Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Now that we are no longer in camera, I will read the motion:
That the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development gives an official apology to His Excellency Mr. Abdou Diouf, about the disrespectful treatment which he received upon his arrival in Canada and recommends that the Canadian government does the same.
You all know what happened last week, when Mr. Abdou Diouf landed in Canada. This motion does not aim to set out in detail the problems he had upon his arrival in Toronto, in other words the body search and the interaction he had with security officials. We are simply of the view that the government blundered: the Minister for International Cooperation, who is also Minister for the Francophonie and Official Languages, did not go to Toronto as she should have done.
We believe that as the committee that is concerned by this matter, we must adopt a motion. It was disrespectful, and we ask Canada to apologize.
It is rather simple, really. We do not want to delve any more deeply into the issue nor discuss racial profiling in any way. We simply note that there was a problem and want to settle the issue with an apology.
Thank you.