Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good day, Minister.
To allow democracy to take root is to give people an opportunity to take charge of their destiny and establish institutions. Canada, through CIDA, is actively providing aid to a number of countries, whether by advising them on legal matters or on good governance. A number of countries, China in particular, benefit from CIDA's assistance. Canada has poured more than $265 million into China to aid democracy's cause. Has a report been produced on the aid supplied? Is CIDA accountable for the way in which these millions in aid dollars are spent?
Secondly, neither Canada nor CIDA has a policy statement on democratic development. Are there plans to formulate such a policy statement?
Lastly, with respect to Afghanistan, the government is assuming that at some point in time, the Afghans will take responsibility for security within their country's border. Has Canada planned for the transfer of this responsibility to the Afghan forces? How will the transfer be carried out?