Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is a similar effort to ensure that, in dealing with states that are not party to the convention, Canada takes a very strong view of implementing the convention fully by not providing any direct or indirect financial assistance to a state that is not a party to the convention, where we could have a reasonable expectation that the use of that financial assistance would be towards the production, acquisition, use, maintenance, or transport of the prohibited weapons within the convention, so, cluster munitions, explosives, submunitions or explosive bomblets, except, again, with a legitimate exception, as witnesses have already mentioned, the importance of considering Canada's role in the destruction of such munitions.
So that's an exception within my fourth amendment to the bill, which would appear, again, in clause 6 after the existing paragraphs a) to h) list of prohibitions.
This is to more fully ensure that Canada's ratification to the convention and that our implementing legislation do everything possible to ensure that we close any loopholes for Canada's participation in direct or indirect financial support to the use, transport, or purchase of cluster munitions.
I think it's a very clear amendment. It's a financial amendment, so it doesn't interfere with some of the other exceptions that appear in the bill, and I hope that in that light, it could receive the support of this committee.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.