44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 25, 2023 10:00AM
- Apr/25/23 10:01:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a very important document for the House, and for you.
Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), and in accordance with the requirements set out in the current policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Agreement between the Government of Canada on the one hand and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark together with the Government of Greenland on the other hand on the maritime and land boundaries in the area between Greenland and Canada”, done at Ottawa on June 14, 2022. If I may, I would like to point out that this essentially marks the official end to the whisky war between Canada and Denmark.
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- Apr/25/23 2:52:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to reassure this House because my colleague mentioned the fact that people stuck in Sudan are not able to get out of Sudan. Canadians right now are being contacted 24-7 because consular services are emergency services. We are there to help them. We have had 550 of them who raised their hands saying they need help; 100 have gotten out of Sudan.
We are on this and we will make sure that every Canadian is coming back and is safe.
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- Apr/25/23 10:30:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased, on this wonderful evening and at this late hour, to rise to speak to this issue and answer my colleagues' questions. I will be sharing my time.
I want to thank my colleague, the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for his work and his interest in this issue. I thank him for having initiated this debate on the very serious and difficult situation in Sudan. It has been just a few days since the crisis began. We have been working hard since last week to support Canadians on the ground and to find a diplomatic solution with several countries. I encourage every member from every party in the House to recognize the important efforts of our diplomats to respond to this crisis. I encourage them to ensure that we can support them in the coming days and weeks.
Canadians are closely following what is happening in Sudan and, of course, Canada is concerned about the armed clashes that continue despite the ceasefire that was negotiated a little earlier yesterday.
The Sudanese people deserve to be safe and live in peace. As a friend and partner, Canada has long supported the Sudanese. That is why we are calling for an end to the violence and we are standing by the people of Sudan in their quest for peace.
That is also why we remain determined to support the Sudanese people in their desire to build a democratic future and start a transition to a government led by civilians.
Earlier this month, we still saw signs of incremental progress towards an agreement on a transition to a civilian-led democracy, We were hopeful that the framework political agreement of December 2022 would be finalized, establishing a brighter path forward. Unfortunately, this progress was interrupted by violence, against the wishes of the Sudanese people, who deserve to live in peace, security and democracy.
Canada unreservedly condemns the current violence and its impact on civilians, medical facilities and civilian infrastructure. We call for accountability of those who spread violence, including sexual violence. We are also greatly concerned about the safety of more than 1,700 Canadians currently on the ground in Sudan.
When the violence erupted, our Global Affairs Canada team was proactive. We called on the two warring factions to accept a ceasefire. We were greatly concerned to see the escalation of violence, which resulted in hundreds of casualties and thousands of injured people. I am also very concerned by the fact that this conflict risks creating insecurity in the entire region and could have devastating humanitarian consequences.
The Sudanese people deserve civilian political leaders who will be able to get the country back on its feet and meet the aspirations of its citizens. Canada already supports these efforts, especially as a member of Friends of Sudan, a group that supports the transition to democracy. It also supports women working for peace.
In addition, we have supported the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development for a very long time. These two institutions ensure the development and implementation of solutions by and for Africa in order to face the challenges on the continent.
When the violence began, Canada responded immediately. At that very moment, I was in Japan with my G7 counterparts and we immediately began coordinating our response. This continued to a broadened level and eventually evolved, forming an international coordination group. Over the past several days, I have also been in contact with my counterparts in Kenya, Egypt and the U.A.E. I have also been in contact with Germany and the U.S.
Earlier today, the Prime Minister spoke with the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Faki. He had also spoken to Prime Minister Abiy, from Ethiopia, two days ago. I was in touch with the executive secretary of IGAD. I will continue these important conversations tomorrow and in the days to come.
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- Apr/25/23 10:41:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a very important question.
First and foremost, yesterday my colleague, the Minister of Immigration also announced very important measures regarding the Sudanese people in Canada who, of course, would not have to go back to Sudan because of what is going on right now. Of course we can provide the specifics of these measures to our colleagues. This is public information.
Second, we are making sure to look at what we could do to support the Sudanese people who are affected, not only through further immigration measures that would be announced but also through humanitarian help. We will have more to say on this in the coming days.
I know that my colleague, the Minister of Immigration is proactively looking at this question.
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- Apr/25/23 10:43:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, regarding what is happening in Sudan, it goes without saying that we will continue to support the Sudanese people. We have done so for years. We have invested in humanitarian assistance in Sudan, but of course the situation is such that we need to step up and provide additional assistance, not only to the Sudanese people, but also to the neighbouring countries that are going to be affected.
We already know, for example, that hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees are currently on the borders of Chad. It is the same in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Egypt. We know that every time there is a conflict, a civil war as is the case in Sudan, that has repercussions in other countries.
In short, my colleague can rest assured that, yes, we will respond to this crisis, as we have done many times before, whether it is to help people in Afghanistan or Ukraine or to help people dealing with climate change issues.
We will always step up.
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- Apr/25/23 10:45:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think my colleague is referring to the fact that the Minister of Immigration announced that Sudanese nationals could apply for an extension of their status in Canada, and move between temporary streams, allowing them to continue to study, work or visit family, free of charge.
I know that there is more to be done, to the member's point. In that sense, of course we are looking at different scenarios. I know my colleague, the Minister of Immigration is working on this and he has my full support.
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