Nations Commission of Inquiry on the human rights situation in Burma

OTTAWA – The Liberal Party is calling on the Conservative government to support an international call for a special United Nations Commission of Inquiry into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Burmese junta.

“Today, we are calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon to break their silence and join the United States, Britain, other countries and countless venerable human rights organizations in their appeal for a United Nations mandated Commission of Inquiry,” said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.

“The alleged crimes committed by the junta against Burmese citizens are terrible and long-standing. An effective Commission of Inquiry would be an important first step toward justice for the people of Burma. Liberals believe that Canada has an obligation to advocate for this Inquiry.”

“The situation in Burma is dire,” said Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae. “Despite losing a national election in 1990 to the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s dictatorial military-led government refused to step down and continues to violently repress any attempts by the people to assert their democratic rights. Burmese citizens are ruthlessly denied freedom of speech, association and assembly. The junta is also accused of vicious ethnic repression, as well as campaigns of systematic rape and forced labour.”

“In a display of solidarity, both myself and many of my Liberal colleagues have signed the Parliamentary Friends of Burma petition for the Inquiry organized by the Canadian Friends of Burma association,” continued Mr. Rae.

“The international community is questioning Canada’s silence. Before any Commission of Inquiry can proceed, it needs a mandate from the United Nations – and Canada’s support would go a long way to making that happen,” concluded Mr. Ignatieff. “Stephen Harper must heed the call to support the Commission of Inquiry as an important first step towards justice.”

Office of the Leader of the Opposition
Office of the Hon. Bob Rae, MP

OTTAWA – The Liberal Party is demanding that the Harper government stop trying to cover up key facts in the gun registry debate and release an RCMP report that tells Canadians about its importance to public safety.
 
“It’s blatantly arrogant for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to thumb his nose at Canadians and tell them ‘you don’t need this report,’ when the fate of the life-saving gun registry hangs in the balance,” said Liberal Public Safety Critic Mark Holland.

According to a media report, the report clearly states that: “The program, as a whole, is an important tool for law enforcement. It also serves to increase accountability of firearm owners for their firearms. Overall, the Canadian Firearms Program is operating in a cost- effective and efficient manner.” (CBC’s The National, August 25, 2010)

“In the same way that the Conservatives have skewed the census or choked off access to information, they are now withholding crucial information on the effectiveness of the gun registry,” said Mr. Holland.  “Canadians and MPs need this report to make an informed decision in advance of any vote on killing the life-saving gun registry.”

Mr. Holland submitted a letter to House Speaker Peter Milliken on Tuesday asking him to intervene. Given Mr. Milliken’s ruling on the privileges and obligations around the Afghan detainee documents, Mr. Holland said he believes it is within the Speaker’s purview to request the report.  Liberals also signalled their intention to obtain the report through future committee hearings.
 
This is the second time the government has stifled a report about the gun registry.  After last November’s second reading vote on Conservative Bill C-391, it was discovered that the government withheld a report which showed police used the registry an average of 10,818 times a day.
 
In June, Mr. Holland requested the report – an RCMP audit and evaluation of the Canadian Firearms Program conducted back in February – be submitted to the Parliamentary Public Safety and National Security Committee.
 
During committee testimony in May by former RCMP Deputy Superintendent William Sweeney and Toronto Police Chief and the head of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, William Blair, the report was touted as extremely positive and both said it should be released publicly.
 
“Two months after I requested the report, the government is now flat-out refusing to release it,” said Mr. Holland. “They don’t want Canadians to hear that the gun registry is an effective crime-fighting tool that protects the safety of front line officers, because these facts get in the way of their dangerous ideological agenda.”

Office of Mark Holland, MP

OTTAWA – In a move to bring ‘sense back to the census,’ Liberals today introduced legislation to amend the Statistics Act to bring back the mandatory long-form census questionnaire.

