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Mr. Stephen Ellis (Cumberland—Colchester, CPC)

Dec/7/21 6:01:01 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Edmonton Manning, should there be any left today. I will try to keep my comments short. In 2019, someone said: Because of their sacrifice, young girls are allowed to freely go to school. Because of their sacrifice, we are safer at home. We will never forget the price these women and men paid. Of course, that was the hon. former minister of national defence. The situation in Afghanistan is, in a word, disastrous. I must say it is an honour to be asked to speak on this issue as it has deep personal meaning for me and many of my constituents. In 2006, three young men lost their lives too soon in Afghanistan. To this day, their families reside in and around Truro, Nova Scotia, which is part of my riding of Cumberland—Colchester. Warrant Officer Frank Mellish is survived by his wife and two children. His parents, Barry and Sandy Mellish, are friends of mine and were also patients at my medical practice. Corporal Chris Reid was a single man and the son of Tom and Angela. When he died, he was their only surviving child. Their other child, a daughter, died in 2002. At a Remembrance Day ceremony this year at the Truro Legion, I had the opportunity to lay a wreath on behalf of the Government of Canada while Tom and Angela laid a wreath as Silver Cross parents. Sergeant Darcy Tedford left behind a wife and two daughters. He is the son of Robin and Paulette Tedford, who are also people I know very well in Cumberland—Colchester. They miss their son every day. They are three Silver Cross families in one small community in Nova Scotia. So, is this personal for me, for many Canadians and certainly for the Afghans left behind? Madam Speaker, you can bet it is. I spent nine years in uniform as a flight surgeon serving our great nation in Shearwater and Comox, and in Kuwait and Bahrain. My brother continues to serve. He indeed served at the KAF from July 2010 until January 2011. Despite the significant losses of their sons, these three families are still amazing patriots. They believe in Canada and the work the Canadian Armed Forces was tasked to do in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the withdrawal of the Canadian Forces from Afghanistan has left a bitter taste and indelible stain on our Canadian reputation. Canada is known globally as a nation founded on democracy and human rights. Since the 1960s, Canada has used these principles to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in the hope that it would one day enjoy peace and stability. The story of the descent of Afghanistan into civil war after the withdrawal of international troops should come as no surprise. Sadly, it appears to be a significant retelling of the same tale that happened after the former Soviet Union withdrew from its decades-long war in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The Taliban regained control and severely limited civil rights. It would appear that terrorist groups ran rampant, which of course led us to the events of September 11, 2001. The Canadian role in Afghanistan evolved during the time of the conflict. In the early days, we were primarily based as an interdiction force on the seas. Subsequent to this, our air power was tasked to support the efforts on the ocean and soon after forces from JTF 2 were on the ground. As time rolled on into 2003, we provided support to other nations in Kabul patrolling the western part of the city. Over time, once again the Canadian role changed. In 2005 Taliban activity in Kandahar ramped up and with the Canadians there it became clear that more forces were required on the ground to combat the significant Taliban forces. It has become well known that Canadians involved in this attempt to stem Taliban insurgency were under ever-present danger as they went outside the wire, which sadly brings me back to 2006, at which time Warrant Officer Mellish, Sergeant Tedford and Corporal Reid were killed in action. All of this has come at a significant cost. There were 158 Canadians who died; countless others have been both physically and mentally changed forever and their families have been significantly affected. The incredible toll this has taken on our soldiers is not well represented by the number of casualties we suffered. This was a war of uncertainty, IEDs and one that now has an ending that has left many soldiers feeling let down by their country. In the airlift at the end of the summer of 2021, approximately 3,700 people were evacuated from Kabul airport. One former military member watched on TV as events unfolded. She recognized one person who had worked for the Canadian Forces and returned to school, had become a nurse and then a physician. That man returned to the airport five times into the sewage, wearing a red ball cap, as we have heard previously, to try to stand out. She does not know if he was safely evacuated or was killed. She has received several emails. I will read from a couple. One states: Hello my dear friend. It is so nice to hear from you as well. No I'm not living in Dubai, I live in Kandahar. Since the U.S. troops pulled out, the Taliban control almost all the Kandahar. It's very dangerous now. Do you remember Farid, the guy who was working with me in shop? They killed him. Today is my 27th day I'm hiding in home. I can't go outside. I've been working in KAF from 2008 till the end of 2013, but not as interpreter. Do you remember I was contractor? I need your help, my friend, to come to Canada. I don't want them to kill me. I have six kids. Another email from an Afghan still in Kandahar says: How are you doing? It's happened in Kandahar. They put bombs in house door. The kids' parents are died and this kid is injured. We are living like with animals. They destroyed my beautiful city. Investing in nations after war is essential to the rebuilding of said nations. Post World War II, Canada remained involved from a military perspective in Germany for 50 years. We now have a robust export to Germany worth $6 billion annually as of 2020. After seeing the colossal failure of the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan and the chaos that ensued and given our history in Germany, how could we think that a rapid drawing out of forces without significant support would be or could be successful? The Liberal government has failed Afghans and Canadians. This summer the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, and our soldiers in Canada's armed forces as well as Afghans who served Canada were at risk. Instead of prioritizing this crisis and taking action, the Prime Minister called an election. As chaos ensued outside Kabul's airport, the Prime Minister was asked whether he regretted announcing the election. His answer was a resounding no. Many vulnerable people, including female leaders, humanitarian rights defenders, journalists, religious minorities and members from the LGBTQ community were left to hide from the Taliban. Many of them continue to hide to this day, because the Liberal government has brought to Canada less than 10% of the Afghan refugees that it promised. To make matters worse, this October the Liberal government's data breach threatened the lives of several hundred vulnerable Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban. Canada's reputation as a compassionate country is now tarnished as our government has turned its back on vulnerable people, but we can change that. The first step is to create an all-party special committee on Canada's Afghanistan response. We need to come together to review what Canada's contingency plan was, its evacuations of Canadians and its efforts to bring Canada-Afghan interpreters and contractors to Canada. As the Taliban continues to hunt for remaining Afghans who supported Canada during our mission to Afghanistan, now is the time for action. Our Conservative Party is taking action right now. We need the special committee to understand that the errors which were made are not repeated. We must find ways to repatriate our supporters and restore Canada to its rightful and historic place on the world stage. Make no mistake: This is urgent and lives are at stake.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Dec/7/21 6:10:39 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I genuinely appreciate the member's service and that of other members who have contributed to the debate. I thank them for that. We hear of so many heart-wrenching examples and the types of things that are happening there that are so horrific. I would not want members to give an impression that there are some members of the House who care less than other members. We all want to make a positive difference in what is happening in Afghanistan. Back in 2010, Stephen Harper was the prime minister; Michael Ignatieff was the leader of the Liberal Party and Gilles Duceppe was the leader of the Bloc party. The three of them came together to deal with the concerns that we are trying to deal with: the issue of security and confidentiality. An agreement was actually signed off on by those three leaders. Stephen Harper was the prime minister. Does the member believe there should have been some responsibility from the current opposition at least to achieve an agreement or, at the very least, let the standing committee—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/7/21 6:11:48 p.m.
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The hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester.

