Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, on the issue of minorities in Iran, including the Baha'is, I have frequently met with members of the Baha'i community here in Canada to hear directly from them about the situation in Iran, the treatment the Baha'is receive in Iran, and the lack of freedom of expressi

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, let me explain the difference. My colleague wanted to talk about why we are contrasting our record on consular cases at the same time as we are saying to avoid making personal consular cases a partisan matter. The hon. member is making the individual cases of Canadia

Business of Supply  I disagree with my colleague, Mr. Speaker. She categorized our response as muted, but our response has been very clear and consistent. We expressed regret that the United States withdrew from that agreement. We have repeatedly said that the agreement has worked. It is imperfect,

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, our government is deeply committed to providing help to Canadians in distress abroad. As parliamentary secretary for consular affairs, I have spent the last two and half years focused on ensuring that Canadians abroad get the help they need from their government. Wh

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I want to recognize the work of my colleague for his advocacy on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and congratulate him on the passing of his bill last week. His passion and his commitment to this issue are inspiring, and I thank hi

Explosion in Mississauga  Mr. Speaker, last night, an explosion rocked a restaurant in a bustling plaza across the street from my house in Mississauga. Fifteen people were injured; three are still being treated. Young children were at the restaurant, but thank goodness, none were hurt. Police Chief Jenni

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, it does not take newcomers long to make a positive difference to Canada. Here is a wonderful example. Haya Jumaa is a 24-year-old Mississauga resident originally from Syria. Since her arrival, she has won the Canadian championship for karate four years in a row. She

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, once again I want to thank my hon. colleague for his passion and advocacy for human rights. Our government is dismayed and appalled that Syria will take on the presidency of the conference on disarmament. We believe that it is inappropriate for Syria to take this pr

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I want to remind my colleague of the phrase, “Don't confuse politeness with weakness”. He defines toughness with being vulgar or belligerent. My definition of toughness is being constructive, clear, and sometimes blunt, but in a constructive way. As to his question

Consular Affairs  Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague wants me to comment on my colleague, who has already addressed his comments in the media. He already has explained his comments so it is not up to me to comment on my hon. colleague. If the member has further questions, he can take it up with my col

Consular Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his passion. I agree with him on one thing. We are all inspired by the determination of the Iranian people and their effort to seek a democratic, freedom-loving state and government. He will understand why I take exception to man

Consular Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we advocated on behalf of Mr. Diab at every level on his return to Canada. We are very glad he is back in Canada with his family. We have read the reports on the involvement of government officials in his extradiction. This obviously happened under the previous gov

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate our commitment to continuing to raise the case of Mr. Badawi at the highest level. We have done that in the past and we will continue to do so. The minister and I have been in touch with the wife of Mr. Badawi on her courageous work. We support he

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, as I said before, this is an important case to the Government of Canada. We are on it. We have raised this case repeatedly and we will continue to do so.

Volunteerism  Mr. Speaker, on International Women's Day, I invited my constituents to nominate a woman who inspires them. I stand today to recognize one of those exceptional women. Samar Hamadi, who was born in Lebanon, is a computer science graduate from York University. With her husband, s