Mr. Speaker, I met recently with representatives of the SDF of Cameroun, a sister party of the NDP in the Socialist International, and from them I learned that many abuses are currently taking place without an appropriate international response, considering that the democratic institutions now in operation in the Cameroun are a result of conditions set by the IMF.
For example, only a small percentage of the eligible electorate is registered and in the last election there were blatant episodes of vote rigging, ballot tampering and the overturning of results that were not favourable to the governing party.
One wishes that the IMF enforced its democratic and political requirements as strongly as it does its structural adjustment and economic requirements.
I call on the Canadian government to use its membership in the many international forums of which it is a member to engage constructively with the Cameroun to improve its democratic institutions. Strengthened democratic structures will be well worth the investment if they can prevent the kind of bloodshed and civil strife we are seeing in parts of central Africa today.