Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona for her commitment and leadership on this very important issue. Canada shares in its unwavering commitment towards a world free of nuclear weapons. We agree that we need to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons in all places at all times. While we acknowledge that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons reflects well…
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Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House is united in our support for Ukraine and we are doing everything possible in a military sense, in a humanitarian sense and in immigration as we continue to help Ukraine. At the same time, we have an unprecedented set of sanctions on Russia. We are suppressing Russia. We are bringing Russia down to level this playing field. This war will be won, and Canada…
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Mr. Speaker, the relationship that Canada has with China is complex, it is challenging and it is always important for us to be mindful of it. As we engage in that relationship, there are no more important issues than Canadian values and Canadian rights, including the human rights agenda of this country. We will continue to stand up for human rights at every opportunity and take every opportunity t…
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Mr. Speaker, I would hope I speak for every member of this House in expressing the outrage we have all shared with respect to the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh. It was an outrage that affected our deepest sense of humanity, as she was simply doing her job and was killed. Our hearts are with her family, friends, colleagues and those who mourn the loss of the work she was doing. Canada has called for…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, in response to part (a) of the question, Canada’s bilateral relations with Nepal are supported through the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi and the Consulate of Canada in Nepal. Canada’s high commissioner to India is also accredited as Canada’s ambassador to Nepal and regularly visits Nepal to advance a range of issues in the bilateral relationship, including diplomatic, trade a…
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Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. The department manages an extensive network of 178 missions in 110 countries, which host hospitality events that are necessary for the effective conduct of government business and for courtesy, diplomacy or protocol purposes. In response to the questions, the department undertook an e…
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Madam Speaker, this gives me an opportunity to thank our colleague for her excellent leadership as chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association: work she does on behalf of all of us. Recently, the Minister of Foreign Affairs had a chance to meet with her counterpart in Helsinki. Even more recently, this week she met with her counterpart from Sweden here in Ottawa. Let me be very clear that…
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Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. In response to (a), UN reform and redesign are and will continue to be priorities for Canada, as a strong, well-functioning UN system helps protect Canada’s national interests and values. We are committed to a more effective, efficient, relevant and accountable UN. This commitment is …
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Mr. Speaker, this government is extremely concerned about human rights atrocities taking place in Mali. That is why we have been meeting with our like-minded allies about this issue from day one. That is why we have raised concerns about Wagner mercenaries, who are probably working with the understanding of Russia. That is why we will continue to stand with the people of Mali as we make sure that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am hoping to get one extra minute for that mention of Greenwood. As I said, diplomacy, defence and development are three prongs of what we need to be doing. We need to engage diplomatically around the world. We need to make sure that we have intelligence, that we have information and that we have appropriate relationships to build alliances and build allegiances while we are also wo…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by just giving the context in which this debate is happening. It has been more than a month since President Putin chose to unleash war on Ukraine. With every day that passes, the number of civilians, including children, killed and wounded continues to climb. We have witnessed Russian attacks on apartment buildings, public squares, theatres and maternity hospitals. In a…
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Mr. Speaker, to be really clear, it was the Conservatives who cut billions of dollars. In this government, in a very brief six-year period, we are already finalizing a deal to acquire 88 new fighter jets for the RCAF; we are delivering the first Canadian-built ship in 20 years to the Canadian Navy; we are acquiring six offshore patrol vessels, of which two have already been delivered to the navy; …
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Mr. Speaker, I commend the member for her comments. However, I want to draw her attention to our very important 2017 report, “Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada's Defence Policy”. It shows our plan. It is transparent; it is evolving; it is continuing. We are investing in the Canadian Armed Forces on land, at sea and in the air. We are providing the equipment needed. We are doing it steadily. We are d…
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Mr. Speaker, again I commend the member for her work. One of the best weeks I had as an opposition member was a week at Greenwood air force base at the other end of the country. That was an opportunity to spend some time with the men and women of the air force. My father was one of those “gentlemen of the air force”, as he called himself. I had that experience of being in helicopters, being on sup…
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Mr. Speaker, I think I speak with all members of the House to express the outrage, sadness and horror we feel as we watch scenes of civilians who have been killed in Ukraine. Let me be very clear. We believe these amount to war crimes. We believe these amount to crimes against humanity, and we will continue to take every step possible to hold Russia accountable for these crimes. We will go to the …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Bourassa for his important work. This morning, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and her counterpart from Belize co-chaired a meeting of the foreign ministers of CARICOM. They talked about security and stability in Haiti and Nicaragua, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the steps being taken to address climate change and COVID-19. These meetings are essenti…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. On parts (a) to (d) of the question, Canadians travelling and residing abroad are subject to the laws of the country in which they are located, and laws and legal processes differ greatly between countries. Global Affairs Canada provides consular assistance to Canadians abroad and, in…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear about this. Every single member on this side of the House not only supports the men and women in uniform today, but those who were in uniform yesterday. While we are not a superpower, let me tell members what we do. Our men and women in uniform supported the people of Afghanistan. We supported the people of Syria and most recently, we have been on the ground an…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for that question, because the reality is that this is an egregious invasion by Russia into Ukraine and we are using every economic tool that we can to ensure that we punish and suffocate Russia. Over 500 individuals and entities have been sanctioned just in the last three weeks. We continue to do that. The systems are in place to make sure that we follow th…
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Mr. Speaker, I will repeat that. What the previous Conservative government did was drop defence spending to the lowest level in the last 60 years. What this government is doing is recommitting to the armed forces to ensure that they are appropriately equipped, that they will be engaged appropriately and they will continue to represent Canada and Canadian interests.
