Don Stewart

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the NDP member clearly does not side with Israel in this. With Israel being the only democracy in the Middle East, it is quite surprising that we cannot stand up for our ally there.

Israel is protecting itself, it is protecting western democracy and it is protecting every member who sits in the House.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, yes, Israel would have every right to defend itself under that article of the charter, as it is doing now.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I would agree with the hon. member that if a country is attacked by another country, and as we know, Hezbollah has thrown some 8,000 rockets at Israel in the past several months, there is only thing that country can do to defend itself, and that is to go back in the direction of where the missiles came from.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, as some may also agree, Hezbollah has been described as a state within a state. In Israel's right to defend itself, it is going against that state within a state, which we are calling Hezbollah, and the war is not against the people of Lebanon but against the terrorist group Hezbollah.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Calgary Nose Hill.

My thoughts are with the families and the innocent people who are in harm's way right now, while war wages in the Middle East. To our Jewish community in Toronto, across Canada and globally, shana tova.

This is not the kind of world we want, but this has been the case since October 7, 2023, when Hamas went on its violent rampage in Israel. I have been listening closely to the debate tonight, and I have appreciated the comments from hon. members on both sides of the House. This is a serious issue for us to discuss, and we are all concerned about the devastation in the Middle East and for Canadians who are in the region. I urge them to get out.

Like all Canadians, I am extremely concerned for those caught in the maelstrom of violence, particularly in Lebanon, where people are only looking to live their peaceful lives. However, there are other inhabitants of Lebanon as well, those who do not have this same purpose. Their purpose is one of destruction. Their purpose is to destroy Israel. I am speaking of the militant terrorist organization Hezbollah.

Hezbollah exists with the aim of destroying Israel. Let us be clear on this: Hezbollah is not the Government of Lebanon, nor does it represent the Lebanese people. What it represents is hate. It is an evil proxy for the Islamic Republic of Iran and it carries out its heinous wishes. It is a terrorist organization, working in league with Iran, with an aim of eliminating our ally and friend Israel. Hezbollah has been raining rockets on the people of northern Israel for over 11 months. Hezbollah has forced 60,000 Israelis to flee their homes. Hezbollah, through its actions, has made life miserable for people across the Middle East, and it must be stopped.

Meanwhile, Israel, as we should know, like any state, has as its first priority the defence and security of the citizens of its country.

I want to talk about why we on this side of the House are steadfast in our support for Israel. Five years ago, former prime minister Stephen Harper was asked, “Why do you support Israel?” His response was, “Why wouldn't I support Israel?” He went on to say:

Why wouldn't I support a fellow democratic nation where open elections, free speech, and religious tolerance are the everyday norm? Why wouldn't I support a country with a vibrant free press and an independent judiciary? Why wouldn't I support a valuable trading partner and a well-spring of amazing technological innovation? Why wouldn't I support our most critical ally in the Middle East, and in the international struggle against terrorism?

In a rational world, in a world where simple common sense prevailed, the question “why do you support Israel?” would be like asking “why do you support Australia?” or… “Canada?” But we don't live in that rational, common-sense world. So the case for Israel has to be made over and over. I, for one, am happy to make it.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper was right. He showed clear principles. We on this side of the House believe Israel has the right to defend itself from Iran, which today launched 181 ballistic missiles at 10 million Israeli civilians.

Unlike the Secretary-General of the UN, I will name the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah and Hamas, which must put down their arms and commit to ceasing their aggression against Israel. Remember, it was Hamas that made its incursion and raid into Israel almost one year ago today. That barbaric raid, which has been unequivocally condemned by all civilized humans, included the massacre of 1,200 people and the capture of 251 civilians, of whom 101 are still in captivity, not all amongst the living.

Let us not forget those captives even as this conflict escalates, precipitated by the evil axis of resistance commanded by the Islamic Republic. By many accounts, Hezbollah has been weakened, but it is not defeated. Israel has destroyed Hezbollah's munitions and rocket depots to defend the people of Israel.

The Hezbollah leader and several senior members of Hezbollah have been killed to reduce the effectiveness of the organization, and still there is no indication of a willingness to entertain a ceasefire. That is because they are a proxy for the Islamic Republic of Iran, which can tolerate many Hezbollah deaths and many Lebanese civilian deaths before thinking about a ceasefire. This is a shame.

A rational adversary would surrender or call for a ceasefire before a land invasion was undertaken, but rational is not what these terrorist organizations are. There is no negotiating with terrorists, and that is a long-standing policy of Canada, but we do not see the rockets stop.

Some hon. members have been calling for diplomacy, but how do they think diplomacy works with terrorist organizations? We all want the fighting to end, and we have seen that from the comments made by hon. members, but in the absence of a firm commitment from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran to cease firing their missiles and rockets, I do not see how the fighting comes to an end.

