Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I appreciate the comments from all my colleagues.
To answer some of your questions, Madam McDonough, I will endeavour to get information to you on all of those subject matters.
The first question you put with respect to the young professionals international program I do want to clarify. As you mentioned, this program was cut previously, but was set to sunset in 2008. So a decision was made previously, upon coming to the department, that this program didn't merit further funding by the previous government. Having said that, we accelerated the sunset, but we have focused instead on the international youth internship program, which is a comparable program. It targets the same age group. It benefits a far larger number of Canadians, more than 20,000 in number, and we will continue to honour the recipients of those programs who were awarded those positions prior to this decision.
With respect to a shift away from some of the core responsibilities and some of, to use your words, “the competent calibre of diplomacy and personnel” that we have, that will continue. We continue to put emphasis on making meaningful contributions, whether it be through international fora, whether it be the United Nations, the Human Rights Commission, whether it be programs that are dedicated to further Canada's interests in areas of nuclear non-proliferation. We are signatories, as you know, to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. We continue, as you know--you participated at the department--efforts to bring people together at the department to forward Canada's position.