Thank you, Chair, and thank you to our guests. I look forward to the return call next week or whenever. I appreciate that.
I'm actually delighted to hear that the foreign affairs minister, Minister Cannon, will be going, which is something I've certainly advocated. We know that the foreign affairs minister of France and Britain's Mr. Miliband was there. I was going to ask whether or not we had plans to do that, and that question has been answered through the parliamentary secretary.
The question then is about what message we're sending. One of the concerns that's come from Mr. Miliband and his colleague, as well as the UN, is that when they try to get the Sri Lankan government to cooperate on the ground, their words are falling on deaf ears. We are then in that space where we're really turning up the heat and turning up the volume. We have a government that seems to be turning away from international pressure. That's why I think it was really important that we have our foreign affairs minister show up. We do have the largest diaspora in the world, so we do have a special relationship and therefore a special responsibility to do something here. I'm hopeful that Minister Cannon will be able to do what the others have been attempting to do, and that is to get a ceasefire that allows for a humanitarian corridor to be opened.
Not only is it important to have access for the humanitarian aid.... Obviously, if we commit this aid but we can't get it through, as we heard from the Red Cross, it is a moot point. I think that's the critical piece, getting the access. I don't think there is any disagreement about opening up a humanitarian corridor.
The other piece is a political piece, so maybe to you, Mr. Sunquist—and I'm not sure if you can answer this, but you'll determine that. That is about the ability to tell the Sri Lankan government that if they don't stop what they're doing now and allow media and UN observers in, then they're going to be vulnerable to charges of war crimes. I say that with measure, because right now you have a government that is not allowing the humanitarian corridor to be opened and they're not allowing media in. My point would be, what they are hiding? I'm wondering if the Canadian government has been working with our partners to say that if they're going to be responsible members in the world community, then they have to open up to let the international community in to see what's going on. Otherwise, they're vulnerable here for charges under the Geneva Convention.