Burma  Mr. Speaker, as I said before in French, I just had a conversation with the UN Secretary-General to offer the services of our disaster assistance response team, DART, to help with relief efforts. We urge the military junta to let international aid and Canadian aid enter the country.

Agriculture committee  I'll simply point out that we're now so close to a deficit that we're able to send only $2 million to Burma, which has suffered the loss of 100,000 people. The next federal election will cost about $350 million. Is this not to Canada's shame? In any event, Mr. Mayers, you've said in your presentation that the agency believes it possible to reconcile the viewpoints you have very succinctly encapsulated.

Burma  Mr. Speaker, I can tell the House that we are calling on the military junta to work in its people's best interest and open the doors to international aid, to the UN, to non-governmental organizations and to other countries. We are ready to help them. We are just waiting for an answer from them.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The role it played, sometimes in providing cover for other nations, and sometimes simply because of its stated policy of non-interference in the affairs of others, etc., has held back other countries, in a sense, from really dealing forthrightly with what was happening in Darfur. That's an issue. China and its support for Burma is an extraordinarily urgent issue. They supply Burma with arms, with monetary inputs, etc. These do affect human rights. In other words, they affect what Burma can do to its own populace.

Presence in Gallery  Win accepted yesterday, on behalf of his cousin, Aung San Suu Kyi, a certificate of honorary Canadian citizenship, further to the motion adopted by the House on October 17, 2007, for her ongoing work promoting peace, human rights and democracy in Burma.

International Aid  Mr. Speaker, the current death toll from the cyclone in Burma is now over 20,000 and 41,000 people are missing. A number of countries, including Canada, have offered their help. The Burmese military junta has said it is prepared to allow emergency aid to enter, but under certain conditions, including obtaining a visa.

International Aid  Speaker, I agree with my colleague that both the humanitarian situation and the political situation in Burma are very serious. That is why we have imposed the strictest sanctions in the world against the Burmese regime, that horrible military junta. What we want is to exert pressure. That is what is needed, and that is what we have done.

International Aid  Speaker, the embargo imposed by the government to prohibit Canadian companies from doing business with Burma was just smoke and mirrors. The Department of International Trade readily admits that Canada is powerless to enforce this embargo. Does the Prime Minister plan to take the same lax approach to ensuring that the humanitarian aid reaches the people affected by the disaster?

Burma  Mr. Speaker, first of all, our government expresses condolences to the families and friends of the deceased and concern for all who were affected. CIDA will respond by setting aside $2 million to support international humanitarian organizations such as the UN, the International Red Cross and the World Food Program.

Burma  Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we have set aside $2 million to help in the international effort. We will provide that money to the international organizations that are allowed access into the country to help those who are affected. We will urge the government to allow international organizations to proceed with an effective aid operation so that this challenge can be addressed and the people's suffering can be reduced.

Burma  Mr. Speaker, even though the government is about to confer honorary Canadian citizenship on Aung San Suu Kyi to show its support for those opposing the Burmese regime, the government is incapable of keeping its own promises by ensuring that the embargo that it imposed against that regime is effective.

Canada Marine Act  Before I begin I want to say that our thoughts are with the over 4,000 people who may have died during the tragedy in Burma on the weekend. On November 16, 2007, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities introduced Bill C-23, An Act to amend the Canada Marine Act, the Canada Transportation Act, the Pilotage Act and other Acts in consequence, in the House of Commons.

Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999  Relevant to the bill is the food crisis in the Burmese refugee camps. Food prices have gone up three times. The Thai-Burma border control, which deals with those prices and supplies the food from Canadian aid, has a $7 million shortfall right now. For the children, the elders and pregnant women, the rations will have to be cut from 2,000 calories a day to 1,000, or a cut from about seven food items to only rice and salt.

Committees of the House  I mentioned earlier this week the fact that rice has gone up three times and people will be starving in the Burma refugee camps in Thailand if we cannot come up with more money from Canada. Does the member believe that the rising price for fertilizers, the ethanol demand, the increase in the demand and price for other foods, the droughts in certain parts of the world and commodity speculation, that the crises have happened since our emergency debate and that it has exacerbated this problem for pork producers?

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There is also the International Labour Organization which we met with at another committee meeting, where we were talking about helping the people of Burma. It seems that the ILO, because of its position, has excellent contacts with various governments. I would simply like to suggest that you contact that organization. Mr. Chairman, I will now make a comment.