Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, thank you for joining us.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the public service for their work, since it's National Public Service Week. I know that everyone here today works hard, and so do the people at Global Affairs Canada and in other departments.
I would like to talk about Haiti. You spoke about Haiti in your opening remarks. I also want to ask you a quick question about Canada and the francophonie.
As you said, the government has provided over $450 million in ongoing bilateral assistance, humanitarian assistance and multilateral funding. For some time now, under your leadership, the government has been promoting efforts to implement the United Nations‑backed Gang Suppression Force in Haiti. Furthermore, it has demonstrated a commitment to the Haitian people. We want to ensure their security and sovereignty. They want this as well.
I know that you have worked a great deal with allies and contributor countries to promote the troops' efforts and the humanitarian operations. Some of these countries include El Salvador, Chad, Bangladesh, Guatemala and Côte d'Ivoire. You will be attending the General Assembly of the Organization of American States next week in Panama.
Can you talk about the next steps or the steps currently under way?
You're making other efforts to rally allies and to move forward with the Gang Suppression Force in Haiti.
Can you tell us what role Canada plans to play in Haiti's rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts?