Thank you very much to both of you for being here with your very compelling testimony. Putting a face to this issue is...of course Mr. Fahmy is always very compelling. Those of us who have had to talk to the families of those like Bashir Makhtal who has been gone for so many years...they have worries about his health. Particularly as members of Parliament we often feel what more can we do? I think everyone around this table would like to do more.
What you've done in this protection charter is extremely helpful because it gives us tangible things we can look at, analyze, and see what can be done. I appreciate, Mr. Neve, that you talked about the areas where there has been progress. I think you mentioned death penalty cases, national security oversight, the work toward the optional protocol and intergovernmental networks, and the treatment of dual citizens.
I think our government has been very clear that a Canadian is a Canadian and in trying to minimize the inconsistencies. At the same time, when I hear there is no obligation for consular assistance, that flies in the face of the Vienna convention and a number of rights that people have.
Could you talk a little about what it would look like if we eliminated the crown prerogative, which says there is no obligation to come to assistance? Also, have you seen progress in the last few years in treating everybody the same? If you're a Canadian citizen, you have the right to have your government come to your aid if you're in a very difficult situation like this.