Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as mentioned earlier today, I am as angry and frustrated as Canadians and members of this House regarding the fact that a Canadian official was at the Russian embassy. This should not have happened, and of course it will not happen again. That being said, I am the minister, so the buck stops here. I must say we can collectively be proud of what we have done in supporting Ukraine since…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague, and I am as mad as she is, because this should never have happened. Of course, this will not happen again. I am the minister and the buck stops here, but what I can tell members is that we have been showing leadership on the question of Ukraine. Our intent has been the same since before February 24. We need to make sure to send a strong message to Vladimir P…
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Mr. Speaker, I value my colleague's input regarding the Indo-Pacific strategy. As a country, we obviously need to assert ourselves much more as a Pacific nation and we need to make sure we react to a more assertive China. Based on that, we will draw on the expertise of many people from all walks of life and different parts of the country, including people with different political backgrounds, to m…
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, the question of human trafficking is an issue and, indeed, this is something that we have raised through the G7. Many of the G7 ministers have made it clear that we need to do more to counter any form of human trafficking, particularly in the context of Putin's war of choice against Ukraine. I look forward to working with my colleague on this issue and with many others within …
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Mr. Speaker, the situation Afghans are facing, in particular Afghan women and girls, is absolutely terrible. Canada condemns the Taliban's oppression of women's liberty in Afghanistan. As the Taliban continues this act of discrimination, the prospects for a better life are being denied to girls. Access to education is a human right to which every woman and every girl is entitled, and the Taliban w…
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Mr. Speaker, we have done a lot as a government, and of course we have to do more. We are using sanctions to put pressure on the Russian regime and hold it accountable, and 1,400 entities and individuals have been sanctioned up to now. We are now proposing new measures to go even further, not only to seize but to allow for the forfeiture of the assets of sanctioned individuals and entities. These …
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Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the strongest relationships in the world with Ukraine, and we stand with Ukrainians in the face of this further invasion by Russia. We will continue to put maximum pressure on the Russian regime. We have imposed strong sanctions. We will send more lethal weapons, but we know we have to do more. We will do more. That is the reason why more sanctions are coming.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have imposed sanctions and we have delivered lethal and non-lethal aid. Have we done a lot? Yes. Is there more to be done? Absolutely. That is why we will continue to impose sanctions. Just to be clear, when we impose sanctions, we are making their assets completely useless and are depriving them of value. Going against sanctions is also a criminal offence.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his important question and for the opportunity to clarify a few points. When we impose sanctions, we are making the assets of individuals or entities completely useless and depriving them of value. They cannot be sold or transferred. In short, no transactions are possible. Going against sanctions is also a criminal offence. We will impose further sanctions, be…
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Madam Speaker, Canada remains deeply concerned about the situation in Yemen. It supports a political solution as the only way to end the ongoing conflict and horrendous humanitarian crisis. The Government of Canada is committed to a stronger and more rigorous arms export system. This is why we have acceded to the Arms Trade Treaty. Human rights considerations are now at the centre of our export re…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his important question. This is obviously a matter that is important for all members in this House. President Putin's war on Ukraine is a war on freedom and democracy and on the rights of Ukrainians and all people to determine their own future. Yesterday we announced sanctions against 160 members of the Russian Federation Council. When we impose sanctions, w…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (electoral representation). (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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Mr. Speaker, obviously we know Ukraine is at war and that we need to make sure we help Ukraine defend itself. Now, I have been clear, and the travel advisory on Canada's website is clear, that we need to make sure that, if people are in Ukraine, they need to shelter. At the same time, we have been clear since February 1 that, should Canadians be in Ukraine, they should be leaving the country. We h…
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Mr. Speaker, I am of course working with my colleague, the Minister of National Defence, on this issue. We are coordinating our efforts. It goes without saying that Ukraine must have the means to defend itself against the Russian attackers. My colleagues know that we are supplying equipment and weapons to Ukraine. That is important in that it will help people defend themselves on the ground, but i…
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Mr. Speaker, first, I want to reassure my colleague that Canada is supporting Ukrainians. I know that my colleague and his party asked for that, and that the entire House is united on this issue. That was my first point. My second point is that, of course, Canadians expect the lethal and non-lethal aid to reach Ukraine. However, Canadians and our allies also know that it is important not to disclo…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously we support our men and women in uniform. That is exactly why I had the chance to go to Ukraine to meet with them through Operation Unifier, as well as in Latvia. At the same time, I find it a bit rich coming from the Conservatives, as they reduced their military spending below 1%—
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Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, I find it a bit rich on the part of the Conservatives, as they reduced their military spending below 1% when they were in government, which was the lowest in 60 years. Of course, it will be a pleasure to work with my colleague, because the question of Ukraine is not a partisan question. It is a question that should unite us while people are—
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his solidarity with the Ukrainian people. We are deeply concerned by the continued buildup of Russian troops in and around Ukraine. My top priority is ensuring the safety and security of all Canadians on the ground. I am urging Canadians in Ukraine to leave now. We will continue to stand steadfast in our support for Ukraine and its people every step of the way…
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Mr. Speaker, conversations with our European allies and America are happening. Of course, we are coordinating our response and we know that, in the event of any further invasion of Ukraine by Russia, we will make sure Russia is met with severe sanctions. We will always find a way to help our allies. My colleague the Minister of Natural Resources and I, and many other cabinet ministers, are involve…
