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In order to achieve its goal of transforming China into a comprehensive world power, Beijing must have secure access to raw materials in markets that have become increasingly competitive and tight, due in great part to China's growth. The bid for Unocal signals that Beijing is aware it must act quickly to guarantee its resource supplies, at the expense of competitors, especially the US. As part of Beijing's overall strategy, Chinese enterprises have recently purchased mines in Australia and Canada, and Beijing has pursued trade deals geared to natural resources in South America. Unocal is part of that larger picture."
"
On Tuesday Stephen Harper began the process of rolling out some of the Conservative Party election platform. Many of us will be helping him deliver that message this summer on the barbeque circuit. Imagine that, talking about ideas. My hunch is that the public will gobble it up. By comparison Paul's rhetoric about how much he cares and what he hopes will happen looks hollow and, dare I say it, phony.
The Ipsos poll had us at 27%. A four point swing would tie us with the Libs, which is certainly achieveable.
But to read some columnists you would think that we've already had the next election and Paul Martin and the Libs had already won 250 seats. Oh ya, that's what they said last time.
The truth is that the Conservative Party is in a lot better position to form the next government than most people know, and we're setting out to prove it starting now"
"Money laundered through the world's financial system has now reached stratospheric levels, trillions rather than billions. Fresh figures from the International Monetary Fund put it at the $2 trillion mark. But when you include the cost of fighting money laundering, the number reaches $2.5 trillion. That is approaching 10 per cent of global GDP, according to the IMF."
Dirty business
The 10 most common sources of laundered money. US $
US 1.3 trillion
Italy 150bn
Russia 147bn
China 131bn
Germany 128bn
France 124bn
Romania 115bn
Canada 82bn
UK 69bn
Hong Kong 63bn
Source: John Walker Crime Trends Analysis
Also World Drug Report l
"John Hawkins: So what blogs are you reading regularly these days?
Mark Steyn: I read a wide range. They come and go, but I’m still reading many of those I mentioned to you last time round, like Natalie Solent in Britain and Tim Blair down under. Going back to my earlier point about the dullness of many newspaper comment pages, look at, say, Saskatchewan: it’s got a yawnsville newspaper - The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix – and one of the sharpest bloggers on the planet, Kate McMillan. I don't know Miss McMillan, never met her, doubt I ever will, but she's a thousand times pithier and more insightful than the fellows holding down the columnar real estate at the Star-Phoenix. Someone should snap her up just for the sharpness of her headlines, one-line squibs, and nifty asides. It's the same with the Power Line guys vs. the Star-Tribune in Minnesota.
One of the great lessons of the last few years is that journalism schools build their guild mentality at the expense of everything else - the ability to write, the ability to make an argument, an eye for a story, or even basic curiosity about the world we live in. It’s the pomposity of the mainstream press that will do for them: They're simply not as nimble as a fellow like Captain Ed. I should add in fairness that there are those with a foot in both camps - like the great Michelle Malkin - who understand the new world very well."
Crooks don't register guns and terrorists don't register explosives.Meanwhile the RCMP are undermanned by a minimum of 2200 officers. As long as people can get their hands on guns for criminal activity- whether gunning people down in urban centers such as at the Yorkdale subway or at Yonge and Dundas or in rural areas like Mayerthorpe-gun stats mean nothing to victims.Better to give the police the necessary resources to prevent the criminal activity in the first place. This hasn't happened despite all the spinning about $10 billion for security.The firearms registry was designed for law abiding farmers, duck hunters and target shooters. Crooks don't abide by rules in case nobody noticed
Sponsorship Program
Hon. Stephen Harper (Leader of the Opposition, CPC): Mr. Speaker, what the Supreme Court said was not that the government had dealt with health care, but that it was not dealing with health care adequately in this country.
While we are on courts, yesterday in court the former prime minister and the current Prime Minister were again working together against Justice Gomery. Both lawyers for the government and for Jean Chrétien have ignored a court order to expedite allegations of bias.
Why are the Prime Minister's lawyers still working with Jean Chrétien instead of working with Judge Gomery?
Right Hon. Paul Martin (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition's facts are simply wrong.
The government's position, and we have stated it clearly in court and elsewhere, is that Judge Gomery is not biased. We will oppose any moves to obstruct or to slow down his report. We supported Judge Gomery. We put Judge Gomery in place. We created the commission. We have supported him throughout the whole process despite the countless attempts by the opposition to undermine his authority.
