As you know, Africa is close to my heart. I think that was my first official trip, to Africa. I think it was with the Aswan Forum, and then I went to Senegal; I went to Ethiopia; I went to Mali to talk about the MINUSMA and our troops there. For me, Africa is very important.
Often I say demography is destiny. If you look at the demographic trend in Africa, clearly it is a place where Canada has a special role to play in my view. We have deep historical relationships, and you know I've said many times that we should also be looking at the African continental free trade area, which I've been talking about. I spoke almost regularly to the president of the African Union and a number of foreign ministers in Africa.
In terms of our posture, as I said, Mr. Harris, we are always looking at ways we can complement our posture in Africa. I think the future is certainly very much in Africa and our presence is significant to make sure we can promote Canadian interests, values and principles.