Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion.The Canadian Press
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POLITICS BRIEFING
By Chris Hannay (@channay)
The federal government will lift sanctions and seek to normalize relations with Iran, the Liberals have announced. The news came from Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion yesterday in the House of Commons. It's rare that what happens in Question Period makes news, so here is that full exchange, for the record.
Tony Clement, Conservative foreign affairs critic:
"Mr. Speaker, it has been reported that Bombardier was trying to do business in Iran despite the fact that Canada has strict sanctions in place.
"There are legitimate reasons for these sanctions, such as threats to Israel's existence and Iran's support of terrorism.
"Does Bombardier know something that the rest of Canada does not? Has the government already lifted sanctions against Iran?"
Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion:
"Mr. Speaker, it is true that the United Nations has asked the countries involved to lift the sanctions imposed under the agreement to ensure that Iran does not use nuclear capabilities for military reasons.
"Canada will therefore lift these sanctions, but will continue to mistrust a regime that must not obtain nuclear weapons, poses a threat to human rights, and is not a friend of our allies, Israel in particular.
"Therefore, we will comply with the United Nations' request with our eyes open."
Peter Kent, Conservative foreign affairs deputy critic:
"Mr. Speaker, Iran has a long history as a bad actor in the Middle East. Iran provides military assistance to the Assad regime in Syria. Iran's supreme leader routinely threatens the destruction of Israel. Reopening our Canadian mission in Tehran would put Canadian foreign service workers at risk.
"Will the government abandon plans to normalize relations with Iran and keep sanctions in place?"
Mr. Dion:
"Mr. Speaker, with the misleading approach of the former government, Canada is not in Iran. It is not good for the people of Iran, it is not good for the promotion of human rights, it is not good for our strategic interests in the region, it is not good for Israel. It is good for nobody. We will change this policy."
After Question Period, reporters asked Mr. Dion whether Bombardier would be allowed into the Iran market as soon as sanctions are lifted. "If Airbus is able to do it, why Bombardier would not be able to do it? In which way it's helping Canada or the Iranian people or Israel or anyone that Canada is hurting its own industry? Merci beaucoup," he said.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS MORNING
> Israel's ambassador to Canada, Rafael Barak, warned that Iran "remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world." But "there is no justification for Canada to be standing alone after the U.S., the Europeans and others have normalized relations with Iran," John Manley, president and CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, told The Globe's Robert Fife.
> Veteran Middle East correspondent Patrick Martin points out relations with Iran haven't been "normal" in quite some time.
> A U.S. company's takeover of a Canadian telecommunications network that carries sensitive government data is raising security concerns. "The 45-day period during which the government could raise national security concerns has passed," a government spokesperson said. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains declined to explain why a national security review wasn't conducted.
> A pair of National Bank economists argue the federal deficit could climb to $50-billion over two years.
> Hundreds of internal investigations against RCMP officers are conducted and never made public, BuzzFeed Canada reports.
> Two Ontario Liberals charged in the gas-plant scandal have court appearances today.
> And Roy MacGregor takes a look at the latest skirmish in the Battle of Ottawa's LeBreton Flats.
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WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
"Canada, Mr. Trudeau preened [in Davos], is full of bustling entrepreneurship, world-class universities, a thriving biotechnology sector, a high-technology hub – just the place for people and companies with lots of money to invest. Were that it were true, comparatively speaking. You can't knock a leader for a sales job. And you gotta love your country and all that. But Canada is not an island. It is one among many countries looking for investment. The Trudeau sales pitch notwithstanding, just where and how does Canada have a comparative advantage?" – Jeffrey Simpson (for subscribers) on investing in Canada.
André Picard (Globe and Mail): "What possible justification could there be for saying that indigenous kids and their parents deserve one-third less for social services, particularly given that a) welfare payments are already pitifully low, b) social supports are more often a crying need on-reserve than off, and c) life on [reserves] is costly." (for subscribers)
Lysiane Gagnon (Globe and Mail): "[For Pierre Karl Péladeau,] 2016 looks as if it is becoming another annus horribilis."
David Akin (Sun): "While Trudeau is officially neutral on any pipeline project pending regulatory reviews, there are now enough signs to conclude that, if TransCanada does its bit and satisfies soon-to-be toughened environmental and safety regulations, the government appears ready to help create what Trudeau's inner circle calls the 'social licence' without which pipeline projects will not succeed."
Neil Macdonald (CBC): "No, the only possible rationale for why Ottawa spent more than $5-million trying to quash a complaint that the government of Canada was systematically discriminating against native children in providing child welfare services was because it knew there wouldn't be any uproar; the Canadian public itself just doesn't care enough about aboriginal problems."
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Chris Hannay