Thank you. It's a great pleasure to be here.
I'd like to begin by applauding Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau's decision to cancel 29 export permits on April 12 of this year. It was a decision that was required under the Arms Trade Treaty. It was the right decision, and good for Minister Garneau for taking that step.
I've been involved in this file since 1992, when I briefly worked in the legal office of what was then External Affairs Canada. Barbara McDougall was the minister, and the Mulroney government was pushing hard for a meaningful arms trade treaty to be negotiated at the United Nations.
A treaty did not come into effect until 2014, but it was in large part as a result of continued Canadian diplomacy and strong multipartisan support. This is not a partisan issue. We've been pushing for a meaningful arms trade treaty for three decades across all governments.
At the same time, as we seek to advance the Arms Trade Treaty, to protect human rights, and to protect international peace and security—