I'd like to come back to the question that was asked by our colleague Mr. Epp.
I felt that you tried to convince us that Canada was very active in Africa. Yet, by your own admission, this is not the case. Indeed, Global Affairs Canada's discussion paper on the future of diplomacy states that “Africa remains the continent with the most promising prospects for economic growth and where Canada remains under-represented”.
In fact, only one of Canada's 10 largest diplomatic missions, in terms of size, is located in Africa, in Nairobi, Kenya. First, one might ask why Kenya was chosen, but also why there's only one in Africa and why there's so little diplomatic representation.
Also, in terms of economic co-operation, we have free trade agreements with North American countries, other countries in the Americas, European countries, Indo-Pacific countries, but none with a country in Africa.
What explains this apparent lack of interest in Africa?