This is meeting number 21 of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Wednesday, October 18. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are continuing our study on democratic development.
This is the committee's major study on Canada's role in international support for democratic development around the world. Today we are very pleased to have appear before us the Hon. Josée Verner, the Minister of International Cooperation. This is the minister's second appearance before our committee. We appreciate her responding to our invitation again and sharing her time with us. Today she will provide us with considerable information about the work we are doing in our democratic development study.
We also appreciate the work of the Canadian International Development Agency witnesses in accompanying the minister, CIDA President Robert Greenhill, and Stephen Wallace, vice-president of the policy branch. I think there are a number of other people in the background helping.
We welcome you, Madame Minister. As you know, we have the opening statement by the minister, and then we will go into the first round, during which committee members will have ten minutes to question you.
We welcome you again, and the floor is yours. Madame.