STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA AT AN EMERGENCY MEETING ON LIBYA

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the following remarks at an emergency meeting on Libya:

PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER ANNOUNCES HUMANITARIAN AID FOR LIBYA

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Date: March 2, 2011
For immediate release
PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER ANNOUNCES HUMANITARIAN AID FOR LIBYA

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that Canada is delivering up to $5 million in humanitarian aid to support the Libyan people.

“Canada is acting swiftly to help meet the humanitarian needs of the people of Libya which are a result of recent violence in that country,” said Prime Minister Harper.  “We are taking action to provide immediate humanitarian support to areas that need it most.”

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA ON THE ASSASSINATION OF PAKISTANI MINISTER SHAHBAZ BHATTI

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Date: March 2, 2011
For immediate release

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA ON THE ASSASSINATION OF PAKISTANI MINISTER SHAHBAZ BHATTI

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement expressing his condolences after the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Minister of Minorities:

“On behalf of our Government and Canadians across the country, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, and to the Pakistani people in the wake of his assassination. His death is a loss to the people of Pakistan and all those who shared his commitment to the promotion of tolerance and religious freedoms in that country.

Transcript of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, speaking with reporters on the evacuation efforts in Libya

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-March 1, 2011 House of Commons Foyer, Ottawa

Question: Minister, can you tell us about HMCS Charlottetown? What’s the role?


Hon. Peter MacKay: Sure. So as the Prime Minister just announced in the House, tomorrow morning we will have the HMCS Charlottetown which is a Halifax class frigate departing for the Mediterranean. We have 240 officers and sailors aboard her. As well there is a Canadian Forces Sea King helicopter and an air detachment that goes with that. And the intention here is obviously to provide the type of command and control in the region, to provide for the continued support of efforts, all efforts to remove Canadians, evacuate Canadians from Libya as well as support, if need be, certain humanitarian efforts.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon Takes Media Questions on the Situation in Libya and His Participation at the UN Human Rights Council Meeting in Geneva.

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-February 28, 2011, 3:00 p.m.
TRANSCRIPTION:

Operator:        Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  Welcome to the media update on the situation in Libya conference call.  Bonjour, mesdames et messieurs.  Bienvenue à l’appel conférence mise à jour sur la situation en Libye. I would now like to turn the meeting over to Ms. Melissa Lantsman.  Je cède maintenant la parole à Mme Melissa Lantsman.  Please go ahead.

Melissa Lantsman:    Bonjour, tout le monde.  Sorry we’re a little bit late calling from Geneva.  Just want to pass it over to Minister Cannon who will read a brief statement and take your questions afterwards.  Minister Cannon, go ahead. 

Good afternoon, everyone.  Over the last week, I have been travelling and meeting my counterparts on the pressing issues of the day, in particular the situation in Libya.  Last Wednesday in New York, I gave an address to the Council on Foreign Relations about the depth and the breadth of the Canada-U.S. relation.