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Results: 91 - 114 of 114
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2012-04-03 14:39 [p.6852]
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has just confirmed how incompetent and dishonest the Conservatives have been with regard to the F-35 procurement.
Billions of taxpayer dollars are at stake, but the Conservatives chose to ignore our warnings and never bothered to check whether there were any problems. Now our air force risks paying the price for the Conservatives' incompetence.
Why were the Conservatives dishonest with Canadians and why did they fail to ensure the integrity of the process?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2012-03-14 16:52 [p.6298]
Mr. Speaker, members will know that the member for Vancouver Centre has long experience not only in the practice of medicine in Vancouver but also in leadership positions within the medical society. I share her concern that the drug shortages will have a direct impact on the health of Canadians, but does she have an idea perhaps of what it means in smaller regional centres? She talked about Vancouver, but what about some of the smaller centres, either in her province of British Columbia or other regional hospitals where they would need access to these drugs, where the cascading effect of these shortages would be even more harmful than perhaps in a large urban centre?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2012-03-09 11:23 [p.6029]
Mr. Speaker, widespread allegations of voter suppression are serious enough, but now we are hearing about the artificial inflation of voters lists. In Eglinton—Lawrence, Etobicoke Centre, York Centre and Nipissing, hundreds, even thousands of voters were put on the voters list without proof of residency.
What will the government do to guarantee the integrity of Canadian democracy and to ensure that no one has stuffed the ballot boxes?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2012-02-28 18:14 [p.5606]
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for his speech and for taking the important initiative to bring this bill before the House of Commons. Senator Munson has often talked about the importance of this issue. I hope the House will support this initiative.
I just have one question. I am wondering if our colleague has reflected on it in preparing to introduce this bill. Although anecdotal and not based on any scientific information, I have the sense that there is an increase in the number of cases where autism has been diagnosed. In New Brunswick, three or four of my friends have children who have been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome or autism spectrum disorder. Is my colleague of the view that it is because there is a greater awareness and more medical research? Or are there reasons to think that the number of people being diagnosed is increasing, and there might be other factors leading to an increase of this very difficult condition?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2012-02-27 14:50 [p.5506]
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are unjustifiably proud of their sanctions against Iran, which lack teeth.
In their haste to build pipelines all over the country, they are happy to do business with, for example, Chinese companies that also do business with Iran.
The Conservatives want everyone to know how tough they are; meanwhile, the back door is wide open.
Our allies, such as the United States, do not permit such breaches in their sanctions.
Why do our sanctions have a double standard when it comes to Iran?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2012-02-16 14:25 [p.5394]
Mr. Speaker, we already know the many reasons for the delays in developing the F-35. But now we have learned that Chinese spies gained access to secret documents, compromising some security features of this aircraft. We now have reason to believe that anyone in China with a laptop has more information about the development of the F-35 than the Conservative government.
Was the government aware of this breach of the integrity of the F-35 program?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2012-02-06 14:53 [p.4892]
Mr. Speaker, Canadians were distressed by the Russian and Chinese veto of a UN Security Council resolution aimed to implement the Arab League plan to bring an end to the appalling violence in Syria.
Will the government assure Canadians that the Prime Minister will specifically raise the objectionable Chinese veto at the UN on the weekend when he meets with Chinese leaders this week?
Will the government tell us what specific measures it is taking to protect Canadians in Syria and also to protect minorities in Syria who are at great risk because of the rising violence, groups like the Syrian Christian community?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-11-30 14:43 [p.3782]
Mr. Speaker, eight months ago, Hank Tepper went to Lebanon with a Canadian trade delegation to sell potatoes. He has been held in a tiny Beirut jail cell ever since. Eight months in a Beirut jail for dubious allegations about potatoes sent to Algeria four years ago makes no sense at all.
The minister should understand that a consular visit for 10 minutes, once a month, by a junior officer at our embassy, is not going to solve the problem. When will she take her responsibility and bring this Canadian citizen home to New Brunswick for Christmas?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-11-28 14:57 [p.3659]
Mr. Speaker, the excellent work done by our armed forces in Afghanistan would not have been possible without the help of the Afghan interpreters who put their lives and those of their families at risk in order to help Canada. Although they were promised refugee status in Canada, two-thirds of the interpreters who have applied have had their applications refused.
