Thank you, Mr. Chair. If I may, I would like to put my questions to the CIDA people.
In your presentation, you said that humanitarian support to NGOs currently on the ground increased significantly this year. A number of witnesses have told the committee that Canada, among others, should increase its aid. Others have even said that the government should simplify CIDA procedures to get the money to its destination quicker and to kick-start small-scale projects.
If CIDA has only two people on the ground, how are the projects to help those most in need being coordinated in the short term? In the medium term, what can CIDA do to help resolve the deeper causes of the current conflict?
I also have a question for Mr. Sunquist. In a media release, the Minister of Foreign Affairsrefers to our High Commissioner in Colombo, Angela Bogdan, whom he reportedly instructed to continue Canada's engagement with the Sri Lankan government on the need for assistance to displaced persons. Could you provide more details on Ms. Bogdan's role and on the instructions she has been given, and relate them to what CIDA has done on the ground?