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Mr. Stephen Ellis

Dec/7/21 6:11:50 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there are provisions in the bill that are about the redaction of important comments. Also, if members care so much, why was an election called? If they have such great emotional support, why do they not simply support this bill?

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Ms. Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, NDP)

Dec/7/21 6:12:18 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to extend a big thanks to all the military men and women here in Canada who put their lives at risk every day to protect us. With respect to the Afghan mission and the people left behind, we are in a situation where many people are in desperate straits. However, there are a number of measures the government can take to address this issue. I wonder whether the Conservatives would support a measure that calls for the government to ease the documentation requirements. As it stands right now, people cannot get their visas processed, for example, to get to safety. Would they support easing the measure with respect to the refugee determination requirements?

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Mr. Stephen Ellis

Dec/7/21 6:13:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have only been here a short time, and the trust I have for the government to do anything quickly, expeditiously and in good faith is waning very quickly. I am saddened by that. We therefore believe we need to take the bull by the proverbial horns and get the job done ourselves.

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Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP)

Dec/7/21 6:13:39 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to single out another one of our veterans, Trevor Greene, who is enormously brave and was a hero throughout the Afghanistan conflict. He was originally born, as the member for Cumberland—Colchester was, in Sydney, Cape Breton, and moved to Vancouver Island. I am honoured to be his friend. He lives in Nanaimo. Some members here will recall his name, because he was the soldier who took off his helmet out of respect for village elders and was attacked with an axe to the back of his head in 2006. He is enormously brave and was interviewed around the time the writ was dropped, on August 15, as the Taliban took over Afghanistan. He was enraged that we would be going into an election at that moment. My question to the hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester is whether he is convinced that forming a new committee will get more Afghans to safety than working with the existing committee structure.