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Mr. Speaker, let us talk a little more recent history. The previous Conservative government dropped defence spending to the lowest level in 60 years. What this government—
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Mr. Speaker, in response to that question, I think it is very important to say that we have taken unprecedented measures to fast-track all immigration measures over the last several weeks and have announced increased measures, which will take place within the next two weeks, to ensure that Canada does its responsible activity in ensuring that all Ukrainians have the chance to have a new life in an…
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Madam Speaker, I would easily say yes and I thank the member for Timmins—James Bay for his ongoing work on this issue. We need to unite in this House to talk about the important issue of Ukraine, but we must also continue to talk about the important issue of climate change. We will do that at a future time. I look forward to that ongoing conversation.
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Madam Speaker, as I think we all know, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has asked Canada for military aid; lethal and non-lethal weapons, which we have delivered; financial assistance, which we have delivered; and sanctions, which we have delivered. Every ask that President Zelenskyy made we have delivered on. He has not asked us to build pipelines in Canada. Why is this the Conservative Party's pri…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the other Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, for his great speech and his continuing good work on this and many other files. This debate today gives me the opportunity to state once again Canada's unwavering and united support, how we are standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and to once again, unequivocally, condemn Vladim…
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Madam Speaker, I am glad I am able to continue, because the interruption to our important debate on this international crisis is actually in the third section of this motion, which makes it absolutely an inappropriate debate to have. I take the opportunity to say that we stand with the Ukrainian people and we stand with the Government of Ukraine. We stand with the free world and we stand with thos…
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Madam Speaker, it is a wonderful opportunity to talk about the nearsighted nature of the Conservative Party. The hon. member is talking about the upcoming growing season as though this motion is going to have any effect on the ability to provide food for the world from Ukraine. What will provide an effect on ensuring that the Ukrainian breadbasket continues to provide food for Europe is stopping t…
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Madam Speaker, I am intentionally not going to answer that question in the fullest sense of the word because I want this debate to be about Ukraine. I do not want to be sidetracked by the third part of the Conservative motion. I would like us to focus on Ukraine and on what we can do in this House to stop that aggression by Russia and have that debate about energy self-sufficiency, which is a valu…
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Mr. Speaker, there is no situation stronger than our own sovereignty in this country, and Arctic sovereignty is an integral part of that. Canada's Arctic sovereignty is long-standing and well established. We work with our partners in the Arctic Council to ensure that we will continue to exercise that sovereignty well. We are taking stands with our Arctic Council partners to ensure that Russia gets…
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Mr. Speaker, Russia's actions, Mr. Putin's actions, will not go unpunished. When we talk about what we have done, let us talk about the sanctions. Let us talk about the military aid. Let us talk about humanitarian assistance. Let us talk about standing with the people of Ukraine and doing absolutely everything in our power to make sure that Russia is punished, that Russia withdraws immediately and…
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Mr. Speaker, Russia's egregious and unprovoked attack on Ukraine is a direct challenge to all of us, to the international rules-based order, to democracy and to people who care about human rights and social justice everywhere. That is why our foreign affairs minister summoned the ambassador from Russia to hear her opinion immediately and directly. Canada will continue to have that dialogue but wil…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, let me begin by assuring the House, including the member for St. Albert—Edmonton, that Canada is deeply concerned about recent tensions in the Taiwan Strait. This issue is important to Canada and to Canadians, especially given the extensive economic, cultural and people-to-people ties that we have had since 1970 with Taiwan, even within the one China policy. Under this policy, Canad…
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Madam Speaker, I would assert again to the House that Canada remains committed to advancing our interests and those of Taiwan within the framework of Canada's one China policy. Our engagement with Taiwan is multi-faceted and has on its own merits an important role to play in advancing Canadian interests. Those are as important as the very concerning things the member raised regarding the cross-str…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada and our allies have responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with tough, coordinated economic sanctions. Our goal is to exert maximum pressure on Putin's regime in response to his blatant defiance of international law. The help we announced yesterday is one important contribution, and we will be sending more. All options are on the table, and we will respond firmly to the esca…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We strongly condemn Russia's decision to recognize the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine. This is a serious violation of the Minsk agreements and article 2.4 of the United Nations Charter, and a threat to the security and stability of the region.
