National Defence

Wednesday April 17, 2002

 

Mr. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg--Transcona, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I can say that I was here 20 years ago and I remember 74 out of 75 Quebec MPs voting for the charter. It did not look to me like there was no support in Quebec for the charter of rights and freedoms.

    Some hon. members: Hear, hear.

    Mr. Bill Blaikie: Hon. members can relax. I was not even going to ask a question about that. Quiet.

    The Speaker: Order, please. I can say that I agree with the hon. member in this case. We must be able to hear the hon. member's question.

    Mr. Bill Blaikie: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister and it has to do with the announcement by the United States of the setting up of the northern command. It seems to me that obviously there are a number of concerns here which even the government may have about the implications of this northern command.

    I wonder whether the Prime Minister would commit in a timely fashion, as the Minister of Health likes to say, that he or the Minister of Foreign Affairs will come before the House and make a full statement as to the Canadian government's position on the northern command.

    Right Hon. Jean Chrétien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I would like to say very categorically that the decision the American administration made about its own defence is its own business. The defence of Canada will be assured by the Canadian government and not by the American government.

    Mr. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg--Transcona, NDP): Mr. Speaker, nothing the Americans do, being so large and being our neighbour, is just their business. Obviously it has implications for us.

    Will the Prime Minister commit, for example, to parliamentary hearings as to what the Canadian response should be to the northern command and how we can act appropriately in the circumstances?

    Right Hon. Jean Chrétien (Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is right. We have a lot of communal interests with them. They are our neighbours and we have to work with them. It is why we are part of Norad where we have a joint command to address these problems. We have to do that but the sovereignty of Canada cannot be taken away by a decision made by the administration of the United States.

    If the foreign affairs committee wants to look into the question, fine. We have committees for that and part of their mandate is to look at problems that might affect Canada. If the committee wants to look into that I have no objection.