Why are the Conservatives abandoning those who helped Canada at a very difficult time and who put their lives and those of their families at risk to help our armed forces?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-11-18 11:57 [p.3273]
Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are crossing flight paths in the confusion to defend their reckless procurement of the F-35s. The Associate Minister of National Defence contradicted himself when he said the Conservatives are not looking at other options, but there is a plan B. The Minister of National Defence finally saw the light and began to share the concern we have that the F-35 project will be in big trouble when the Americans pull out.
Who is running the show? Is it the Minister of National Defence, the junior minister of defence, the Prime Minister? Maybe it is the parliamentary secretary. Who is going to take the blame?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-10-31 14:40 [p.2726]
Mr. Speaker, the total cost of the F-35s is now more than $30 billion, even though the government is denying it. With such a large financial commitment, we must have guaranteed economic spinoffs for Canadian companies, but the Conservatives are dropping the ball. Thirty billion dollars in expenditures and no guaranteed economic spinoffs. That is a fine present for Lockheed Martin in Texas.
When will the Prime Minister admit that an open and public tendering process is needed to guarantee jobs and the economic future of Canada's aerospace industry?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-10-19 14:08 [p.2208]
Mr. Speaker, there are only 22 days left for people to vote for the Bay of Fundy as one of the new seven wonders of nature.
The Bay of Fundy is best known for its high tides, the highest in the world, which allow people to go kayaking or walk on the ocean floor. These tides do more than attract tourists; they also represent tremendous potential for renewable energy.
People from around the world come to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to take in the breathtaking experience of the Bay of Fundy. Whether it be the powerful tides, the impressive whales or the fossils along its banks, the Bay of Fundy offers unique adventures for everyone.
As this is the last chance for Canada to be recognized as having one of the new seven wonders of the world, I encourage all Canadians to vote for the Bay of Fundy.
I urge everyone to visit the votemyfundy.com website and vote to help this magic area of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia get the recognition it deserves.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-10-06 14:23 [p.1949]
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives were missing in action when the Americans reintroduced the buy America provisions. When it came time to protect Canadians from the long arm of the IRS, the Conservatives once again let Americans treat Canadians unfairly. Now, when they are proposing to sign a perimeter security deal with the United States, why should we believe they will not fold again like a cheap suit?
If the Prime Minister did not stand up for Canadian interests in the past, why should we believe it will be different now?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-21 14:50 [p.575]
Mr. Speaker, today, Hank Tepper, a New Brunswick farmer held in a Lebanese jail for three months, asked the Minister of Justice to charge him here in Canada for the offence alleged by Algerian authorities.
Every element of the alleged offence occurred in Canada. Why not lay the charge here, allow the Lebanese authorities to send him back to Canada, where he can clear his name and appear before a Canadian court with the protection of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
He is anxious to make full answer and defence to the charges against him. Why does the minister not do the right thing, charge him in Canada, as his lawyer asked today, have him come back here and let him clear his name in Canada?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-20 14:51 [p.501]
Mr. Speaker, the more time goes by, the longer Henk Tepper, a New Brunswick farmer, remains imprisoned in Lebanon as a result of a commercial dispute in Algeria.
The more time goes by, the longer the Conservative ministers remain guilty of failing to take action to help Mr. Tepper. Yesterday was Father's Day, but no one in Mr. Tepper's family was able to see him.
When will the Minister of Foreign Affairs finally take action and enter into direct contact with the Lebanese minister to bring Mr. Tepper home to Canada?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-20 14:52 [p.502]
Mr. Speaker, yesterday was Father's Day, but Henk Tepper, a New Brunswick potato farmer, could not see his kids because he has been in a Lebanese prison for almost three months as a result of a commercial dispute in Algeria.
Mr. Tepper's family is not interested in an international law lecture from the minister. They want the government to take its solemn responsibility to do something, protect its citizens and intervene now to bring Mr. Tepper home to Canada.
The foreign affairs minister will be in the region in the next few days. Why does he not stop in Lebanon and bring Mr. Tepper home to Canada in time for his daughter's graduation from high school next weekend?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-15 15:00 [p.397]
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when we asked the minister of state about the case of Henk Tepper, a New Brunswick potato farmer imprisoned for almost three months in Lebanon as a result of a commercial dispute in Algeria, the minister gave us a narrow technical answer about consular services offered to Mr. Tepper.