I want to address one issue that is still leaving me scratching my head. In today's question period, the Leader of the Opposition asked if the government would declare that Israel has the right to defend itself. After all, the Islamic Republic of Iran sent some 200 missiles into Israel. The answer from the foreign affairs minister said nothing about Israel's right to defend itself. Instead, she said she had merely been in contact with her Israeli counterpart. Yes, she condemned the attack by Iran, which is the obvious thing to do, but the rest of her answer could hardly be construed as a robust support for our ally.

I would like the House to think about the declining state of our society here at home, with violence, non-peaceful protests, anti-Semitism and crime. What happens abroad deeply affects us here at home.

A number of hon. members have been rightly talking about how recent events have been affecting their constituents. In my riding of Toronto—St. Paul's, the terrible events in the Middle East have had a significant impact. The people I represent have told me that their kids are afraid to go to school, they do not feel safe in our streets and they are saddened and horrified by the repeated violence in the Middle East. There are some who stand against Israel, or at least the Israeli government. That is to be expected in a pluralistic society, but they are all united in their want of peace, their wish for a world without terrorists. A ceasefire is what they want, then peace.

Some hon. members will know from my first speech in this place that I do give considerable value to our country's history. That is why I was particularly impressed by the speech in this evening's debate by the hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills.

To that end, I would like to invoke the words of our former prime minister, the Right Hon. Brian Mulroney, as I conclude my remarks. He too was a steadfast defender of Israel. As recently as last year, he said, “I think that Canada could have only one position—complete, blanket support for Israel and unrelenting denunciation of a jihadist criminal group, namely Hamas.” We can certainly add Hezbollah to that list as well.

Let me be clear: No one wants war, no one outside the Islamic Republic of Iran, as we heard earlier tonight, but no one wants to be left open to the terrorism of Hezbollah either. These terrorist organizations have brought destruction and devastation across the Middle East for decades. It is time for them to end their attacks.

We stand with Israel, the only democracy in the region. Where I come from, democracies stick with each other.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I have a question for the member opposite about the arms embargo she would like to see placed on Israel. If she is calling for this, it must be her position that everybody should put an arms embargo on Israel, which would leave Israel exposed and open to attack from its adversaries.

Is that the way the member would like to see the world go, to have no arms in Israel so that it cannot defend itself?

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, last Sunday, I was able to spend the day with some indigenous people in my community to welcome the equinox, and it was quite a moving experience and I was glad to be able to do that. As far as what the Conservative Party will carry on, to help the indigenous people of the country, I think our leader said it earlier that it is about giving more autonomy to the indigenous people of Canada and less centralization and motherhood and fatherhood statements from the government.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her kind comments.

With the environmental concerns we do have, I would say that we are not living in a bubble inside Canada. We live in a competitive environment. We are starting to impose carbon taxes, for example, on Canadians alone to reduce carbon in the atmosphere. That puts us at a big disadvantage in our economy. The more our economy suffers, the more we are going to put at risk the rest of the social programs we hold dear. That is something we want to avoid.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I recently came off a by-election campaign and had the opportunity to knock on about 13,000 doors, which I am told is an extraordinarily high number for a candidate. The people at those doors were telling me that they are not happy with the direction the government is taking. They would like to see a change, and that is what Conservatives are going to offer the people of Canada when we have that carbon tax election.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I would like to let the hon. Minister of Finance be aware that during my election campaign, when she characterized me in front of a national audience as “cold, cruel and small”, she had it wrong. Throughout this speech, I think she will perhaps learn that I am a warm, generous and kind human being, but mis-characterization is the MO of the Liberal Party. I have only been here two weeks, and I have already seen it.

The day I was sworn in, I walked through the halls of West Block and something colourful caught my eye. It was the red head of a small five- or six-year-old boy who was getting a tour or walking around with his mom or his dad. The young boy was gazing around at these tall columns and the thick walls that hold up this endlessly high ceiling. I too feel not unlike that small red-headed boy when I take my place here in the Parliament of Canada.

Those thick walls represent to me the strong foundation upon which Canada has been built over many years, a foundation that was laid over those years, including before Canada the country came into being. For a nation like this one, we continue to build upon the foundation.

The great Sir Wilfrid Laurier put it well: “I want the marble to remain marble; the granite to remain granite; the oak to remain oak; and out of these elements, I would build a nation great among the nations of the world.”

