Thank you very much for being here today.
I think all members of Parliament, regardless of side in the House of Commons, find some of the consular cases that come into their offices some of the most stressful for the families involved. On behalf of the official opposition, I want to thank your teams for the work they do, in some cases in very troubling areas of the world.
I have a few specific questions with respect to the Prime Minister's statement and policy in the recent G20 meetings in terms of paying ransom for kidnapping in consular cases. It is my understanding that, in the past, these cases were not discussed publicly, so payments or communications between third parties or organizations representing the kidnappers were never discussed publicly. Certainly we saw the murder of two Canadians shortly after this stated policy from the Prime Minister.
Has that policy changed the way you handle consular cases abroad?