Currently, our diplomatic footprint is really quite shallow, in my view. I think we have 17 missions and five trade missions on the African continent. Then we have the permanent mission at the African Union.
Mr. Chair, one of the things I think we usually miss out on when it comes to Canada's relationship with Africa is regional economic communities. They are the building blocks of the African Union. In fact, you can't leave the middle and go to the top alone.
That is why I would like to strongly recommend that Canada look at expanding its Canada-African Union high-level dialogue to include the regional economic communities and, most importantly, establish permanent commissions there, because they are the building blocks.
Finally, when it comes to peace and security, there is the African Standby Force, which deploys for peacekeeping operations in the regional economic communities. They deploy the forces. We need to really see it from that angle.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.