Bravo!
Thank you very much, Mr. Blais, Mr. Lambert and Mr. Tougas.
The Congo is a huge country, geographically speaking, and the Kivu region is quite far from Kinshasa. I have never been there, but my colleague Mr. Dewar has just returned.
Mr. Tougas, you talked to us about the importance of Canadian mining companies in that region and the difficulties they have at present negotiating with the government, particularly since there are very few benefits for the population and for the government. That is what I understood.
In the DRC, is the fighting limited to the Kivu region or is there fighting elsewhere in the country?
You also said that, starting in 2008, there was no longer a Canadian special envoy in the DRC and that there was only a special advisor for Central Africa. Central Africa is an extremely vast region, so ultimately this means that there is no special envoy or advisor for the DRC as such. It's as simple as that.
Would the appointment of a special advisor ensure better understanding and, then, better ability to find solutions along with other European partners?
Do you think that the African Union is throwing spanners in the works, with regard to northern nations finding solutions for Africa? By the African Union, I mean in particular Libya, headed by Mr. Khadafi whom I mentioned earlier.