27/04/2023 | 18:26:01 Thank you sir. It's great to be here this afternoon. I'd like to first say it was a pleasure to meet... the Canadian delegation had an opportunity to meet with the Moldovan delegation this week here in Strasbourg, and it was great to catch up and talk about the important issues that face many nations here, not only in Europe but across the world. Also, to the Moldovan delegation, your ambassador in Ottawa is very active and we do have an opportunity to meet with him as well and speak to the... 26/04/2023 | 20:01:19 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Honorable colleagues, Thank you for the opportunity to speak to this important topic. Canada understands the importance of humanitarian cooperation, including in response to natural disasters, and has actively supported the international humanitarian system since its creation. Following the devastating earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria in February of this year, Canada provided $10 million in funding to humanitarian actors on the ground... 25/04/2023 | 20:03:15 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Though Canada only has observer status in this Assembly and is not, therefore, a party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), I believe rapporteur Mr George KATROUGALOS’ report raises significant challenges faced – at one time or another – by all governments. They include, for example, how to integrate the commitments of international human rights conventions and treaties into our respective domestic legal frameworks, and how to... 25/04/2023 | 20:02:51 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) I would like to begin by congratulating the members from Iceland for your country’s extraordinary leadership leading up to the Summit in Reykjavík in a couple of weeks. The summit will not doubt be historic, as the Council of Europe looks to reaffirm its core principles and chart its future within the new European reality created by Russian aggression. In its response to that aggression, the Council of Europe has already asserted itself as... 14/10/2022 | 10:32:01 Good morning all [in French], Mr President thank you, to the Rapporteur thank you for this very informative report. I'd like to begin my remarks this morning with two brief comments. First of all, Covid-19, that impacted the entire world and many of the developed countries and their workplaces, accelerated many trends in the workplace. I am glad to see this report identify this acceleration in workplace trends. Secondly, as legislators, both in Canada and across the world, we must always aim... 13/10/2022 | 20:36:48 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Honourable colleagues, Since acceding to the Council of Europe nearly thirty years ago, Romania has made – to quote the report of co-rapporteurs Estrela and Baumane – “important progress with regard to the functioning of democratic institutions and respect for human rights.” I echo the report in commending Romania for that progress and for its “swift reaction and assistance” to the over 81,000 Ukrainians who have stayed in Romania in the wake... 13/10/2022 | 13:12:39 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Honourable colleagues, Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this current affairs debate. Russia’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine is now more than seven months old. During that time, we have witnessed events within Europe that we had all hoped were consigned to the past. Mass graves and war crimes committed on a large scale. Open threats of the use of nuclear weapons. The annexation of territory by force. Add to that list the... 12/10/2022 | 20:35:55 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Honourable colleagues, In the wake of the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956, Canada welcomed 37,500 Hungarian refugees; it was an important moment in our country’s history and one that we designated, in 2010, as a national historic event. As the President of the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation said upon that designation: the Canadian response in 1956 “contributed significantly to the creation of an open, tolerant, and culturally... 12/10/2022 | 20:32:12 Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2. Esteemed colleagues, Today, the question of how to make a good safe third country agreement is alive for Canadians – and for asylum seekers to Canada – as much as it is for Council of Europe members. The Canadian government is looking to modernize its longstanding Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States. Canadian courts have also recently made different rulings about the constitutionality of the legislation implementing the... 22/06/2022 | 18:30:16 Thank you, Chair. Good afternoon, buona sera to all my honourable colleagues and parliamentarians. I am honoured to be here today to speak to the humanitarian consequences of migration caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. I would first like to congratulate those in the room and all the member states who have already done so much to help the Ukrainian people. We Canadians have watched in admiration at the incredible generosity that Ukraine’s neighbours have shown to people fleeing...