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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 12

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2021 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)
  • Dec/7/21 2:33:48 p.m.
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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 Afghan refugees in the world, at 40,000. That is our commitment and we will get there. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Hon. Mélanie Joly: 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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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)
  • Dec/7/21 2:36:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Afghanistan issue is indeed very important. Of course, Canada served alongside many of our NATO allies in Afghanistan, and we were supported by many Afghans on the ground, which is why we decided to honour that Afghan commitment to Canada by bringing 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada. We have now taken in almost 5,000, and we are one of the countries that has received the most Afghan refugees. Right now, the situation in Afghanistan is very difficult, and we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that those refugees get here safely.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)
  • Dec/7/21 2:38:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have no lessons to learn from my colleague when it comes to playing partisan politics, because that is exactly what the Conservatives are doing right now. That being said, we definitely need to learn from what happened in Afghanistan. As a government, we must do that. We are prepared to work with the opposition, but other countries have to do this as well. We are also working within NATO. The most important thing is to be there for the Afghans who helped Canadians and want to come to Canada. We must do this while safeguarding Canada's national security and that is what we will do.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)
  • Dec/7/21 2:39:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course we want to learn what happened in Afghanistan. We also want to make sure the future Afghanistan is better than it is right now, and that is why we are continuing to follow the situation in Afghanistan very closely. We are very preoccupied with the situation of Afghans, particularly women and girls who are right now in Afghanistan. It is why I have raised the issue with all my counterparts, it is why this is an absolute priority and it is why we will play our part as a country to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to our country.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)
  • Dec/7/21 6:29:14 p.m.
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Madam Chair, obviously we want to make sure that we are able to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees. My deputy had the chance to go to the region, including to Qatar, Kuwait and Pakistan, to find ways to partner with these countries to resettle the 40,000 refugees I just mentioned.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 6:30:11 p.m.
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Madam Chair, obviously what is happening right now in Ukraine is very important. We know there is a Russian military buildup on the border of Ukraine, and that is why I raised this very issue with my colleagues at NATO and the OSCE, including Ukraine's foreign affairs minister, my counterpart in the U.S. and my Russian counterpart. We take allegations very seriously and want to make sure that we deter Russia from acting. It is very important that Canada plays a role. Not only that, but as my colleague mentioned, we are already in Ukraine through Operation Unifier.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 6:31:33 p.m.
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Madam Chair, my colleague is right that this issue was raised by congresswomen and congressmen in the U.S., and I had the chance to have a conversation with the Prime Minister directly about it. I know it is very important. It is dear to me as well, and we are working on solutions.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 6:32:34 p.m.
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Madam Chair, every time we meet our colleagues and friends in the U.S., we mention our national interests, and obviously we raised the question of Line 5, which is key to ensuring we can get our product to markets, including in the U.S.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 6:33:24 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we know that workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and across Canada will have our support when it comes to our natural resources sector, including the oil and gas sector, and it is always a priority for the government when talking with our friends, the Americans.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 6:33:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, let me start by saying that we are very happy that the two Michaels, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, are back home. I would like to thank everybody who was involved in ensuring we were able to get them released, including Ambassador Barton, the Prime Minister and many of our colleagues in the House.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 6:34:36 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I share my colleague's concerns regarding the next winter Olympics. We were informed by the United States yesterday about its decision to not send any diplomats to Beijing. We will continue to engage with our allies and like-minded countries on this issue. I know my colleague shares my point of view in terms of ensuring that our athletes can attend, but obviously we are still in discussions.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)
  • Dec/7/21 6:41:24 p.m.
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Madam Chair, workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and across Canada will have our support when it comes to their natural resources sector, particularly the oil and gas sector. We also know that Canada is the single-largest supplier of energy to the United States, and we always remind our friends in the U.S. of that.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)
  • Dec/7/21 7:45:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I share my colleague's concern regarding potatoes in P.E.I. We know it is a very important industry. That is why I have been in contact with the premier on this very question. Also, the Prime Minister raised it with President Biden when we were in the Oval Office two weeks ago.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 7:46:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I refuse to accept the premise of the question. Of course we have an independent foreign policy and are very proud of it.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 7:46:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will not take any lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to trade with the U.S. The member should talk to the Leader of the Opposition, his boss, regarding the fact that during the CUSMA negotiations, he himself wanted to capitulate. We were there and we fought strongly for our own national interests and our industries and we were able to make a good deal for Canadians.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 7:47:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has been on this. It is important that we work with farmers in P.E.I., and that is what she has been doing. We are working right now on many solutions, but we will always fight for our farmers in P.E.I. We know that the potato industry is important and we have the industry's back.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 7:47:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a very important industry, and we will always be there to make sure that we work with the workers and the entrepreneurs in the sector.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 7:48:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade always raises important questions. She has been on this, as has the deputy minister. It was clearly part of the negotiations of CUSMA that we were able to make sure that we were fighting for it.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 7:48:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows that we will always be there to defend our entrepreneurs and our workers. We know that when it comes to the U.S., many jobs on the U.S. side and on the Canadian side of the border are dependent on this relationship. That is why we want to make sure that we have a good relationship, but at the same time that we defend our interests.
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Hon. Mélanie Joly
  • Dec/7/21 7:49:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague can trust the government when it comes to negotiating with the United States. Also, he can trust that we have a good deal in CUSMA. That is exactly why we know that our farmers can count on having important access to the American and Mexican markets.
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