Mr. Chair, let's just say this. The Prime Minister of Canada and the Minister of International Cooperation have both expressed their regret on this issue. They expressed a regret about this incident, and Mr. Diouf has accepted the regret and has said he was very satisfied and felt that his visit to Canada was very productive. He was given a great welcome in Winnipeg, wherever he went. I think that's suffice to say that we have done what we were supposed to do as a government and we have done it in doing that. I think it falls on us to act a little bit more responsibly on this issue, because it impacts all of Canada. When we have done it and we have stated it was a regrettable incident, and where Mr. Diouf himself has accepted the fact that despite the incident he had a great time--as he said in the speech he made--and that he wants the matter to be closed, I think it would be a good idea at this given stage to close the matter.
On May 16th, 2006. See this statement in context.