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Mr. Speaker, it is not because my colleague talks about Ukraine that necessarily the Ukrainian government agrees with what he is saying. I think the member should look at what President Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, and the foreign minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, mentioned. They said “thank you” to Canada for the deterrence measures, including a $120-million loan, and also for extending…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for this important question, because we both agree that it is extremely important that strong economic sanctions be imposed should there be a further invasion of Ukraine. I want to make sure that the member understands that we are ready to impose these sanctions. Meanwhile, we are working in lockstep with our allies to make sure that we have the maximum impact wit…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. When it comes to ensuring that there is not another Russian invasion of Ukraine, of course we believe in diplomacy and deterrence. On the diplomatic front, just yesterday I spoke with officials in the Netherlands, Denmark and Latvia, and this morning I spoke with officials in Estonia. Basically, we are continuing to work with our allies to mainta…
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Mr. Speaker, NATO members are unanimous: We have to move forward through diplomatic channels. That is why there are three channels in place, whether it is the Americans talking with the Russians, NATO with Russia or even talks within the OSCE. That is how we ease tensions. However, we agree that there needs to be deterrence. I hope that my colleague recognizes that the government is doing a great …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for this very important question because on sanctions, we are really ready to impose severe economic sanctions should Russia further invade Ukraine. We are working closely with our allies: the U.S., the EU and of course the U.K. Sanctions are most effective when we all act in lockstep. Canada is ready.
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Mr. Speaker, when I was in Ukraine a week ago, President Zelenskyy had one ask. It was to make sure that we would help by offering a sovereign loan to the Ukraine government to deal with economic instability. Three days later, we provided $120 million in sovereign loans. What I heard from the national guard on site in Ukraine was that they needed more support in terms of military training. A week …
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Mr. Speaker, we are steadfast in supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Let me quote NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. He said, “Canada is one of the lead countries in NATO when it comes to providing support for Ukraine.” He also said, “There are not many other countries at the equal level of efforts, doing as much as Canada.” We will continue to work with our NATO allies an…
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives. On the contrary, we hope to have the support of all members of the House regarding what is happening right now in Ukraine. We need to send Russia a strong message. Russia is currently the aggressor, and we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. That is why we are putting an enormous amount of energy into the various diplomatic ch…
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservative Party, especially since it made massive cuts to all missions abroad when it was in power. In the circumstances, we are showing leadership on this issue. I went to Ukraine just this week, my colleague, the Minister of National Defence, is there now, and we are working with the Ukrainian government. We are also there to tell the Russian gove…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously we take the threat of a further Russian invasion very seriously. That is why there are two tacks to stop Russia from further invading Ukraine. The first is the diplomatic one. That is why we are working with NATO and the U.S., and with France and Germany in the Normandy format. Also, we are working on deterrence. That is why we extended and expanded Operation Unifier. We hav…
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Mr. Speaker, as mentioned before, we have already answered the call on the part of the Ukrainian government by expanding and extending Operation Unifier. I was there a week ago and met with the Canadian Armed Forces members on site, who right now come from Valcartier, in Quebec City. I saw on the ground how thankful the national guard is to Canadians for making sure that we are providing the right…
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Mr. Speaker, we take the allegations of genocide against the Uighur people in China very seriously. That is why we have always expressed these concerns, that is why we are not sending political representatives to the Beijing Olympics, which begin on Friday, and that is also why we have asked the UN human rights committee to investigate the matter. I would therefore like to correct my colleague, wh…
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Madam Chair, is a pleasure to see you in that seat. I am pleased to be in the House this evening to talk about an issue that is a priority for this administration, but also one that is rallying every foreign minister in the western world. The facts are simple. As we speak, there are 100,000 Russian troops on the borders of Ukraine, troops equipped with tanks and missiles, armed troops that are rea…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague and I do not agree on everything. We agree on the fact that we need to make sure that there is no further invasion of Ukraine. However, right now the most important thing we need to do is make sure that we invest in diplomacy and deterrence, and that is exactly what we are doing. Right now, we are really the country that is bridging all the other countries of the alliance…
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Mr. Speaker, what is fundamental and what I want to reiterate to my colleague is that Russia is the aggressor right now. There is no form of aggression on the part of Ukraine or any member of NATO at this time. I think we need to agree on this issue here in the House, because it is fundamental to our understanding of the conflict at the moment. I would like to point out something else. My colleagu…
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Mr. Speaker, it is not because my colleague, the Leader of the Opposition, states facts that they are necessarily true. In that sense, our actions have been clear. First, we gave $120 million in a sovereign loan. Second, we doubled the troops in Operation Unifier in Ukraine. Does he know that we have the biggest foreign military training presence in Ukraine as of now? Does he know that Canadians r…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned dialogue, and I agree. I would like to remind him of the three diplomatic channels all allies are currently using. The first is direct dialogue between the U.S. and Russia, and we are, of course, in touch with the Americans on this. The second is between NATO and Russia. As a NATO member, we are actively participating in NATO's dialogue with Russia. The third is…
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Of course, we can also be proud that we will be resettling many of the NATO-linked refugees. Flights are arriving as we speak.
