Alice Wong, MP

The following was a joint press release between the federal Western Economic Diversification Canada and provincial Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development:

DIGITAL GATEWAY OPENS AT ROBSON SQUARE

VANCOUVER – The Digital Gateway, an interactive digital wall and the latest attraction at the British Columbia Showcase at Robson Square, was opened today by Iain Black, Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development and Alice Wong, Member of Parliament for Richmond and Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism.

“I am pleased that we are able to celebrate the launch of the Digital Gateway installation at Robson Square today,” said Wong on behalf of the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification. “This project is just one example of the opportunities the Games will provide to showcase the exciting business and high technology opportunities in western Canada.”

Located adjacent to the skating rink at GE Plaza, the 33.5-metre- (110-foot) long Digital Gateway whisks visitors on a virtual tour highlighting the innovation of companies thriving in Western Canada. Seventeen animated stories are revealed and controlled by the audience as they move through the Corridor. Forty-five infrared sensors pick-up and react to motions and actions, resulting in changes to the animation, sounds and visuals. Effects speed-up or slow-down based on the speed and the movement of the audience. Switch Interactive, a Vancouver firm, was selected to design the interactive program.

“Vancouver is the place to be in 2010 and the heart of the action is at Robson Square,” said Black. “More than 50 events will take place in the BC Showcase during the time of the Games. The Digital Gateway will show visiting business delegations and VIPs what Western Canada, especially British Columbia, is all about from a trade and investment perspective.”

Funding of $1.9 million for the corridor and Robson Square spaces was provided by the governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Canada-British Columbia Western Economic Partnership Agreement (WEPA).

Under WEPA, both Canada and British Columbia are contributing $25 million each, over four years, to strengthen economic activity and improve quality of life in western Canadian communities.

For more information about British Columbia Showcase, including a video, please visit http://www.2010commercecentre.com/About/Facilities/BCShowcase.aspx.

Words from Alice Wong, MP:

I personally want to express my deepest condolences to the many in Haiti who have suffered so tragically from this recent disaster. Our sincerest hope is that we can mobilize relief efforts in an efficient and expedient manner to alleviate their pain and suffering. Our thoughts, prayers, and material resources are all focused on assisting them in their time of need.

Here is a brief summary of information from the Canadian government concerning the earthquake in Haiti:

(Note this post only contains information up to January 15, 2010; for subsequent information, please refer to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency)

Statements:
Statement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper – January 13, 2010
Statement by Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the situation in Haiti – January 14, 2010
Statement by Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), on the situation in Haiti – January 14, 2010
Ministerial Statement (Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs) on Haiti – January 15
Statement by Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, on the situation in Haiti – January 15

Donation Information:
Donation Information for victims of earthquake in Haiti
Government of Canada to Match Generosity of Canadians in Response to the Devastating Earthquake in Haiti – and – FAQs – Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund

Humanitarian Aid:
Canadian Forces – Operation HESTIA
The Canadian Response to the Earthquake in Haiti

As a result of some inquiries made to this office with respect to the issue of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, we inform people that on March 13, 2008, the House of Commons adopted a motion on Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan. The exact wording of the motion is as follows:

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Whereas,

the House recognizes the important contribution and sacrifice of
Canadian Forces and Canadian civilian personnel as part of the UN
mandated, NATO-led mission deployed in Afghanistan at the request of
the democratically elected government of Afghanistan;

the House believes that Canada must remain committed to the people of
Afghanistan beyond February 2009;

the House takes note that in February 2002, the government took a
decision to deploy 850 troops to Kandahar to join the international
coalition that went to Afghanistan to drive out the Taliban in the
wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and that this
deployment lasted for six months at which time the troops rotated out
of Afghanistan and returned home;

the House takes note that in February 2003, the government took a
decision that Canada would commit 2000 troops and lead for one year,
starting in the summer of 2003, the International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF) in Kabul and at the end of the one-year commitment,
Canada’s 2000 troop commitment was reduced to a 750-person
reconnaissance unit as Canada’s NATO ally, Turkey, rotated into Kabul
to replace Canada as the lead nation of the ISAF mission;

the House takes note that in August 2005, Canada assumed
responsibility of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar
province which included roughly 300 Canadian Forces personnel;

the House takes note that the government took a decision to commit a
combat Battle Group of roughly 1200 troops to Kandahar for a period of
one year, from February 2006 to February 2007;

the House takes note that in January 2006, the government
participated in the London Conference on Afghanistan which resulted in
the signing of the Afghanistan Compact which set out benchmarks and
timelines until the end of 2010 for improving the security, the
governance and the economic and social development of Afghanistan;

the House takes note that in May 2006, Parliament supported the
government’s two year extension of Canada’s deployment of diplomatic,
development, civilian police and military personnel in Afghanistan and
the provision of funding and equipment for this extension;

the House welcomes the Report of the Independent Panel on Canada’s
Future Role in Afghanistan, chaired by the Honourable John Manley, and
recognizes the important contribution its members have made;

