Member of Parliament 1997-2015, Public speaker, writer, community activist
True Politics Host, Steven Soos sits down with former Deputy Leader of Canada’s NDP, Libby Davies!
Opposition MPs say they will spend a major portion of the parliamentary prorogation period in Ottawa, with or without the governing Conservatives. Ralph Goodale, the Liberal House Leader, said in a telephone interview from Regina on Wednesday that Liberal politicians will be found in their Ottawa offices through much of February. Libby Davies, the House Leader for the New Democrats, said the members of her caucus art outraged by the prorogation, “how arrogant it is, and how [Mr. Harper is] trying to get off the hook in terms of what’s happening with the detainee issue and the war in Afghanistan.”
NDP deputy leader Libby Davies, Liberal public safety critic Wayne Easter and Green MP Elizabeth May all spoke out at the morning press conference, held to encourage federal safety minister Steven Blaney to sign the required paperwork for Emery’s transfer home…Davies, who has been involved in the case since the beginning, said she was also disturbed by the very “political” comments that reportedly came from the minister’s office. “This press conference is not about the war on drugs, it is about a Canadian, who has been cleared by U.S. to return home,” said Davies. “I think it is better for Mr. Emery and his family to be here.”
Libby Davies has made her career of linking the formal world of politics with the often controversial needs of the few. From fighting for the rights of sex workers, homeless peoples and drug addicts to helping dismantle ingrained sexism in Parliament over many decades, Davies knows a thing or two about the tough fight—and now she shares her most intimate takeaways in ‘Outside In’.
Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank my colleague from British Columbia Southern Interior, who I have known for many years as a very great member of Parliament in the House, for bringing forward this bill. I know that the member is very diligent in his work. He is a member who has a long history in the agricultural industry. At one point, he was the agricultural critic for many years in the NDP and I know the riding he represents has a number of agricultural producers, so it is an issue that he is very familiar with.
I also know he is a member who is very diligent in the research that he does and the issues he brings to the House. I was very interested when he first brought forward Bill C-571, an act to amend the Meat Inspection Act and the Safe Food for Canadians Act concerning the slaughter of horses for human consumption. I know he brought forward this bill because of the research he has done, the people he has spoken to, the concern he has that the status quo in Canada is very unsatisfactory, indeed is not safe, and something that needs to be debated in the House and looked at. It is very meritorious that this bill has been brought forward and we are having the debate in the House. We will vote on it, I believe, tomorrow.
I would like to agree with my hon. colleague from the Liberal Party who spoke before me that for many people it is an emotional issue. He articulated very well the fact that he himself is a horse owner, his family comes from a community where horsemeat is eaten, and yet there are issues that we have to sort out. For parliamentarians, the primary issue to ensure that the safety of Canadians is paramount, that it is our first priority, and that the food chain is safe in this country.
Due to some of the quite shocking cases of contamination in various plants across the country, we know this is something the federal government must not only have oversight of but strict laws, regulations and inspections must be in place to guarantee safety. It is not a chance thing, there has to be a guarantee that our food supply system, the production system, food processing, from beginning to end, is something Canadians can rely on. Our faith in that system has been shaken on a number of occasions, which is all the more reason we need to look at this issue in the cold light of day and examine whether the provisions we have in Canada that supposedly provide the required protections are actually working.
Having read the material that has been sent to us from many different perspectives, certainly by the member for British Columbia Southern Interior but also by others, I would say this bill is needed. It is a bill worthy of being sent to committee for further examination. We have to recognize that the system in Canada in terms of horses going to slaughterhouses is not foolproof. There are many loopholes. We have an industry where horses, particularly those used in racing but in other activities as well, contain all kinds of medications and drugs that are unfit for human consumption. For those medications to be in our food chain is very serious.
I agree with the underlying and fundamental premise of the bill that it is critical that we ensure there is a separation of streams. If horses are being raised primarily for the food chain, accompanied by a lifetime record such as we see in the European Union, in chronological order with all the medical treatments, that is fine. The issue is not about whether there is consumption of horsemeat and if it is good or bad.
Question Period
House of Commons
HANSARD
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the Federal Court ruling today makes it clear that the government breached the charter rights of Canadian citizen Mr. Abdelrazik by forcing him to remain stranded in Sudan. The court declared:
There is no evidence in the record before this Court on which one could reasonably conclude that Mr. Abdelrazik has any connection to terrorism or terrorists…
The government does not get to choose to whom the charter applies. Will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing and bring Mr. Abdelrazik home?
Hon. Rob Nicholson (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, as I have already indicated, the decision just handed down by the court today is over 100 pages and it is being carefully studied by the Department of Justice. After we have had an opportunity to review the advice from the Department of Justice, we will take action.
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, the reality is that the government did everything it could to keep this innocent Canadian stranded in Sudan, and now we hear from the court that CSIS was involved in his detention.
The court has declared Mr. Abdelrazik an innocent victim and has ruled that he must be returned to Canada within 30 days, but with the record of the government, I would not put it past it to further trample his charter rights, waste taxpayers’ money and appeal this decision.
We want to know, will the Prime Minister declare today that he will not appeal this decision?
Hon. Rob Nicholson (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that this is a very foreign concept for the NDP, but we will actually read the document that has been handed down by the court before we make any decisions.
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, the decision is very clear. This issue has been very clear. In fact, for two years New Democrats pressed the government to act through letters, questions and committee work, all urging the government to repatriate Mr. Abdelrazik. In fact, our research proved the depth of mishandling by the government of different stripes compelling the foreign affairs committee to pass our motion to bring Mr. Abdelrazik home.
All of that, and the government has still refused, choosing instead to breach his rights. This has become a national disgrace. The minister surely knows what the right decision is here, to end this embarrassment and to bring Mr. Abdelrazik home, and not to appeal this decision. Surely he knows that today.
Hon. Rob Nicholson (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, CPC):
Mr. Speaker, I will tell you what is a national disgrace. About a month and a half ago, the New Democrats were telling voters in B.C. that they wanted to get tough on crime for a change, and what are they doing but filibustering our bill that cracks down on people who traffic in narcotics in this country. That is a national disgrace and they should apologize.