Mr. Tepper's wife and children want to ask the minister why she has not personally intervened with her counterpart in Lebanon to ask for Mr. Tepper's safe return to Canada. Why the refusal to use political means with the government of Lebanon to have this Canadian farmer safely returned to Canada and end the ordeal in Lebanon?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-14 15:00 [p.352]
Mr. Speaker, there is a disturbing pattern of the government abandoning Canadians in difficulty abroad.
Henk Tepper, a New Brunswick potato farmer, has been in a Lebanese prison for almost three months following a commercial dispute. Mr. Tepper's wife and young children say that they have heard nothing but dead air from this government. They have received no information.
It is unacceptable for the government to abandon Canadians in circumstances as difficult as Mr. Tepper's. When will the government intervene with Lebanese authorities, have Mr. Tepper released from the prison in Lebanon and brought back to Canada?
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-14 15:35 [p.357]
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to speak in the House today on this important motion.
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with a very distinguished member of the House, the member for Scarborough—Guildwood.
I would like to start by thanking the voters of Beauséjour, New Brunswick. This is the first opportunity I have had to take the floor in the new Parliament. It is the fifth time that the voters of Beauséjour have placed their confidence in me, and I would therefore like to thank them very much and say I will serve them to the best of my ability for the next four years.
I would also like to tell the House, as my colleagues from Cape Breton—Canso and Toronto Centre did before me, that we will support the motion brought forward by the government and amended by the NDP, with an amendment to the amendment from my colleague from Toronto Centre.
It is important also to note that this action in Libya, where Canadian Forces are participating in a robust and important way, has been authorized by the United Nations. Colleagues in previous comments have referred to the two specific resolutions, resolutions 1970 and 1973, which have authorized military action in support of protecting civilians, ensuring that aid is able to reach those affected by this devastating crisis, and to ensure that the regime of Colonel Gadhafi is not able to use aircraft or helicopter gunships, or other heavy weapons to attack Libya's unarmed civilian population.
Last March 17, the United Nations imposed a no-fly zone over Libya by adopting resolution 1973.
The Parliament of Canada approved Canadian participation on March 21. Our participation was unanimously approved by Parliament before the last federal election.
NATO has decided now to extend the mission until September 22, 2011.
It is also important to indicate our party's support, and my colleague from Scarborough—Guildwood will elaborate on that in his incisive comments in a few minutes, for the men and women of the Canadian Forces, who are doing, as they always do, a terrific job in very difficult circumstances.
From a foreign policy perspective, the member for Toronto Centre correctly articulated the Liberal Party's view that we should broaden Canada's role not only in Libya but in other struggling democracies in that region.
I thought the Minister of Foreign Affairs in his comments, that began this debate today, was correct to recognize in a formal way the Libyan national transitional council, and its important work not only in Benghazi, but in attempting to build democratic and state institutions that will be available to the people of Libya when and if there is a change of government.
Canada, from our perspective, can play a broader role. We certainly supported the government's decision to recognize this representative institution of the people of Libya. But we also applauded and were encouraged by the government's announcement that it will increase humanitarian aid by $2 million. It is a good beginning.
From our perspective, the focus cannot only be on military action. The effective work of our diplomats, our non-governmental organizations and development agencies, obviously the Canadian International Development Agency, can play a critical role in protecting the people of the great country of Libya. They can also help the people of Libya build the capacity necessary and the institutions necessary to ensure that a fledgling democracy is able to take hold and state institutions develop in a way that can be long-lasting and durable in a part of the world that unfortunately has often seen armed conflict at a time when democracy would have offered such a positive and progressive alternative to those countries.
This morning the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced a $2 million increase in Canada’s humanitarian assistance as well as our official recognition of the Libyan national council as the legitimate representative of the people of Libya. We applaud him for that. We think it is an important start. As I said, Canada has a long tradition of supporting democracies embarking on this stage in the civil life of a country, even though it is often difficult.
If anybody doubted that we live in an unstable world, the events of this spring in that part of the world, the Middle East, now known as the Arab spring, I think have reminded us of the role that the international community can play.
I think that this House has comes together, as we have today, to support not only the work done by the women and men who serve in our armed forces but also the work done by our diplomats, the work done by the very impressive women and men who serve in our Department of Foreign Affairs, who work in the Canadian International Development Agency, and the thousands of others who work in non-governmental organizations.
