FAAE Committee Meeting

The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development met at 9:08 a.m. this day, in Room 269, West Block, the Chair, Kevin Sorenson, presiding.

David Donovan made a statement and answered questions.

At 10:00 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 10:05 a.m., the sitting resumed.

Warren Allmand, Fergus Watts and Naresh Raghubeer made statements and, with the other witnesses, answered questions.

Bernard Patry took the Chair at 10:52 a.m.

Kevin Sorenson took the Chair at 10:55 a.m.

At 11:04 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:08 a.m., the sitting resumed.

Bryon Wilfert moved, — That the Committee invite the responsible Ministers and appropriate senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade concerning the decision to close the Canadian consulates in Milan, Italy; St. Petersburg, Russia; as well as Fukuoka and Osaka, Japan, to appear before the committee by February 20th, 2007 in order to examine the rational, the cost and the implications of such a decision.

Debate arose thereon.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 7; NAYS: 4.

Deepak Obhrai moved, — That the Committee recommend to the Government that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) establish agriculture as a priority sector using the strategies and policies developed in the CIDA policy document entitled “Promoting Sustainable Rural Development” focusing on sustainability and the reduction of poverty and hunger.

By unanimous consent, after debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.

Alexa McDonough moved, — That this committee reports to the House its call for the Government to step forward, as it did a decade ago when it led efforts to create an international treaty to rid the world of landmines, to:

• Join with the twenty six countries leading efforts in developing a new international treaty on cluster bombs;

• Declare a moratorium on the use, production, trade, transfer, or procurement of cluster munitions until humanitarian concerns about them are addressed;

• Complete the destruction of the cluster munitions in Canada’s military arsenal which are known to be inaccurate, unreliable, and inhumane;

• Ensure policy coherence by supporting effective efforts to prevent the predictable humanitarian harm caused by the use of cluster munitions, in addition to funding post-conflict clearance, risk education and victim assistance; and

• Ratify the Convention on Certain Weapons Protocol V, of 1980, on the clean-up of explosive remnants of war and be the first country to announce new and additional funding to implement our obligations under this Protocol .

Debate arose thereon.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 7; NAYS: 4.

At 11:58 a.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.