“Liberals believe that sound information helps make sound decisions,” said Liberal Finance Critic John McCallum. “That’s why we will fix the mess Stephen Harper created by reinstating the mandatory long-form census and ensuring the threat of jail time is removed in the Act.”

The Bill – which will be tabled upon the September 20th return of Parliament – clarifies that 20% of the Canadian population will receive a mandatory long-form questionnaire during the period in which the Government of Canada conducts a census. It will also remove the controversial threat of jail time for not completing the census.

“As one business person put it recently, the first rule of business is ‘you can’t manage what you can’t measure,’ said Mr. McCallum. “It’s also the first rule of government, yet the Conservatives have chosen to blindfold themselves by gutting the census, which means our annual $250 billion budget is more likely to be mismanaged.”

The long-form census plays a major role in improving health care, education, employment equity, immigrant settlement, retirement security, public transportation, and support for veterans and Aboriginals, to name a few.

“Provincial, territorial and municipal governments, community groups, medical associations, religious groups and countless organizations who spoke out against the Conservative decision understand the census is a vital tool that helps inform their decisions,” said Liberal Industry Critic Marc Garneau.  

The Conservative decision to make the long-form census voluntary will mean that the results can’t be compared to previous years, and will skew the picture of what Canada looks like, as lower income, minority Canadians will be less likely to fill out a voluntary survey.

“The Conservatives have shown zero interest in listening to Canadians but were forced to add language questions only when they faced legal threat, effectively admitting the voluntary form is inadequate,” added Mr. Garneau. “Now that the Conservatives are the last party to advocate removing the threat of jail time, it’s time to make the long-form census mandatory again, so we can get an accurate picture of Canadians.”

“Canadians rely on the federal government for a multitude of services, and they expect our federal government to make wise decisions based on sound information. This bill will make sure decision makers at all levels of society can do just that,” he concluded.

Office of the Hon. John McCallum, MP
Office of Marc Garneau, MP

OTTAWA – With the wrap-up of the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association this week, the Liberal Party echoed CMA concerns about Canada’s strained healthcare system and reiterated its commitment to a plan that addresses healthcare deficits.

“Along with the CMA, we recognize that healthcare costs are rising as our population gets older and, as the Auditor General confirmed yesterday, our healthcare system needs to reflect this demographic shift,” said Liberal Health Critic Dr. Carolyn Bennett.

Auditor General Sheila Fraser said yesterday that governments need to do a better job of telling Canadians how their health dollars are being spent and start making long-term projections to prepare for the aging population.

“This represents one of this country’s biggest challenges, and yet Stephen Harper couldn’t even bother to send his Health Minister to the CMA meeting,” said Dr. Bennett. “He has shown time and again that healthcare is not a priority for him, even though the majority of Canadians think it is.

“Liberals firmly believe in Canada’s universal healthcare system, and our position about the future of healthcare in this country stands in stark contrast to the Conservatives.”

A poll released this week by the CMA shows that 71% of Canadians believe that the federal government should be equally focused on healthcare and the economy, and that nine in ten Canadians don’t see any real solutions being put forward by the government.

Following his cabinet shuffle earlier this month, Stephen Harper indicated that health care was “not a priority” at the moment for his government and that no negotiations would take place in 2010 to renew the federal-provincial Health Accord, which expires in 2014.

“We want to start the dialogue with the provinces and territories now and we have ideas to share,” said Liberal Public Health Critic Dr. Kirsty Duncan.  “We want to invest in health promotion through our National Food Policy and we want to make investments in home care.”

A future Liberal government has committed to taking immediate steps to support caregivers at home, to introduce measures to attract doctors and nurses to rural Canada, and to introduce Canada’s first-ever National Food Policy, which will promote healthy eating to reduce illness and prevent disease.

“Liberals believe that the federal government can and should play a stronger role in supporting better quality health care for Canadians. A healthy economy and a healthy population are not mutually exclusive,” concluded Dr. Bennett.

“The ongoing health of Canadians is a real problem that requires real leadership, and Liberals are ready to provide the leadership that Canadians are looking for.”