There are also the experts in constitutional law. It is difficult to set up a federal system in areas of the world that have scarcely known anything other than conflict. Political scientists and professors of international law have helped build a democratic future in several countries in Libya’s neighbourhood, the Middle East. The government should continue to show much greater openness toward efforts of this kind and not just focus on our military contribution, although it is important and authorized by the United Nations. We think that Canada can make a greater, more lasting contribution by supporting these efforts.
I will conclude by saying that the Liberal Party is very proud of the role that Canada has played in developing democratic institutions, and supporting and protecting people facing very serious human rights challenges.
I think all of us were appalled when we saw, in February, some of the savage and brutal attacks inflicted by Colonel Gadhafi's regime on unarmed populations, when we had peaceful protests in countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, when people were expressing their desire to choose their own future, to elect the people who will govern their country, who will rule their country in the spirit of respect for the rule of law, of human rights, and for the rights of women who so often are brutalized by those very regimes that were seeking to put an end to the peaceful protests. When we saw that brutality, I think everybody agreed in this House, and in Canada, as we did in March, that we had a role to play.
We began with a military role. We sent HMCS Charlottetown, some air force personnel and some support personnel and, as I said at the beginning of my remarks, we did a great job. I think nobody doubts our contribution militarily.
However, the time has come now for the government, for this House, and I hope for the foreign affairs committee of this House, to look at what additional steps we can take, in terms of governance, capacity-building, respecting the rights of women, and ensuring that the International Criminal Court is able to bring those responsible for these massacres to justice. This was a Canadian invention. We should continue to support multilateral institutions like that in helping the Libyan people on their path to democracy and freedom.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-14 15:46 [p.358]
Mr. Speaker, I also look forward to working with the member and our colleagues on the foreign affairs committee. I am encouraged that our first meeting will be this week. My hope is that the committee can work on exactly that issue. The member for Ottawa Centre has said it very well. Increasing governance assistance, capacity building, a democratic institution and a building assistance require a reliable partner.
There has been a lot of confusion about the nomenclature of the National Transitional Council. Often when we are translating from a different language, the names get confusing. From our perspective, this is a good start. The government's decision to recognize that council today and engage in direct and, we hope, robust talks with its members will be important.
However, I agree with the member that this is not something that can end in September. That level of assistance and that principle should extend for many more months if we are to do the job properly.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-14 15:48 [p.358]
Mr. Speaker, the member for Scarborough—Guildwood identifies one of the fundamental difficulties in this discussion. While the United Nations resolution does not authorize or encourage regime change, it is increasingly clear, and I think foreign ministers from G8 countries and others have recognized this, that the continuation of a dictator as brutal and as clearly disrespectful of human rights as Colonel Gadhafi is not something that can be contemplated if we are to succeed in achieving the kind of change we need in Libya.
However, I would make it clear that Gadhafi has been indicted now by the International Criminal Court, so the idea now that he could somehow go into retirement in some other country is not an option. He needs to face the consequences for the brutal and horrible acts he has perpetrated on innocent civilians and women in his country. Within the respect of the rule of law, we have to do what we can to ensure Gadhafi faces consequences for those horrible acts he has perpetrated on innocent civilians.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-14 15:50 [p.359]
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Gatineau for her very pertinent question.
I share her concerns. I think the motion recognizes the importance of a balanced commitment, but I hope that, with the members of her party and others on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, we will be able to ensure that development and diplomacy remain just as important as military attacks.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-06 14:43 [p.34]
Mr. Speaker, when the government announced the beginning of Canada's participation in the mission in Libya it said it was an effort to protect civilians. Subsequently, there has been some confusion about the mission's objectives.
We are wondering if the Minister of Foreign Affairs could confirm that in fact the objectives of the mission remain unchanged to protect civilians, and that in any subsequent extension of the mission there will not be a change in the clear objectives of the mission and, for example, the military footprint will not change, including a commitment not to put Canadian forces on the ground in Libya.
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
Lib. (NB)
View Dominic LeBlanc Profile
2011-06-06 14:45 [p.34]
Mr. Speaker, France and Italy have recognized the Libyan National Council as that country's legitimate government.
Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs clarify Canada's position on this?
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