Stéphane Dion

[Foreign Affairs, April 22nd, 2016]

Madam Speaker, that is why we have improved the plan to fight ISIL and to be sure that this awful terrorist group will stop killing people. Canada is more and more involved in a more effective way with our allies to be sure that we will win and that this terrorist group will stop its atrocities.

[Foreign Affairs, April 22nd, 2016]

Madam Speaker, the horrors committed by the so-called Islamic State have the hallmarks of genocide, but official recognition of genocide is to be done by a credible judicial process, following a proper international investigation, an investigation that we will do everything to support, as I have said to the UN special advisor on the prevention of genocide. Our U.K. ally has also said that the government is not a prosecutor, a judge, or a jury. Canada continues to stand side by side—

[Foreign Affairs, April 21st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to inform my colleague that indeed the Government of Canada is asking for this international investigation on the atrocities and the horrors committed by Daesh and to be sure that it will be prosecuted and also to investigate whether it is a genocide. We are pushing for that. We are asking for that because it has all the hallmarks of a genocide. It is why this recognition should be done properly internationally. There is nothing more important than to recognize a genocide by the proper process.

[Foreign Affairs, April 21st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, this is what the U.K. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs said on April 20:

...genocide is a matter of legal rather than political opinion. We as the Government are not the prosecutor, the judge or the jury.... It is essential that these decisions are based on credible judicial process.... Right now, our priority is to prevent atrocities from taking place, and that is why we are playing a leading role in the global coalition against Daesh.

Replace “U.K.” with “Canada”, and it is exactly what I have to say.

[Foreign Affairs, April 21st, 2016]

What she said is, “we would honour the contract, we don’t renege on contracts. It’s a signed contract and we will honour that contract”.

[Foreign Affairs, April 21st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the NDP is mad because, in fact, he knows that he has double-talk on this issue.

This is what his member said, when she was elected.

Well, I have lost the quote from the member for London—Fanshawe.

[Foreign Affairs, April 21st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the NDP, during the campaign, said, “You don't cancel a commercial accord retroactively.... It's just not done”. The New Democrats say something during the election to get their seats and afterward they something else. I think they have a lot to explain.

[Foreign Affairs, April 21st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition also rejected our motion, so she should stop making partisan politics about this.

We agree that awful atrocities and horrors committed by ISIL have the hallmarks of genocide. However, the official recognition of genocide is so serious that it should only happen following a proper international investigation. That is what we are pushing, and it is absolutely in line with our allies.

[Foreign Affairs, April 20th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, since the answer I gave in English will be translated into French in the Hansard, I will not repeat it because it is the same question.

However, since the member is giving me the opportunity, I will repeat that the contract was signed by the previous government, not in part, but in full. We do not want to renege on the Government of Canada's signature. When the contract is deemed valid, the export licences arrive at the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who carefully and diligently examines them. That is what we did with full transparency.

[Foreign Affairs, April 20th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, we take very seriously the review we are doing about the export permits. It is a very serious decision, and I assume my decision and the ones I do in the future, certainly, I will do very seriously.

I am sure that the committee will work very seriously as well. The committee has a lot of work to do. We will ask the committee to look at the legislative changes that we will have to make to make sure Canada will be a member of the arms trade treaty. I look forward to working very positively with the committee.