Stephen Harper

[Iraq, March 31st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, not only did the government sacrifice our independence, the government's only explanation for not standing behind our allies is that it could not get approval from the Security Council of the United Nations, a body on which Canada does not even have a seat. It is shameful.

Let me ask the government a very clear question. We have troops in the war against Saddam Hussein. Do our troops in the war against Saddam have the unconditional support of their government? Yes or no.

[Iraq, March 31st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, for generations Canadian prime ministers fought for the recognition of our independence, including the right to have our troops fight under the Canadian flag and Canadian command.

Now we have Canadian military personnel in Iraq, but under the Liberal government our personnel are fighting totally under the command, direction and flags of other countries.

Why does the government insist on embarrassing us by having our soldiers fight a war only under the flags of other countries?

[Canada-U.S. Relations, March 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, a real friend of George Bush would be with George Bush and Tony Blair in the United States today.

Canadians are going to pay a price for this Prime Minister's and his party's anti-Americanism. A consumer survey by GPC International suggests that half of Americans could begin boycotts of Canadian products.

How could the government allow such a vital relationship to deteriorate this far?

[Canada-U.S. Relations, March 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the government never said anything other than that resolution 1441 was enough when the U.S. went and got that resolution, and then he made up this argument on the floor of the House that it needed a second vote, and it did not have one. That is the position the Prime Minister had.

Let me talk today about the news that President Bush may postpone or cancel his visit to Canada in May. I want to remind the House of what the Prime Minister said in the last gulf war. He said, “Mulroney has committed our troops there because he likes to be friends with George Bush...I don't want to be friends with George Bush”.

Is bad relations with George Bush not what the Prime Minister really wanted all along?

[Iraq, March 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, let me review the government's record on the war against Saddam.

The government has been for regime change, then against regime change, then maybe for regime change again. It claims to respect our U.S. friends, then subjects them to a systematic, gratuitous and unpunished campaign of insults. It said resolution 1441 was enough for action until action was taken. Then it said it was not. It says Saddam is a threat but it will not do anything except maintain relations with him during his war with our allies.

How can our American and British friends conclude anything other than that this government is unreliable and untrustworthy?

[Iraq, March 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs' answer was that in the dying days of Saddam Hussein's regime, the government still wants to have a dialogue with that devil. That is unacceptable.

The government took months to outlaw the terrorist Hezbollah from Canada. Now it holds its relationship with Saddam's regime, even as it faces military defeat, executing POWs and committing war crimes.

Is not the government's position on Saddam another example of the same kind of moral bankruptcy that caused it to cling to Hezbollah?

[Iraq, March 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, none of that overshadows what we know and what the Americans know. We should be there with our allies when it counts against Saddam Hussein.

It is reported today that some Liberal MPs are actually suggesting recalling Ambassador Cellucci to Washington because of the comments he made in Toronto yesterday. This is from a government that refuses to recall Saddam Hussein's front man in Canada.

When is the government going to expel the remains of Saddam Hussein's evil regime from this country?

[Iraq, March 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, let me quote a distinguished Canadian, the former U.S. ambassador from Canada, Allan Gotlieb. He said, “The plain fact is that our government has chosen not to be at the side of the United States in this epoch-defining conflict. The plain fact is that a number of members of the government are saying ugly things about the Americans. The plain fact is that these comments are not being dismissed or denied by the Prime Minister. The plain fact is that our leader has failed to grasp how deeply our stance wounds Americans”.

Why does the Prime Minister fail to grasp that his stance is deeply injurious to our national interests?

[Iraq, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, these flip-flops will not go unnoticed. The anti-American remarks from the government have not gone unnoticed, neither has its failure to stand by our friends and allies.

Today, the American ambassador stated that the United States would stand behind Canada in a crisis without debate and without hesitation, and he asked why we are not doing the same for our friends now.

When will the government do the right thing and back our American friends and allies because, frankly sir, you are embarrassing us.

[Iraq, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister failed to answer my question. Canadians want Saddam Hussein removed and the Prime Minister should stand with them.

I will give the Prime Minister one more chance to answer this question clearly. Does the Prime Minister hope to see the allies remove Saddam Hussein?