the House takes note that it has long been a guiding principle of
Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan that all three components of a
comprehensive government strategy–defence, diplomacy and
development–must reinforce each other and that the government must
strike a balance between these components to be most effective;

the House takes note that the ultimate aim of Canadian policy is to
leave Afghanistan to Afghans, in a country that is better governed,
more peaceful and more secure and to create the necessary space and
conditions to allow the Afghans themselves to achieve a political
solution to the conflict; and

the House takes note that in order to achieve that aim, it is
essential to assist the people of Afghanistan to have properly
trained, equipped and paid members of the four pillars of their
security apparatus: the army, the police, the judicial system and the
correctional system;

therefore, it is the opinion of the House,

that Canada should continue a military presence in Kandahar beyond
February 2009, to July 2011, in a manner fully consistent with the UN
mandate on Afghanistan, and that the military mission should consist
of:

(a) training the Afghan National Security Forces so that they can
expeditiously take increasing responsibility for security in Kandahar
and Afghanistan as a whole;

(b) providing security for reconstruction and development efforts in Kandahar;

(c) the continuation of Canada’s responsibility for the Kandahar
Provincial Reconstruction Team;

that, consistent with this mandate, this extension of Canada’s
military presence in Afghanistan is approved by this House expressly
on the condition that:

(a) NATO secure a battle group of approximately 1000 to rotate into
Kandahar (operational no later than February 2009);

(b) to better ensure the safety and effectiveness of the Canadian
contingent, the government secure medium helicopter lift capacity and
high performance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance before February 2009; and

(c) the government of Canada notify NATO that Canada will end its
presence in Kandahar as of July 2011, and, as of that date, the
redeployment of Canadian Forces troops out of Kandahar and their
replacement by Afghan forces start as soon as possible, so that it
will have been completed by December 2011;

that the government of Canada, together with our allies and the
government of Afghanistan, must set firm targets and timelines for the
training, equiping of the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National
Police, the members of the judicial system and the members of the
correctional system

that Canada’s contribution to the reconstruction and development of
Afghanistan should:

(a) be revamped and increased to strike a better balance between our
military efforts and our development efforts in Afghanistan;

(b) focus on our traditional strengths as a nation, particularly
through the development of sound judicial and correctional systems and
strong political institutions on the ground in Afghanistan and the
pursuit of a greater role for Canada in addressing the chronic fresh
water shortages in the country;

(c) address the crippling issue of the na2istently undermines
progress in Afghanistan, through the pursuit of solutions that do not
further alienate the goodwill of the local population;

(d) be held to a greater level of accountability and scrutiny so that
the Canadian people can be sure that our development contributions are
being spent effectively in Afghanistan;

that Canada should assert a stronger and more disciplined diplomatic
position regarding Afghanistan and the regional players, including
support for the naming of a special envoy to the region who could both
ensure greater coherence in all diplomatic initiatives in the region
and also press for greater coordination amongst our partners in the UN
in the pursuit of common diplomatic goals in the region;

that the government should provide the public with franker and more
frequent reporting on events in Afghanistan, offering more assessments
of Canada’s role and giving greater emphasis to the diplomatic and
reconstruction efforts as well as those of the military and, for
greater clarity, the government should table in Parliament detailed
reports on the progress of the mission in Afghanistan on a quarterly
basis;

that the House of Commons should strike a special parliamentary
committee on Afghanistan which would meet regularly with the Ministers
of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and National Defence and
senior officials, and that the House should authorize travel by the
special committee to Afghanistan and the surrounding region so that
the special committee can make frequent recommendations on the conduct
and progress of our efforts in Afghanistan;

that, the special parliamentary committee on Afghanistan should
review the laws and procedures governing the use of operational and
national security exceptions for the withholding of information from
Parliament, the Courts and the Canadian people with those responsible
for administering those laws and procedures, to ensure that Canadians
are being provided with ample information on the conduct and progress
of the mission; and

that with respect to the transfer of Afghan detainees to Afghan
authorities, the government must:

(a) commit to meeting the highest NATO and international standards
with respect to protecting the rights of detainees, transferring only
when it believes it can do so in keeping with Canada’s international
obligations;

(b) pursue a NATO-wide solution to the question of detainees through
diplomatic efforts that are rooted in the core Canadian values of
respect for human rights and the dignity of all people;

(c) commit to a policy of greater transparency with respect to its
policy on the taking of and transferring of detainees including a
commitment to report on the results of reviews or inspections of
Afghan prisons undertaken by Canadian officials; and

that the government must commit to improved interdepartmental
coordination to achieve greater cross-government coherence and
coordination of the government’s domestic management of our commitment
to Afghanistan, including the creation of a full-time task force which
is responsible directly to the Prime Minister to lead these efforts.

The next Throne Speech will be on March 3, 2010 and a Budget on March 4, 2010.