Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank the ambassador for sharing this information with us. I want to express my sympathies to him, his staff and all Haitians as they go through this very difficult time.
I know, from the many Haitian Canadians to whom I've spoken, that this is an incredibly painful time. Obviously, Haiti is facing a horrendous humanitarian, political and economic crisis. Humanitarians to whom I've spoken have told me this is the worst...they have ever seen in Haiti. Of course, Haitian Canadians are very worried about their friends and families. Quite frankly, some are opposed to Canada's position.
Mr. Ambassador, I'm sure you're aware of the many criticisms of the Core Group. Many Haitians don't trust the intentions of the group and have accused it of interference in Haiti's domestic affairs. I'm sure you read Evan Dyer's piece last year on the resignation of Daniel Foote, who called it “international puppeteering” and said it was hubris for us to pick leadership in Haiti.
Ambassador, the Global Affairs website says the Core Group has a mandate to serve as the voice of the international community to the state of Haiti. Could you give me some sense of who gave the Core Group this mandate?