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Hon. Robert Oliphant

Member of Parliament
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Liberal

Don Valley West
Ontario
Voting Attendance: 58%
Expenses Last Quarter: $123,855.38

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Hon. Robert Oliphant (Don Valley West, Lib.)

Jun/2/23 11:07:43 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to honour the life of my friend, colleague and constituent, Ian Gordon McBride. Ian was a resident of my riding in Thorncliffe Park and an active member of The United Church of Canada. Sadly, Ian died very recently, far too soon after his well-deserved retirement began. Ian worked tirelessly as executive director of the Anglican United Refugee Alliance, or AURA. In his time at AURA, he made an enormous difference in the lives of thousands of newcomers and Canadians, promoting and facilitating private sponsorships of hundreds of refugees across Canada. He put his heart, his soul and his body into this work. His compassion and leadership made Canada a more welcoming and better country. Ian was an inspiration to me not only when I was clergy seeking his assistance, but also as a parliamentarian when he sought mine. I will miss his wise counsel and his company. Ian fought the good fight, he finished the race and he kept the faith. May he rest in peace.

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Context: House Hansard - 82 - Jun/6/22

Hon. Robert Oliphant (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)

Jun/6/22 7:02:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I sincerely want to thank the member for Peace River—Westlock for raising this issue, not only in question period recently, but regularly and in an ongoing way. I think he is making a profound difference by raising the issue with gravity and with sincerity, and also by bringing to light the horrendous situation faced by women and girls and others who face the risk of trafficking every day. Together we deplore Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the vulnerabilities that it has created, with millions of people displaced internally and millions of people who have fled the country and sought refuge in countries all around Europe, with a small number of them coming to Canada. The member is right in his assertion that these people, and women and children particularly, are extremely vulnerable to sex traffickers and other traffickers who would take advantage of their plight. Should more be done? Yes, but let me talk about a few of the things that we are doing. We have been in discussions with our G7 partners and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to coordinate actions. In Europe, we have been engaged in exactly the kind of work he was talking about, working at placing protective measures at border crossings, distributing information pamphlets, establishing hotlines and continuing to find ways to decrease the risk for trafficking in persons. We are, however, concerned that the longer the Russian invasion continues, the more vulnerable refugees will become to exploitation and abuse as they possibly take riskier housing options or transportation routes. We believe that we need to constantly have gender-responsive, victim-centred, trauma-informed and age-appropriate measures and techniques, including protective services, to combat this evil. To this end, the Government of Canada is supporting initiatives that are aimed at preventing human trafficking at the borders, as well as working with the Government of Ukraine and local NGOs to provide such important information. As an aside, I was in Chicago on the weekend. I was in a restroom in a restaurant that had a large sign on the mirror, reminding people that if they sensed someone was being trafficked or if they themselves were being forced or exploited in any way, they should call that line. I want more of that in Canada. I think the member has been raising the importance of this issue, and I think the government could continue to do more. Today I was reading a report from the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence, Pramila Patten, who just today was speaking on the crisis in Europe, which is turning into a human trafficking crisis and, I would say, a nightmare. She called for a coordinated, coherent system of working with other countries, and just as the minister said in question period in response, she said that we need to do more. That needs to happen in Canada. It is happening in Canada as we continue to support hotlines and as we continue to support the human trafficking hotline, which is a national confidential service and which does in fact have interpretation in Ukrainian for anyone who needs it. These are the kinds of things that we want to do, but we need to heighten the awareness around the world. Every Canadian needs to be vigilant. Everyone who is helping a Ukrainian refugee or visitor come to this country needs to be aware they are vulnerable, and we need to take our place. Again, I want to thank the member for raising the issue.

593 words

Context: House Hansard - 41 - Mar/4/22

Hon. Robert Oliphant (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.)

Mar/4/22 11:27:32 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in response to that question, I think it is very important to say that we have taken unprecedented measures to fast-track all immigration measures over the last several weeks and have announced increased measures, which will take place within the next two weeks, to ensure that Canada does its responsible activity in ensuring that all Ukrainians have the chance to have a new life in another country. Right now there is also a refugee crisis, and Canada will do its part and more than its part to ensure that refugees find safety in our world.

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