Mr. Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, today is the 15th anniversary of the Ottawa convention on the banning of land mines. Long after the end of a conflict, explosive remnants of war kill 4,000 innocent people each year. Thanks to the Ottawa convention, we have made huge strides in solving this problem over the past 15 years. There is 80% of the world's countries that have joined the convention, and tens of thousands of stockpiled mines that have been destroyed.

We celebrate this day as an example of Canadian leadership on the global stage. We also celebrate the Canadian consensus that has underpinned our foreign policy for generations, the understanding that by working together we can make tangible progress and concrete change for good.

Alas, when the world community looked for similar leadership on the issue of cluster munitions, Conservatives were not a willing partner. The Conservative legislation currently before the Senate undermines the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It is an offence to Canada's good name.

Today we reaffirm our commitment to Canada as a leader in multilateral efforts for global peace and security.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for quoting me. I was going to make that point but he has done it for me.

When we see the trade deals that the government has brought forward, does it really think that free trade agreements with Iceland, Jordan and Panama will actually open up our economy to the extent that we will lift all boats up? Unemployment is stubbornly at 7% in this country. We just heard the job numbers.

The government has done nothing to focus on a job strategy and yet it puts out these pithy agreements that make us vulnerable because of the way they are negotiated. We put forward many amendments on this trade deal. We believe in trade but we need to ensure it is for Canadians as well as the people we are trading with.

Exactly how many good jobs will be created for Canadians, jobs we can count on because we will put this on the record for later? Why did the Conservatives reject the amendments we put forward which would protect the labour rights of those who we are trading with, in this case Panama, as well as the environmental protections? Why did they reject those amendments which were reasonable?

Mr. Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, every hour 48 women are raped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rape is used as a strategy of war to terrorize and control women and communities. It is calculated and it is brutal. In that context, Dr. Denis Mukwege, directs Panzi Hospital where staff have treated over 30,000 survivors of systematic sexual violence. He is a determined healer, despite the ruthless reality he faces on a daily basis.

I was deeply saddened to hear of an assassination attempt against the doctor. Just days before the attack, the doctor made a speech at the United Nations where he said, "we need action, urgent action to arrest those responsible for these crimes against humanity and to bring them to justice". These are the words that angered the perpetrators of the worst human rights violation of our time. These are the words that must be echoed by our citizens and our government until justice prevails.

The government must condemn the attack on Dr. Mukwege. It must also support peace building in the Congo, end the trade of conflict minerals that finances this awful war and speak up against the culture of impunity.

Mr. Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives are looking for inefficiencies and public expenditure, they need to look no further than their own record: a bloated cabinet; more and more reliance on special advisers and ministerial officers; and over $1 billion spent in the past five years on temporary help services for jobs that should have been done by the full-time employees of the public service.

The government cannot fire 184 professionals from Health Canada and expect no impact on public health. It cannot cut air safety programs and expect no impact on security. When 900 workers are fired from Service Canada, that is 900 people who will not be there to service our seniors with their pensions.

Canadians deserve better. Good governance begins with the relationship of trust and respect between public service employees and political leadership. Canadians deserve quality public services and the professionals who provide them deserve our thanks and support.

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Paul Dewar, (Ottawa Centre, NDP): Mr. Speaker, over the weekend the
Washington Post offered a stinging indictment of the government's
anti-environmental policies with a clear message: Canada is no longer a world
leader.

Read more: Government Cuts to the Environment

Paul Dewar, (Ottawa Centre, NDP): Mr. Speaker, imagine people not being able
to walk, write, smile, talk, eat and sometimes even breathe on their own and
yet their mind remains intact and the senses unaffected. This is what having
ALS is like for 2,500 to 3,000 Canadians who live with this disease.

Read more: ALS Awareness Month

Paul Dear, (Ottawa Centre, NDP): Mr. Speaker, here in Ottawa at the Debra
Dynes Family House, over 800 people rely on the community access program to
connect with the world. Children complete their school work and people get
information about their communities and search for jobs.

Read more: The Community Access Program