Office of the Hon. Dr. Carolyn Bennett MP
Office of Dr. Kirsty Duncan, MP

OTTAWA – With the Harper government releasing yet another new “Arctic strategy” while at the same time still not fulfilling any of its past promises for the North, the Conservatives continue to insult the people of the North with more empty promises and rhetoric, Liberal MP Larry Bagnell said today.

“This time their so-called strategy is focusing on border disputes, with no mention whatsoever of their previous military-focused promises – and this is clearly an admission that those previous promises will not be kept and that their Arctic policy has failed,” said Mr. Bagnell, who is the party’s Arctic Issues and Northern Development Critic.

“Every summer, in an annual display of all talk and no action, Stephen Harper goes up North, does a lot of photo ops, and then it’s all forgotten about, until a year later when he does the trip again and we see that little to no progress has been made. It’s insulting to the people who live there.”

Just as Prime Minister Stephen Harper was about to arrive for his fifth trip to the Arctic this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon released a 27-page paper focusing on “a stable region with clearly defined boundaries.” It also included promises to fulfill the Conservatives’ long-standing commitment to complete undersea mapping and to make cooperation and diplomacy with other Arctic nations a hallmark of Canada’s northern policy.

“An empty policy statement like this can’t reverse four years of diplomatic and environmental neglect that has hurt the interests of Northerners and, indeed, all of Canada,” said Mr. Bagnell.

This follows other so-called strategies by the Conservatives that mainly focused on a strengthened military presence in the North.

“During Michael Ignatieff’s visit last week, he met with 20 different groups, from mayors to First Nation Chiefs, literacy and anti-poverty groups, business and industry leaders, and local residents. In all of our meetings, no one said that building up the military in the Arctic was a priority.  No one said that border disputes are their biggest problem,” said Mr. Bagnell.

“Making a big deal out of completing undersea mapping by 2013 is like boasting that you’ll finish your Christmas shopping before Christmas.  The Arctic is already a stable, rules-based region.  This is thin gruel.”

What the North really needs is a federal strategy that is people-focused, he said.

“There is nothing in today’s announcement that focuses on Canada’s greatest claim to Arctic sovereignty: our Northern people,” said Mr. Bagnell. “Our Arctic strategy is about people: engaging them, and then acting on their priorities. Stephen Harper hides from the people when he goes to the Arctic, preferring instead to ride around on military vessels.”

Office of Hon. Larry Bagnell, MP

OTTAWA – Stephen Harper and senior Conservative Ministers cleaned up this morning at the 2010 Conservative Patronage Awards, presented for outstanding achievement in political cronyism.

Awarded by Liberal MPs Wayne Easter and Alexandra Mendès, Stephen Harper retained his title as Patronage King for overseeing the appointments of 386 Conservative insiders to the Senate, courts, and government boards and agencies – since just the last election.

The appointees include former Conservative cabinet Ministers, 16 former MPs, 44 past candidates, campaign workers, and top donors who contributed over $572,000 to Conservative coffers.

“Stephen Harper has done what he said he would never do by rewarding Conservative Party bank-rollers with taxpayer-funded government jobs,” said Liberal MP Wayne Easter.  “He is dangerously addicted to political patronage.”

Other award winners include Diane Finley, Christian Paradis, Peter MacKay, Jean-Pierre Blackburn, and Sen. David Braley. Ms. Finley was awarded the coveted “Doug Finley Patronage Trophy,” named after her husband, the Senator and Conservative campaign manager, for single-handedly sending 119 Conservative insiders to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada boards (HRSDC) – far and away the most of any minister.

Stephen Harper has broken his election promise to establish a Public Appointments Commission that would set standards for federal cabinet appointments.   Promised almost five years ago, the Conservatives have spent $1.4 million on the commission even though it doesn’t exist.

