Government Orders
Madam Chair, my colleague raises a very important point. In my view and the government's view, we need to be able to talk to everybody, including Russia and including—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I have talked to Lavrov, who is my Russian counterpart, on this very issue. I think my colleague should stop reading his notes, because diplomacy is about talking to people and making sure that we reach out to others to really try to assert our different interests, including Arctic sovereignty.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, as mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, obviously the Arctic is a priority. We will deepen our engagement. We will make sure that we have an Arctic strategy.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, we know that the Canadian military is often in the Arctic. We also know that we have Canadians who are also living in the Arctic and—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, when my colleague looks at the throne speech he will see there is a clear mention of the importance of the Arctic as one of the key regions we want to make sure we invest in for different reasons, not only because there is the growing influence of China, but also because we know we have to work with the Scandinavian countries, as well as like-minded countries to ensure that we protect…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I will ensure, along with my colleague, the Minister of International Trade, that we raise this issue through chapter 10 of CUSMA, which is the chapter that—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, the plight of children is always close to my heart, but I am particularly concerned about the children who are in this Syrian detention camp. It goes without saying that this is a priority, but I remind my colleague that their parents decided to leave Canada to join a terrorist organization.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I share my colleague's concerns about the Winter Olympics. We were informed yesterday of the United States' intention not to send diplomatic personnel to Beijing for the Winter Olympics. Naturally, I share my colleagues' concerns about allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang. I have been discussing these issues with several colleagues around the world.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, since this is a consular case, I cannot speak about it in detail in the House. I know that Ms. Morin has authorized my colleague to speak to me directly, and I would be happy to discuss her case with him in private. I do want to say that I brought this matter up with Bob Rae, our ambassador to the United Nations. It is obviously important for us to be able to speak to our Saudi Arabia…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, it goes without saying that I am deeply concerned about Nathalie Morin. That is why I had the opportunity to speak directly with her mother and with my colleague on this matter. This is obviously a priority for the government. It goes without saying that Ms. Morin must be allowed to return to Canada. She is a Canadian citizen who is currently in Saudi Arabia. Her children are there as…
Read full speech →Government Orders
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…
Read full speech →Government Orders
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 …
Read full speech →Government Orders
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…
Read full speech →Government Orders
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…
Read full speech →Government Orders
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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
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…
Read full speech →Government Orders
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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
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…
Read full speech →Government Orders
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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
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.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, Canadian tax dollars will never be used to fund terrorist organizations, period.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I just want to make sure my colleague and I are on the same page, because Canada has listed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the organization my colleague just mentioned, as a terrorist organization under Canadian law.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, it is a top priority. I raise it with all my counterparts. That is exactly why I went to Europe. That is why I am here with my colleagues, talking about different options.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I do not think we are reading the same Ukrainian press.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, they are NATO, like-minded countries in Europe, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, the U.S., and I could go on.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, we do not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government. That is why we have no engagement with them. We work with neighbouring countries to make sure we can repatriate 40,000 Afghans.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, let me be clear. We are concerned with Russia's actions in three specific regions: the Ukraine, with its military buildup; the use, through Belarus, of weaponizing migrants to impact Baltic states; and finally the involvement of Russia in—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, we always work with partners to make sure we improve our alliance and make it stronger. Of course, I have had many conversations with the Secretary General when it comes to that very issue.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, yes, we did and we are doing so.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I am in constant consultation with my ambassadors, with my team and with my deputy minister, who sits in front of me. I must say that the question of Russia is clearly a priority, and we will make every—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I am always in contact with our diplomatic corps. I believe in their work and I am always there to make sure they can operate in a secure environment. I will always defend them as the chief diplomat.