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Mr. Speaker, of course the question of Afghanistan is important. It is important to our government, and it is important to all Canadians. I just came back from NATO and the OSCE, where I had the chance to meet with many of my counterparts to look at the lessons learned regarding what happened in Afghanistan. We can be extremely proud of being one of the countries that will be resettling the most A…
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Madam Chair, I am proud that Canada is one of Israel's biggest and strongest allies at the United Nations and in many international organizations. We also know that we are friends of the Palestinian people. I want to inform my colleague that the government's policy on the United Nations and on votes related to the Middle East is clear. We are opposed to any initiative, within the United Nations an…
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Madam Chair, coming back to the Rohingya, I want to mention that Canada was the first country to recognize the crimes committed against the Rohingya and to ensure that the situation was recognized as a genocide. I think that I can commend the Prime Minister's leadership on that issue, and also that of my predecessors. With respect to Ethiopia, I want to say to my colleague that the government has …
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Madam Chair, of course we want to work on several levels. Our main priority is multilateralism, because we know that this is the best way to provide vaccines quickly to several countries. That is why we were one of the founding countries of the COVAX initiative. We have committed to donating 200 million doses through this initiative. Canada is one of the top donors. We have also decided to provide…
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Madam Chair, I agree with my colleague. Of course, the Patriotes have often been considered great nationalists. I believe that was the case, but I also believe that, at the time, they called for ministerial responsibility. I thank them for the work they did, and I am pleased to be here on behalf of my government to answer my colleague's questions about foreign affairs. The $375 million that my col…
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Madam Chair, he does and will continue to do so. Meanwhile, following the meeting we had at GAC, he also had the chance to meet with another of his great friends, Prime Minister Trudeau, who again restated the importance of Irwin Cotler's work as a peacebuilder.
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Madam Chair, I am glad my colleague is raising the incredible work of my personal friend, Irwin Cotler, who is a proud Montrealer and very strong advocate against any form of anti-Semitism. He is a bridge-builder between the Jewish community and many other communities. I had the chance to have a good chat with him two weeks ago. He came to my office. Obviously, we will support him in all his endea…
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Madam Chair, I have reached out to Norway, Denmark, Sweden, as well as Russia directly, and I have obviously had conversations with the U.S. on this issue.
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Madam Chair, my colleague referred to neutrality because I referred to neutrality earlier. I want to reassure him, because our funding allowed UNRWA to have a neutrality coordinator, who leads initiatives, responds to allegations and upholds UNRWA's neutrality. Of course, our funding, which is relevant and necessary, must be conditional on neutrality principles, and that is how we are upholding th…
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Madam Chair, my colleague must rest assured that we will always be there to denounce any form of anti-Semitism. Of course, we expect neutrality from UNRWA when it comes to the education and schooling material offered to vulnerable kids in Palestine.
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Madam Chair, of course we will always be there to help vulnerable Palestinians. We would rather see them sitting in classrooms in schools that are funded by United Nations organizations than in the streets fighting. That is exactly why we want to make sure we continue to support UNRWA.
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Madam Chair, obviously we are a steadfast ally of Israel and friends to the Palestinian people. I raised the question regarding the Palestinian civil society organizations listed by Israel as terrorist organizations with my counterpart, Lapid, when I had the chance to talk to him. Of course, he said to me that he would be giving more clarity on this matter, so I am waiting for him.
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