Good afternoon, colleagues. This is meeting number 15 of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Today we continue with our review of key elements of Canadian foreign policy. We are hearing from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency for their latest updates on the situation in Sri Lanka.
As our first witness in the first hour, we have, from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ken Sunquist, assistant deputy minister and chief trade commissioner; Greg Giokas, acting director general of the Southeast Asia and Oceania Bureau; and Leslie E. Norton, director of the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Response Group.
From the Canadian International Development Agency, we have Syed Sajjadur Rahman, director general, Asia; and Stephen Salewicz, acting director, International Humanitarian Assistance Directorate.
I will also tell you that we have Melanie Alton, assistant director of planning for the India, Nepal, Sri Lanka division.
On your agenda it doesn't specifically make note of the Sri Lanka issue, but that is certainly why we have called the departments to come to our committee today.
Our intention is that if we have time we will go to committee business. I say that jokingly; we will have time and we will go to committee business at roughly 5:15 p.m. or 5:20 p.m.
Welcome to both departments. Thank you for amalgamating. I think we can all stretch this thing out a little longer rather than cutting off one department at 4:30 p.m. We appreciate you doing that. We also look forward to your comments on it. We apologize for being late, as we had votes in the House of Commons.
I will welcome our first to appear on the agenda, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.