I want to touch briefly upon those builders, whom we have come to identify as Canadians. The indigenous peoples were the original inhabitants of this land. We must continue our efforts toward reconciliation. First nations, Métis and Inuit, along with the people who came later, principally the French and English in the early days, laid the groundwork for what would become the Dominion of Canada. Given the lamentable state of Canadian history education in our country, I hesitate to call attention to some of the greatest citizens for fear of losing my audience at home, but for posterity's sake, and in recognition of what they did to help build this country, I will take that risk.

Some of the greats, while strictly speaking may not have been Canadians, were builders of this great land of what would become known as Canada: the great generals, Montcalm and Wolfe; Sir Isaac Brock and Sir Arthur Currie; scientists, like Banting and Best; and our early foundational prime ministers, MacDonald and Laurier. Let us not forget Colonel R.S. McLaughlin from Oshawa, my hometown.

Canadian heroes come from many walks of life. I am thinking of examples like Terry Fox; sports heroes like Wayne Gretzky or Tom Longboat; artists like Gord Downie and Ottawa's own, and a personal favourite, Paul Anka.

Of course, we have to make room for the more recent greats. Summer McIntosh impressed us all this summer at the Paris Olympics, not only with her phenomenal athleticism, but also with her grace and poise on the podium and elsewhere. I hear last month she was even old enough to vote.

All Canadians will have their own list of favourite great Canadians. The list to choose from is nearly endless. I encourage all of us to celebrate them in our own ways and not just in this place. We need more celebration of Canadian history. As the great historian Jack Granatstein wrote in his famous 1998 book, Who Killed Canadian History?, “History is memory, inspiration, and commonality—and a nation without memory is every bit adrift as an amnesiac wandering the streets. History matters, and we forget this truth at our peril.”

There is one more group of people I will also include in the list of great Canadians: the members, the veterans and the families of our Canadian Armed Forces: the army, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Navy and Special Operations Forces. We salute both the regular and reservists, who, in the words of Winston Churchill, are “twice the citizen”.

Our national foundation supports our aspirations for greatness and that is what we are in this place to do. That is what the people of Toronto—St. Paul's have asked me to do: preserve what we have and build something better.

We must focus on what unites us as Canadians and not on what divides us. We must not pick winners, but create an environment where anyone from anywhere can do anything. That is the Canadian promise. We also strive for peace, order and good government. This is the Canadian way. There are foundational Canadian values that we hold dear and must protect. These are the foundational Canadian values that appeared to be at risk in recent months.

I have witnessed, in our Canadian streets and on our Canadian campuses, so-called protests calling for the death of those in our Jewish community. They are sponsored by known terrorist-linked entities. This is not the Canadian way. When foundational Canadian values are under attack, we are all under attack.

However, this government supports the funding of those who would take on this anti-Canadian charge. Employees of UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, in part funded by the Canadian government, are known to have held hostages on October 7. Canada is, in part, paying the salaries of combatants who work for the Hamas terrorist regime. It was these same Hamas terrorists who murdered eight of our fellow citizens: good people from Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and elsewhere. Their names were Alexandre Look, Ben Mizrachi, Adi Vital-Kaploun, Shir Georgy, Vivian Silver, Netta Epstein, Tiferet Lapidot and Judih Weinstein Haggai. May their memories be a blessing.

There are still 101 hostages being held in Gaza and not all amongst the living. People held against their will, held in the darkness and dampness of a subterranean warren of war, a tunnel system created for the sole purpose of waging war. Every day, I think about those people held in captivity in those deplorable conditions, and I think, too, of the innocents of Gaza, used as human shields by an uncivilized terrorist organization. I encourage all in this place to do the same and give thought to these victims.

I made my remarks earlier about Canadian history and Canadian heroes because I care deeply about this country and its past, but I care equally about the future of this great nation. I got into political life not because I am crazy, but because I thought about my two daughters, Leah and Charlotte, both in their 20s. I thought about the kids I see in the park and the ones I see clinging to their mothers' legs when I knock on doors. I thought about the fact that they do not appear to have the same opportunities for success as young people did a generation ago. They do not have the same Canada. This is not the same Canada.

We must leave a country in better shape than we found it. Can we say that is true for the NDP-Liberal government members and the Liberal Prime Minister who took over nine years ago? Does anyone even believe they have what it takes? The economics of this country have become stagnant. The feeling of optimism has evaporated. The sense that Canada has a great destiny thrust into the intention of the future, as the philosopher George Grant put it, is absent.

I am here, thanks to the good people of Toronto—St. Paul's, to be a part of something bigger than any single one of us. I am here to help build a better country, one day at a time. I am here to work my hardest for the people of my riding, yes, but also for every last person in this country. Let us remember that as we engage in the great debates of our country. I am new and that is, perhaps, why I am filled with so much optimism. Optimism can take us a long way, and I am delighted to be here.