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, that is exactly why I had the chance to talk with the Secretary General of NATO. Together, we met with the troops. I was very happy, because they are all from Valcartier, the Royal 22e Régiment, right now. That being said, we will be there as a steadfast ally leading the mission and showing the world what Canada can do on its military front.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, all allies agree that we need to send a strong message to Belarus, and that the action of weaponizing migrants by the Belarus regime is not only reprehensible, it is unacceptable.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, we will always be there to support our allies within the alliance of NATO. That is why I had very important conversations with my colleagues. I had the chance to meet with my Lithuanian and Latvian counterparts, and we are very preoccupied with the security of the Baltics. I want to reassure my colleague, because we have military troops in Latvia doing what the member is referring to,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, in order to be very specific for my colleague, I want to know what strategic partnership she is referring to and what two other countries she is referring to.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent question and congratulate him on his re-election and his skilful use of the French language. I did just get back from Latvia. I had the opportunity to meet Canadian troops who are currently there on a very important mission to send Russia a very strong message that we will be there as NATO members to protect the borders of eastern Europe.…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I would like to thank my hon. colleague not only for his re-election, but also for the fact that he will be parliamentary secretary to a fantastic minister. That is humility and audacity together. I want to echo the facts that he outlined when talking about the importance of Asia. Canada is a Pacific country. We know that. We have a very important Pacific coast, therefore our engageme…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, please wait a moment. My colleague, the President of the Treasury Board, is bringing me a lectern. I appreciate this opportunity to participate in today's debate. I have great respect and appreciation for this important democratic exercise. I will be speaking for 10 minutes, and then I will be happy to take questions. As the world is pivoting and we see a rise of authoritarianism, the…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all the brave women and men who are part of Operation Unifier. Indeed, my colleague is right. We have been in Ukraine for many years training thousands of military personnel for the Ukrainian military. We will continue to do that. Right now, we are working with many colleagues and looking at all options possible.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned many times, we will use all the tools in our tool box to deter Russia from acting. That being said, I want to also say to my colleague that the question of working with the U.S., the U.K., Ukraine, Germany and many other countries is fundamental because we must de-escalate the conflict. That is why we have been able to work with partners on this very issue. I have also …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I had the chance to talk with Secretary Blinken about this very issue three times over the past three weeks. Obviously, for us Ukraine is a fundamental priority. We will make sure we work with like-minded countries to hold Russia to account and deter any military action on Ukraine.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague well knows, the IRGC Quds Force is listed as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code. That being said, I must say that I have had many conversations regarding the downing of flight PS752, even recently, with my Ukrainian, Swedish and U.K. counterparts. We will act together to make sure we are able to seek justice from Iran on this very important issue.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I would like to mention to my colleague that it is not New Zealand. It is Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. That being said, I would also mention that Canada is not in the business of making nuclear submarines.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have many sanctions. I want to continue to list some of them. My colleague mentioned Magnitsky. There are 30 individuals who have been listed under the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, which the member was referring to as the Magnitsky act, upon whom sanctions have been imposed. This system is being used by the government, and we have a rigorous proc…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, of course, there are different acts that provide sanctions the Government of Canada can use. I would like to mention that right now there are 1,446 listings under the Special Economic Measures Act. Of those 1,446 listings, Belarus has 77 individuals; Myanmar has 124; China has five; Iran has 202; Nicaragua has 24; Russia has 210; and I could go on.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure my colleague that we are very much aware that using sanctions against individuals in certain contexts to deter their actions, or to deter the actions they can have on the part of their states, is a very effective tool. That is why, even recently, we made sure to put sanctions on people in Nicaragua, to make sure that we were sending a clear message about what was go…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we can be proud of the way Canadians responded to the Syrian crisis in 2015. We can be proud that Canadians opened their arms and their hearts and welcomed Syrian refugees. I know that we can count on that same generosity with the Afghan refugees.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I did not hear my colleague ask a question. However, the name of that little boy was Aylan Kurdi. He had a name and an identity, and that was a tragedy. I would like my colleague to apologize to the House for referring to this tragedy as though it were a mere partisan ploy during the 2015 election campaign.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague to tell us why, in their own election platform last August, the Conservatives did not have plans to bring in 40,000 Afghan refugees. Why were they against the refugee program that was proposed by the government?
Read full speech →