Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much, Mr. Nankivell, for being with us at such a late hour. We are very grateful to you, especially since we had a number of technical problems, which you had to experience with us despite the late hour.
I offer you my compliments for the quality of your French and for the attention you have paid to the work of this committee since the beginning. Since you have been attentive to the work of this committee, you are certainly aware that we have decided to proceed with an interim report, particularly in response to this urgent request we received to possibly welcome dissidents from Hong Kong who would need a refuge, given the application of the National Security Law.
The ambassador of the People's Republic of China, in a statement he made on October 15, warned Canada about the possible hosting of dissidents on its territory. We sense that the government of the People's Republic of China is putting pressure on all western democracies to refrain from hosting dissidents on their territory. The Federal Republic of Germany welcomed one dissident, which led to its representatives being admonished by the Hong Kong authorities that this was not the way to go.
In the circumstances, I cannot make assumptions as to the conclusions of this committee, but since it is likely that this committee will recommend to the Canadian government that dissidents from Hong Kong be welcomed and that mechanisms be put in place to allow them to find refuge in Canada, is there any preparation on your part for this eventuality, despite the pressure from the Hong Kong authorities and the People's Republic of China?