* * *
Child Care
Hon. Stephen Harper (Leader of the Opposition, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the only person who undermined Justice Gomery was the Prime Minister when he praised Jean Chrétien's behaviour in his own caucus.
After another year Canadian families still see no results on child care. Premier Lord of New Brunswick is trying to get an agreement with the government which would give options and results to parents.
Why is the government so inflexible when it comes to dealing with New Brunswick and giving real options to parents?
Hon. Ken Dryden (Minister of Social Development, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago we were on the verge of signing an agreement in principle with the Government of New Brunswick. We had an agreement among officials. We are still looking forward to finalizing something with New Brunswick which would represent something quite significant to people in rural and remote areas in New Brunswick, in particular, an increase of about 130% on what is currently being spent on child care in that province.
¸ (1420)
Ms. Rona Ambrose (Edmonton—Spruce Grove, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the Premier of New Brunswick wants to give his share of the federal child care money to parents, so they can have a choice in child care, but the Minister of Social Development refused to listen and said that federal money will only go to trained child care experts.
When will the Minister of Social Development understand that these billions should be going to the real child care experts in this country? Maybe he has heard of them. They are called mom and dad.
Hon. Ken Dryden (Minister of Social Development, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I might remind the party opposite that 13 months ago in terms of child care in this country things were stalled. In the midst of the campaign, the party opposite decided to make a campaign promise and that promise would represent $320 for a low income family.
Some hon. members: Hear, hear!
Hon. Ken Dryden: They are applauding. That is less than $1 a day. That is a real triumph. Congratulations.
Ms. Rona Ambrose (Edmonton—Spruce Grove, CPC): Mr. Speaker, at least on this side of the House we would have given this money to parents already.
The Liberals say they take child poverty seriously and yet their day care deal leaves millions of children without financial support. The Conservative Party has committed to providing each and every child with significant financial support, regardless of whether or not their parents choose day care or stay home.
Why is the government refusing to give this money equally to every child in Canada?
Hon. Ken Dryden (Minister of Social Development, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there is another great difference between the party opposite in here--
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
The Speaker: Order, please. We need to have a little order. Hon. members will get cheated out of an opportunity to ask a lot of questions with all this noise. The Minister of Social Development has the floor and I am sure hon. members want to hear the answer and all those differences. The hon. Minister of Social Development.
Hon. Ken Dryden: Mr. Speaker, the biggest difference is that this government is delivering on a $5 billion commitment over five years for a national system of early learning and child care.
All that has happened on the other side of the House was a campaign promise 13 months ago, discouraging words ever since and vague talk at this particular moment. There is a huge difference between each side.
Citizenship and Immigration
Mrs. Diane Ablonczy (Calgary—Nose Hill, CPC): Mr. Speaker, there is growing evidence that this Liberal government misuses residency permits for political advantage.
Equally troubling, the recent ethics report also confirmed the involvement of the Prime Minister's own office. According to Democracy Watch, the PMO had information about permit abuse but did nothing.
Why did the Prime Minister's Office not call in the Ethics Commissioner about evidence it had of unfairness in Canada's immigration system?
Hon. Joseph Volpe (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am not sure whether the hon. member is referring to the Ethics Commissioner's second report where he found that one of her old colleagues was asking for 232 letters of guarantee before there was an intervention on behalf of a constituent.
We believe they are going to operate on behalf of a constituent at all times with no letters of guarantee but doing appropriate due diligence.
Mrs. Diane Ablonczy (Calgary—Nose Hill, CPC): Evasive tactics, Mr. Speaker.
The discovery of partisan misuse of residency permits in the 2004 election by the Liberals may well be just the tip of the iceberg. A brave whistleblower provided evidence of abuse of permits personally authorized by a Liberal immigration minister.
The ethics report identified that during the election 97% of permits issued at an MP's request went to Liberals.
Did anyone in the Prime Minister's Office direct the former minister to approve this flood of election period permits for Liberals?
Hon. Joseph Volpe (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say that in my period of time as the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, we have duly presided over roughly half a million decisions.
I want to put that 97% of 70-plus decisions into context. As the House will recall, last year 1,100,000 permits were issued for entry into the country, be they tourist visas, student visas, work visas or permanent residencies. So far it is about 600,000 this year.
I am sure the member will be delighted to hear that we are operating--
The Speaker: The hon. member for Edmonton—Strathcona.
[Translation]
Mr. Rahim Jaffer (Edmonton—Strathcona, CPC): Mr. Speaker, mafioso Antonio Commisso easily found refuge in Canada.