“Stephen Harper is fundraising out of the PMO, sacking independent civil servants for doing their job, and squandering money on a phantom public appointments commission,” concluded Mme. Mendès.  “He’s bent on using taxpayer money to serve his ultra-partisan interests.”

Background:
2010 Conservative Patronage Award Winners

1) Highest Bidder Award

Winner: Sen. David Braley – appointed by Stephen Harper to the Senate after he and his company gave nearly $100,000 to the Conservative Party, half of which went to Stephen Harper himself.  

Runner-up: Sen. Irving Gerstein – appointed by Stephen Harper to the Senate after serving as Chair of the Conservative Fund of Canada and contributing $12,014

2) Hostile Takeover Award

Co-Winner: Jean-Pierre Blackburn – 11 of 15 appointees to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board have Tory ties  

Co-Winner: Peter MacKay – 8 of 11 appointees to the Board of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency are Tory insiders including MacKay’s own campaign chair and most recently, a two-time federal Conservative candidate in Charlottetown

3) Backscratcher Award

Winner: Christian Paradis – Stephen Harper’s political Minister for Québec, who is currently under investigation for the privileged access granted to Rahim Jaffer, has overseen the appointments of 18 defeated Québec candidates, almost double any other province

Runner-up: Tony Clement – for personally appointing several of his own donors: Kevin Smith as Chair of the Canada Foundation for Innovation; Keith Montgomer the Competition Tribunal; Jay Josefo to the National Research Council

4) The Doug Finley Patronage Trophy

Winner: Diane Finley – Single-handedly named 119 Conservatives to HRSD boards, more than any other Minister.

Runner-up: John Baird – 45 Conservative appointees to Transport Canada boards

2nd Runner-up: Rob Nicholson – stacked the courts by appointing 36 judges with Conservative ties  

5) Patronage King Award

Winner: Stephen Harper – appointed 386 Conservative insiders who have donated $572,000 to Conservative coffers

Office of the Hon. Wayne Easter, MP
Office of Alexandra Mendès, MP

“It is with great sadness that we learned this morning that our Director of Communications, Mario Laguë, was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in Ottawa.

“A man of many talents and accomplishments, Mario was a beloved member of our staff, and a valued personal advisor to me and the entire Liberal team. A man of great integrity and spirit, Mario served his country in many capacities with honour and dignity. Whether as a public servant under Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, Ambassador to Costa Rica or in his most cherished role as a husband and father, Mario brought a bright light to everything he did.

“While we will miss Mario’s extensive talents, we will miss most of all his warmth, his humour, and his passion for Canada that inspired us all.

“On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary caucus, my thoughts and prayers go out to his family, loved ones and the many, many friends and colleagues that knew him.”

Press Office
Office of the Leader of the Opposition

OTTAWA – The Liberal Party of Canada welcomes the Federal Court’s decision to expedite the hearing for the application of an injunction from the Canadian Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities to block the decision by the Conservative government to make the 2011 long-form census voluntary, said Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.

“Cutting the mandatory long-form census would have led to a serious injustice to Francophone and Acadian communities across the country. It is critically important that we have reliable and representative statistics in order to define the programs and services designed for Francophones, otherwise there will be a decline in the vitality of the French language across Canada,” said the Leader of the Opposition.

“The Harper government must recognize the importance of the detailed form and stop using the threat of prison terms related to this civic duty as an excuse. All political parties in Ottawa, except the Conservatives, are ready to eliminate prison sentences,” said Mr. Ignatieff.

“This decision is a blow to the government. The court indicated that it retained the option to reverse the government’s decision. The Court therefore recognizes that the census decision could be illegal, because it will reduce French services, especially in at-risk French-language communities,” said Mauril Bélanger, Ottawa-Vanier MP and Official Languages Critic.

The Federal Court will hear the case on September 27th and 28th.
Office of the Leader of the Opposition
Office of Mauril Belanger, MP

OTTAWA – The Harper government is the only political party that wants to impose jail times on Canadians who do not complete census forms, Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae said today.

