Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, the opposition's attempt to portray Omar Khadr as a cherubic innocent is both premature and misdirected. The opposition deliberately ignores the reality that around the world and indeed here in Canada, individuals defined as children are capable of horrendous acts that deserve prosecution in adult courts.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, indeed it is. I was referring to the opposition's attempt to mischaracterize and portray the innocence or guilt of Mr. Khadr. Indeed he does deserve his day in court. I would remind the hon. member that of the almost 300 prisoners still in detention at Guantanamo Bay, only six are charged with serious crimes, five of them in connection with terrorist activities on 9/11, and one of them, Omar Khadr, charged with the list of offences I presented here today, of murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism, and spying.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, it is well known that Omar Khadr was captured on July 27, 2002 by U.S. special forces in Afghanistan in hostilities in which he allegedly threw a grenade, killing a U.S. soldier. He is also alleged to have been active as an al-Qaeda fighter, including by laying anti-personnel mines on roads known to be used by U.S. forces.

Softwood Lumber  Mr. Speaker, we are still in favour of the softwood lumber agreement, which put an end to a longstanding dispute. The agreement provides stable conditions for the forest industry. It has allowed the reimbursement $4.5 billion to the softwood forest industry. This agreement has the support of the provinces and of Canadian industry.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that it would be nice if all of the opposition parties showed as much concern and compassion for the lives of victims and their families as they do for the perpetrators.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, we look forward to the minister's return to tell us about his highly successful trip to the Middle East and NATO. Every country has to make its own decisions as to how they organize their engagement in Afghanistan. Some countries have a special envoy. Canada has asked other countries to consider more troops and development.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, I would ask the hon. member to check Hansard. That is a complete misrepresentation of the answer. We have confidence in our foreign affairs professionals, even if the opposition does not.

Justice  The hon. member must have been out of the House when I gave my previous answer, Mr. Speaker. The government is currently reviewing the court's decision and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, that question is not worthy of a response.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, before I respond to that exaggerated characterization of the court's decision, I would remind the member of the two young aboriginal men whose lives were cut short when Ronald Allen Smith marched them into a Montana forest and shot them execution style. That said, we are currently reviewing the court's decision and it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.

Sri Lanka  Mr. Speaker, I am sure all Canadians share the government's revulsion at the continuing humanitarian catastrophe in Sri Lanka, a civil conflict born of a succession of repressive discriminatory Sri Lankan governments, which in turn spawned the terrorist organization known as the Tamil Tigers.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her exaggerated characterization of the question. Mr. Barrio Terrazas' nomination by President Calderón and his confirmation by the Mexican Congress was accepted by Canada. The Prime Minister has built a strong relationship with President Calderón over the years.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, as we know, Canada transfers Afghan prisoners to the Government of Afghanistan. We continue to work closely with that government to strengthen its capacity on the treatment of prisoners. Since modifications were made to that process in December 2007, there have been no allegations of abuse received by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question. I repeat: no allegations of abuse have been reported to the Minister of Foreign Affairs since December 2007. The May 2007 agreement between Canada and Afghanistan makes explicit that Canada has full unrestricted and private access to any person transferred to an Afghan prison by the Canadian Forces.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, I answer as I did yesterday. We do have a special envoy in Afghanistan; he is our ambassador. Our ambassador has direct access to the highest authorities of the host government. We have a high commissioner in Pakistan. This government has confidence in our foreign affairs professionals if the opposition does not.