A man whom the international justice system describes as a bloodthirsty organized crime leader has managed to live here after easily entering through the Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport.
How can we trust a government that is not even able to refuse mobsters?
[English]
Hon. Joseph Volpe (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, surely the member would not expect us to talk about a specific case here on the floor of the House, especially when we are not sure whether the member is a real member or whether it is a staff member who he sent to replace him.
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Mr. Rahim Jaffer (Edmonton—Strathcona, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the minister for raising a new bar of arrogance in this place.
The other day the Minister of Public Safety tried to mask the reality of how the Liberals have improved the security of Canadians. When men like Commisso can come to Canada, buy a house, get a driver's licence and live in our suburbs, it seems that the only security the Liberals can provide is financial security for the mobsters.
Why did it take over a year to catch this man? How does the Deputy Prime Minister expect Canadians to feel safe when they made Mr. Commisso an offer he could not refuse?
Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, let me reassure the hon. member that the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, the RCMP and the CBSA worked very closely on this case.
I will not comment on individual circumstances but I will reassure Canadians that we take their safety and the integrity of their safety very seriously.
I cannot comment further on any extradition proceedings that might take place. That is a matter for the Minister of Justice and the Department of Justice. However the named individual is someone who is now--.........
Justice
Mr. Rob Merrifield (Yellowhead, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it has been four months since the death of four RCMP officers near Mayerthorpe, Alberta, but what has the government done to make our communities and our police officers safer? The families of the victims want changes to our criminal justice system. They are coming to Ottawa this fall to make their case.
How will the minister explain his inaction to the RCMP families when they get here?
Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, let me say that my colleague, the Minister of Justice, and I take very seriously the concerns that were raised yesterday by the families of the four fallen RCMP officers from Mayerthorpe. The Minister of Justice and I will be more than happy to meet with the families.
As did the Prime Minister, I certainly had the opportunity to talk to them at the time of the terrible tragedy, but the Minister of Justice and I will look forward to discussions with them around how we can improve different elements of our criminal justice system.
Mr. Rob Merrifield (Yellowhead, CPC): Mr. Speaker, if that is what she is going to tell them this fall, they are going to be very disappointed.
Yesterday in London, Ontario, two police officers were shot during an incident that left four people dead. The Canadian Police Association wants minimum sentences for serious crimes. The London police chief wants them. It seems that the only one who does not want them is our justice minister.
Mandatory minimum prison sentences are not only about deterrence; they are about protection. Is the government committed to minimum sentences for serious violent crimes?
Hon. Irwin Cotler (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, we have said before and I will repeat again that the evidence we have thus far has demonstrated that mandatory minimums serve neither as a deterrent nor an effect. We share with the hon. member the concern with respect to the protection of public safety. We now await a report that is about to be tendered with respect to the deputy ministers who have looked into this issue. We will see what their response is on matters of mandatory minimums and other sentencing principles........
Border Security
Mr. David Anderson (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC): Mr. Speaker, last week I challenged the government on its plans to close five single-person RCMP detachments along a 100 mile stretch of the Canada-U.S. border. The government said it was a provincial issue. It is not anymore. Last weekend, someone ran the border near Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Because of chronic understaffing, the RCMP could not respond. Instead, they resorted to phoning the Val Marie bar and local residents to see if they had seen him.
Will the government admit that these closures are leaving our borders unprotected?
¸ (1450)
Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, no, I do not admit that--
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
The Speaker: Order, please. The hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands has asked a question and he is going to get an answer from none other than the Deputy Prime Minister. We cannot hear a word she is saying. How can the member ask an intelligent supplementary if he cannot hear the answer from the Deputy Prime Minister? We will have some order. The Deputy Prime Minister has the floor.
Hon. Anne McLellan: Mr. Speaker, there are 71 million crossings in this country every year. Virtually every one of them stops legally at the border, either on our side or on the American side. In fact, these closings of single detachments are redeployments. They take place after consultation with the provinces involved. These redeployments ultimately lead to more effective policing.
Mr. David Anderson (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC): Mr. Speaker, let us get this straight. The government is going to allow the closure of these detachments. There will be no permanent RCMP presence along a 100 mile stretch of the border, with no officers stationed within 50 miles of the border. Is the government serious? Is it telling us that its new border security plan is to phone the local bar and ask if anyone has seen a stranger?
Hon. Anne McLellan (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, redeployment of RCMP officers and closures of detachments are operational matters for the RCMP and they are done in consultation with the provinces involved. It is my understanding from the RCMP that the Attorney General for Saskatchewan has been consulted on these closures.