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Mr. Stephen Ellis

Dec/7/21 6:14:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will keep it short. Yes.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/7/21 6:15:02 p.m.
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It being 6:15 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply. The question is on the amendment. If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the amendment be adopted on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair. The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

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Mr. James Bezan

Dec/7/21 6:15:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we request a recorded division.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/7/21 6:15:55 p.m.
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Pursuant to order made on Thursday, November 25, the recorded division stands deferred until Wednesday, December 8 at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Dec/7/21 6:18:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on the basis of the discussion I just had with members of the official opposition, I suggest that if you were to canvass the House at this point in time, you would find unanimous consent to call it 6:30 p.m., with the understanding that we will wait for the appropriate minister to come before us.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/7/21 6:20:32 p.m.
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Do we have unanimous consent of the House to see the clock at 6:30? Some hon. members: Agreed. The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes): I just need a couple more minutes to make sure the House is set up. Because of COVID, it takes a little longer to set things up, so I apologize for the delay.

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Mr. Daniel Blaikie

Dec/7/21 6:23:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I think it is customary at moments like these to begin right away. I wonder if perhaps you might offer some clarification for the House as to the technical problems the clerks are trying to solve.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/7/21 6:23:48 p.m.
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I am waiting for a piece of equipment that will help me to better judge the time. If members can give me a couple of minutes, we are hoping to get everything in order. This will not take away from the time allowed for the debate. The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona.

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Mr. Daniel Blaikie

Dec/7/21 6:24:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, if the issue is keeping time, I am sure some of us would be very happy to lend our phones to the Chair so that you can begin keeping time. Some of us are quite anxious to start. We have been looking forward to this all day and are just trying to better understand the delay. Perhaps you might enlighten us as to the piece of equipment you require to begin the proceedings.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Dec/7/21 6:25:06 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on the same point of order, we are ready, and as soon as you get the mechanism that you are waiting for, we can move forward. Hopefully that will appease the member for Elmwood—Transcona.

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The Deputy Chair

Dec/7/21 6:25:20 p.m.
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Today's debate is a general one on all votes tabled before the House on Friday, November 26, 2021. The first round will begin with the official opposition, followed by the government, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party. After that we will follow the usual proportional rotation. Pursuant to order made on Thursday, November 25, each member will be allocated 15 minutes at a time, which may be used for both debate or for posing questions. Members wishing to use this time to make a speech have a maximum of 10 minutes, which leaves at least five minutes for questions to the minister. When a member is recognized, he or she should indicate to the Chair how the 15-minute period will be used, meaning how much time will be spent on the speech and how much time will be used for questions and answers. Also, pursuant to order made earlier today, members who wish to share their time with another member shall indicate this to the Chair. When the time is to be used for questions and comments, the Chair will expect the minister's response to reflect approximately the time taken by the question, since this time will be counted in the time originally allotted to the members. Pursuant to order made earlier today, the time provided for the debate tonight may be extended beyond four hours, as needed, to include a minimum of 16 periods of 15 minutes each. I also wish to indicate that in committee of the whole, comments should be addressed to the Chair. I ask for everyone's co-operation in upholding all established standards of decorum, parliamentary language and behaviour. We will now begin tonight's session. The House in committee of the whole, pursuant to order made Thursday, November 25, 2021, consideration in committee of the whole of all votes in the supplementary estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. The hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/7/21 6:25:20 p.m.
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At this point, we are ready to start. Pursuant to order made Thursday, November 25, the House will now resolve itself into committee of the whole to study all votes in the supplementary estimate (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. I do now leave the chair for the House to go into committee of the whole.

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Resolving into a Committee of the Whole

Hon. Michael Chong (Wellington—Halton Hills, CPC)

Dec/7/21 6:28:42 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Calgary Forest Lawn. My first question is on Afghanistan. Many Afghans are trying to flee the country. The state of Qatar has a unique and special relationship with the Taliban. Has the government had a démarche with the state of Qatar to request that it intervene with the Taliban to allow persecuted minorities and Afghans who assisted Canadian soldiers to leave the country?

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