Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I say this even though it is true that no allegations against Nevsun have yet been confirmed. Therefore, at a minimum, it is important to ensure that companies in that situation have clear, meaningful policies in place, policies to which they've devoted considerable attention and resources, with a view to improving the human rights situation in the countries in which they operate.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I do imagine that governments, including the Canadian government, have on occasion found opportunities to raise their cases with Eritrean officials and that there are governments who have made it clear that they expect and want to see those prisoners released, but against a backdrop where we're not really seeing a wider significant, concerted global campaign of pressure on Eritrea with respect to these and other human rights concerns, it doesn't deliver positive results.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think it's become very clear right around the world. While I don't have the details, I'm sure this is a concern with the community here in Canada that Eritrean government supporters, and perhaps even agents, are quite active.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I certainly support what the government side has said in this, about bringing the president of this Canadian company here. I think it's crucially important that we make clear our expectations. If it's not done legislatively, it certainly can be done by bringing this to the fore, so that people understand what the potential problems could be. I'm not saying this company has done anything, but certainly the potential is there.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think you're absolutely right that Eritrea has a very clear and well-earned reputation as a troublemaker in the region, and it foments conflicts and human rights violations and insecurity throughout the Horn of Africa. I think the pattern we see in terms of who is sending refugees back to Eritrea doesn't include the countries with which Eritrea has a particularly hostile relationship.

National Defence committee  I don't know what's in that basket. It's a very big figure. A lot of people are excited about it, but I don't think it's very clear what the various missions of these ships are going to be. I think all of that needs to be reviewed. The Canada First defence strategy needs to come under review. I think we could look at troop levels as well, and whether we need to maintain them.

National Defence committee  That's the kind of social contract we have with soldiers. I think we need to bear that out. If we don't have a clear definition of what we want our forces to do.... There are bound to be gaps that emerge as various special interests within the military establishment and elsewhere want to get their pieces of the pie funded.

Business of Supply  After all, trade accounts for 60% of our annual GDP. One in five Canadian jobs is generated by trade. The benefits to Canadian families are clear. When we trade, prices for goods and services go down, wages, salaries and our standard of living go up. Businesses are able to hire more workers. Foreign investment creates jobs. In addition to lower prices, trade also benefits families by providing more choice for goods and services.

National Defence committee  Well, it was a bit unclear, I found, in his presentation because he seemed to be easily ascribing characteristics of the F-22 over to the F-35, when—let's be clear—we're not buying the F-22. The F-22 exists. We can go and see it, it flies, and we can measure it. We can't say that for the F-35.

Justice committee  Over my career, I found that every time I spoke with either a lawyer, the RCMP, or various law enforcement officers, there was never a clear case where they could tell, in any case, what exactly constitutes self-defence for the reasonable person. I do have some questions with regard to this, and I'm going to be directing them to the constable.

Justice committee  Whether it's premises or properties, they can be easily monitored by video equipment that provides clear images. The proliferation of cellphones that have photo and video capabilities now...those are tools that law enforcement relies on extensively today. I will just point to the example here in Vancouver of the riot in June of last year, where we successfully identified and have now prosecuted or have recommended charges for the crown to prosecute in hundreds of cases.

National Defence committee  No, I think it's clear that given the financial situation we're in right now, there are going to have to be significant reductions to defence spending if we're to maintain other priority areas of government spending.

Business of Supply  The will of the government has clearly been shown to be on the side of the employer, for example, in the cases of Air Canada and Canada Post. We are now facing a similar situation in London. There does not seem to be a clear, specific proposal from the government on how we are to make changes. We are offering specific changes. I outlined them in my speech. We are talking about explicit, transparent criteria, looking at public hearings and public disclosure.

Business of Supply  This was a tax write-down for the customers of companies like EMD, but not for EMD. To be clear, no monies were given to Electro-Motive. Nor were its taxes reduced as a result. In fact, customers like VIA Rail, CN Rail and CP Rail would benefit as they all ran a mix of both Electro-Motive and General Electric locomotives.

Justice committee  The subjective belief of the person who's defending themselves really does have to be taken into account, and the language in this act really needs to be clear about that. The concept we suggested by adding to proposed paragraph 34(1)(c) the “circumstances as perceived by the accused”, or as understood by the individual—however you choose to frame it—needs to be put across, and allowances need to be made for mistaken perceptions.