Critic Responsibilities

QUESTION PERIOD - HOUSE OF COMMONS

Mr. Wayne Marston (Hamilton East≈Stoney Creek, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, China recently executed Ismail Semed, a Uyghur activist. With this troubling news, I fear for the life of Huseyin Celil, a Canadian being held captive in China.

We do not have time for more excuses. The Department of Foreign Affairs has failed to represent this man. It did not attend the court hearing. I understand the minister is furious, but fury and anger will not help Huseyin Celil.

Can the government tell Canadians today when the next court date is that so that Chinese officials know that Canadians will be watching to see that our citizens' rights are respected?

MARSTON RENEWS CALL FOR ALL-PARTY DELEGATION TO CHINA ON CELIL CASE

Ottawa – During Question Period, Wayne Marston MP (Hamilton East – Stoney Creek) called on the Harper government to send an all-party delegation to China to monitor and advocate for consular access to, and a fair trial for, Huseyin Celil.

“Canada’s government has failed to gain access and Foreign Affairs officials failed to show at his hearings. Fury and anger such as we’ve seen from the Prime Minister this week will not help Huseyin Celil. We need to show China that we’re serious about protecting our citizens – we need to send an all-party delegation with high level officials to monitor the trial and treatment of Celil.” said Marston.

From the House of Commons Hansard

Mr. Wayne Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, as you have heard in the House already, February is Black History Month.

Black Canadians have long been at the forefront of Canada's successes as a nation at home and abroad. Ordinary hard-working Canadians, such as the railway porters, have played a major role in the struggle for equality and black rights. Through their unions black porters were at the forefront as community leaders fighting for employment equity and human rights.

My hometown, Hamilton, has seen many important milestones for black Canadians over the years.

PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: 2007.01.25

BYLINE: Debra Black
SOURCE: Toronto Star

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NDP critic urges aid for Somali-Canadian

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NDP human rights critic Wayne Marston is calling on the Harper government to take immediate action to secure consular access for a Canadian citizen who was illegally detained by Kenya, then shipped to Ethiopia without due process.

Bashir Makhtal was arrested on the Kenya-Somalia border in late December and held in a Nairobi prison for more than three weeks before he was whisked away to Somalia and on to Ethiopia. According to documents filed with the Kenyan court, Makhtal said he was seeking "a transit visa to enable exit to Canada" when he was arrested. He was put on a plane to Mogadishu two days before his court date.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HARPER MUST ACT AGAINST TORTURE: NDP
Human Rights groups join NDP Critic in calling for action on the Optional Protocol Against Torture

Ottawa – NDP Human Rights Critic Wayne Marston (Hamilton East – Stoney Creek) was today joined by Secretary-General of Amnesty International Alex Neve, Kim Pate of the Elizabeth Fry Society, and Abdullah Almalki, a victim of torture in Syria, to call on the Conservative government to take immediate action and ratify the United Nations’ Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT).

“The protocol came into effect eighteen months ago, but for some reason both the Liberal and the Conservative governments have failed to ratify the optional protocol. Its hard to understand why a democratic government wouldn’t want to do everything it can to prevent and eliminate torture,” said Marston.

Mr. Wayne Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, NDP): First of all, I want to say that I feel honoured by your presence here today.

Because of our parliamentary style of democracy here, you will find that oftentimes in our discussions we don't agree with members of the government, even though their interest here in particularly Mr. Celil's case is certainly commendable. One thing I'm very concerned about is ethical trade. Human rights should take a priority at all times.

I've been calling for a special envoy, a parliamentary delegation perhaps, to go to China to take up Mr. Celil's case. Would you see that as being effective?

Mr. Wayne Marston (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, NDP): I'm going to pick my words carefully here, and you'll understand in a second. I want to tell Mr. Houlden that I agree with his evaluation that there are some areas of human rights that are improving and some that are going downhill.

I met last week with a person from Hong Kong who works underground in China with the civil society groups. This is why I'm going to choose my words carefully. This person was telling me that they believe in the last 15 years there has been a fairly significant change in human rights and that there have been improvements. What this person spoke about, though, was that it seems the military or the police in certain districts are more offensive than in others in the area of human rights. It's almost like the government itself doesn't have that control; it's not systemic through the government.

NDP FIGHTS FOR CONTINUED AIDS FUNDING
MPs Demand Federal Government Keep Its Promises on World AIDS Day

HAMILTON – Hamilton’s NDP MPs are pleased that the federal government has finally announced new money for HIV/AIDS but say that the announcement is just a first step.

The Minister’s announcement comes on the heels of a motion introduced by the NDP in the House of Commons on Wednesday urging the Conservative government to finally commit new money for the fight against HIV/AIDS and allow cheaper generic drugs to be produced for use in Canada and abroad.

“It is important that an announcement has finally been made,” said Hamilton Centre MP David Christopherson. “I was dismayed when our own Prime Minister refused to come to participate in the International AIDS Conference and even more so when no new funding was announced.”

In the House of Commons

Mr. Wayne Marston (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, NDP) :

Mr. Speaker, Huseyincan Celil is a Canadian. The Chinese government is holding him against our country's will and it has violated international law. It does not get more serious than this. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister has suggested a high level diplomatic delegation be sent to China to secure his release. The Celil family has requested one.

When will the government send a diplomatic mission to China to ensure consular access and when will the Prime Minister appoint a special envoy to stand up for this Canadian?

NDP CALLS FOR SPECIAL HUMAN RIGHTS ENVOY TO CHINA
Marston calls on Conservatives to stand up for Canadian Huseyin Celil

OTTAWA – During Question Period today, the NDP Human Rights critic Wayne Marston (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek) made an emotional plea for a Canadian diplomatic envoy to advocate for Huseyin Celil, the Canadian citizen illegally detained in a Chinese prison.

“The Parliamentary Secretary has spent his career agitating for human rights in China any past victory will be for nothing if this Canadian is murdered in China,” said Marston. “Huseyin Celil will never come home to his wife and children if this government doesn’t do more than talk about human rights when it is politically expedient.”