance of prohibiting prostitution. The bill would ensure that the penalties for all of these related offences would be commensurate with the harmful conduct they censure.

Bill C-36 would also amend the definition of weapon in section 2 of the Criminal Code.

This amendment would ensure that offenders who possessed weapons of restraint, such as handcuffs, rope or duct tape, with the intent to commit an offence or to use such weapons to commit a violent offence would be held to account. Specifically, the amendment would clarify that.

First, possession of a weapon of restraint with intent to commit an offence constitutes criminal conduct under the offence prohibiting possession of weapon with intent to commit an offence.

Second, using a weapon of restraint to commit an assault or sexual assault would constitute criminal conduct under the offence prohibiting assault with a weapon or the offence prohibiting sexual assault with a weapon, depending on the facts of the case.

This approach would provide greater protection to all victims of these offences, including those who would sell their own sexual services. We know that sexual assault and assault are offences to which sellers of sexual services are particularly vulnerable.

Bill C-36 is more than just a response to the Bedford decision. It is also a response to the complex web of criminal conduct associated with prostitution.

It would provide law enforcement with powerful tools to address the many safety and societal concerns posed by prostitution.

Most importantly, it sends a strong message that Canada does not tolerate a practice that targets the most vulnerable in our society and places them at risk of suffering unspeakable and unimaginable human rights abuses.

Bill C-36 would clarify that it would not acceptable for those with money and power to buy sexual services from those without money and power.

I stand in support of this message and of a society that does not tolerate the many harms and abuses associated with prostitution. It will come at no surprise that I stand in support of Bill C-36.

[Franco-Ontarian Day, September 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a very important day for the province of Ontario and many of the constituents in my riding. Today, September 25, is Franco-Ontarian Day. September 25th is the anniversary of the first raising of the Franco-Ontarian flag in 1975.

There are close to 600,000 francophones in Ontario, the largest French-speaking community outside the province of Quebec.

The Government of Canada, our government, supports linguistic minorities, as demonstrated by our investment of more than $1.1 billion in the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages, 2013-2018.

This government also supported the creation of Unique FM community radio station as a result of my efforts and those of the current Minister of Industry.

My two terms on the board of directors of TVOntario resulted in the French network, TFO.

As an Ontarian of French-speaking heritage, I want to thank the Franco-Ontarian community for their strong contribution to making Canada strong, proud, and free.

[MPP for Ottawa—Orléans, September 23rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of attending my first working meeting with Marie-France Lalonde, the new MPP for Ottawa—Orléans, her executive assistant, Anick Tremblay, and mine, Bryan Michaud.

Ms. Lalonde, a political newcomer, was elected by the people of Orléans last June.

Ms. Lalonde's election to Queen's Park is welcome and marks the start of a new era in federal-provincial-municipal relations in Ottawa—Orléans.

Of course, there is no shortage of work to be done when it comes to ensuring that Orléans continues to be a good place to live, work and play. One of our joint priorities is cleaning up the Ottawa River so that the people of Orléans and the entire region can enjoy our “jewel”—Petrie Island—to the fullest.

I have assured Marie-France Lalonde that my door is always open, and she made the same pledge.

[Myeloma Walk and Music Festival, September 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Ottawa-Gatineau's third Myeloma Walk and Music Festival was held last Sunday. This event came together because of great volunteers with hearts of gold. Multiple myeloma is the second most prevalent blood cancer, and the purpose of this walk is to raise money to fund research and find a cure.

As you might expect, this cause is very close to my heart, and it is a great pleasure to stand here today to acknowledge all the organizers for the warm welcome and for being engaged citizens ready to give your all.

I thank Maria and Nicolas Iadinardi, Jacqueline Kennedy, Rachael Weir, Blair Goldsmith, Jennifer Comeau, Derek McClintock and Michael Fuchigami 100 times and 800 times for everything.

Anyone wishing to help us by making a donation to fund research should please visit ottawamyelomawalk.org by September 30.