“The Liberal Party has been clear that we can keep the mandatory long-form census but remove jail sentences for all census surveys, including the short form and the agricultural census, and this idea appears to have the support of everyone but Stephen Harper,” said Mr. Rae.

“Stephen Harper is the only one who is completely unwilling to look for a compromise solution to this issue that has captivated Canadians right across the country. Groups and organizations representing a wide swath of citizens have been unanimous in their condemnation of the government’s ideological decision to get rid of the long-form census. Why won’t he listen to Canadians?”

Stephen Harper and his ministers have been using the prison argument as a defence for their decision. Mr. Rae said if Mr. Harper truly believed that they had to get rid of the long-form census because it was a violation of Canadians’ rights – that, as they put it, no person should have to go to jail for refusing to fill out the census – then why would he not simply remove prison sentences from the census legislation?

“This argument is a red herring. No one has ever gone to prison over the census. But if that’s Mr. Harper’s argument, then we say take it out of the equation,” said Mr. Rae. “That leaves no valid reason for getting rid of the long-form census.”

Documents obtained by the media yesterday show clearly that the decision was purely political and went completely against the advice of Statistics Canada.

“The government heavy-handedly forced a change that was scientifically unsound,” said Mr. Rae.

Instead of working with Canadians to resolve this matter, this government, in typical fashion, is resorting to insulting them.

Last week, Industry Minister Tony Clement mocked critics of the census change, essentially accusing them of whining because they have enjoyed a “good deal” in getting the information they needed from Ottawa.

“They are basically saying that respected organizations like the United Way have been getting a free ride – which is simply outrageous and unacceptable,” said Mr. Rae.

The Liberal Party has already called for the Parliamentary Industry Committee to reconvene after the government ignored a July 27 committee order to hand over all documents related to this decision.

Office of the Hon. Bob Rae, MP

OTTAWA – Liberal MPs condemned the Conservative government today for stalling a request by the Industry Committee to provide transparency on their decision to gut the census, and vowed to bring the committee back to keep up the pressure in the fight to keep the census.

“The Conservatives don’t want to show the public how they ignored Statistics Canada’s advice to the government,” said Liberal Public Safety Critic Mark Holland. “It’s a shame as the government starts the printing process on the useless voluntary census that Parliament has been left waiting for the information on its decision.”

The Industry Committee passed a motion six votes to five on July 27th calling for Minister Tony Clement to provide the committee, within five days, with “all documents and emails between Statistics Canada, the Privy Council Office and the Minister of Industry’s office on changes to the 2011 census.” The committee also requested the analysis given to cabinet before they made the secret decision without consultation.

On a day when Liberal MP Anita Neville is holding a roundtable on the census in Manitoba, the Liberal Party announced that it will seek to have the Industry Committee reconvene as quickly as possible to hear from the incredible number of individuals and organizations that have strongly condemned the elimination of the long-form census.

“As more and more Canadians discover just how vital accurate facts from the census are for ensuring good decisions by government, business and the non-profit sector, the more they begin to see what the Conservative’s real hidden agenda is here,” said Liberal Industry Critic Marc Garneau. “Conservative MPs are already feeling the heat from their constituents and the more we can air public criticism on this issue on Parliament Hill, the more likely it will be that the Conservatives will come to their senses and agree on a compromise course of action.”

Holland pointed out that Conservative MP Bruce Stanton recently told the Barrie Examiner that based on what he’s heard from his constituents, “most seem to be supporting the idea of continuing with the mandatory” long-form census. (Barrie Examiner, Aug. 4, 2010)

“Let’s be clear, this isn’t about the threat of jail time – because no one has been jailed on the census and because we could all agree to simply get rid of the jail penalties,” concluded Mr. Holland. “What this is really about is launching a full scale attack on the ability of governments, charities, religious groups, medical associations and many more organizations to make fact-based decisions that help Canadians in their day-to-day lives.”

Office of Mark Holland, MP
Office of Marc Garneau, MP