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Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, we are indeed ready to impose severe economic sanctions should Russia further invade Ukraine, an invasion that has been going on for many years. We are working closely with allies: the U.S., the U.K. and the EU. Sanctions are always most effective when they are done in lockstep with other countries. That is exactly what we will do as we stand with the Ukraini…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I want to be very clear. The government has absolutely no intention of stigmatizing anybody in this process. However, we are going to follow the money. Now, we have the tools to follow the money and find out exactly where influence is being spread. For two years, I was chair of the public safety committee, and I often listened to Conservatives saying that Liberals were naive, not fo…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Nunavut for her leadership on this issue. I have been profoundly moved by her questions, both about inclusion and about rights, and now this one. Arrests have been made. A significant number of arrests have been made yesterday and today. These folks are now before the courts, so I am not going to comment on them directly. The court processes will take …
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Mr. Speaker, I have been reflecting all day on the very momentous occasion this is and the kind of debate that is lengthy, engaged and important. I have been listening all day and have actually found the contributions of all the members, which I have agreed with or not agreed with, to be quite helpful for me in engaging with this conversation. We do not do that often in this House. We do not have …
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Mr. Speaker, the anger and frustration of the people on the streets, I believe, have been manipulated and exploited by extremists who are fuelled by nothing more than malevolence and a complete disrespect for the values and institutions that Canadians have built and depend on. What has transpired in Ottawa over the past three weeks is a massive disruption that is meant to do more than disrupt traf…
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Madam Speaker, nothing in life is 100% certain. I could not live if I were waiting for everything to be 100% certain. However, I believe the burden of proof has been met. We have listened to police forces. We are giving them the tools. We are working with them to ensure our rights and freedoms are protected, but also that the authorities have the tools that they need to act. We will engage. We wil…
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Mr. Speaker, there is no situation that we are more seized with right now than Ukraine, our solidarity with the Ukrainian government and the people of Ukraine. We have also been very clear that we are standing with Canadian citizens who are in Ukraine regarding any possible humanitarian crisis that could extend following a possible incursion. Right now, however, our mission is to de-escalate Russi…
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Madam Speaker, we will not stop until we have gotten every remaining Canadian out of Afghanistan, and we continue to engage with all—
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Madam Speaker, this issue continues to be of the highest priority to the Canadian government. We will continue to work with allies and with affected people until we have brought all Afghan Canadians home, as well as any of those who have helped us as Canadians in our forces. We will continue to work until we have brought over 40,000 people to Canada.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a remarkable Canadian: Valerie Dunn. Valerie celebrated her 90th birthday on January 18. That in itself is remarkable, but I want to focus on Valerie's most significant contributions. In 1980, she started editing and publishing Hi-Rise Community Newspaper. The paper has always been by and for people living in apartment and condo buildings in the greater Toron…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I hope you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move: That the House affirm that there is nothing peaceful about harassing residents of Ottawa for displaying pride flags in their homes and in their neighbourhood; and agree that harassment, transphobia and all forms of homophobia seen this weekend…
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Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. With respect to part (a), there are currently two “federal cases” in the U.S. federal District Court for Western Michigan in relation to Line 5. The litigants in both cases are Enbridge and the State of Michigan, not the United States Government, nor the Government of Canada. Therefor…
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Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. Global Affairs Canada has not taken any actions related to moving the Embassy of Canada to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On December 6, 2017, the United States announced it would formally recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and would begin the process of moving the U.S. embas…
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Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. With respect to parts (a) to (d), a changing world requires adapting and expanding diplomatic engagement. Canada will continue working with key allies and partners, while making deliberate efforts to deepen partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. AUKUS is a partnership that responds to the …
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Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers. While privacy considerations prevent the sharing of details, the Government of Canada has been clear from the beginning that the case of Mr. Huseyincan Celil is of utmost importance and has been actively engaged on his case. Canadian officials in Ottawa and Beijing are in regular cont…
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