Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank you folks for being here again this year. I'm disappointed that you had to come back, because it would have been nice if the situation of these folks had been addressed in the past year, but thank you for coming again.
Welcome again to Mr. Nguyen and Mr. Nguyen. I waited at the airport for three hours, until I had to catch a flight to Ottawa from the airport in Vancouver, and missed their arrival by two hours. We were getting a little worried. Maybe the committee will want to look at delays at clearing customs and immigration in Vancouver as a result of their experience. I unfortunately missed out on what I understand was a very happy reunion, but I'm glad they're able to be with us here today.
I also want to thank Patrick and his sister for testifying this afternoon.
I think we could have stepped up to the plate and done a better job than we have on this issue, and I still think that opportunity exists for Canada. I think the country of asylum class is the appropriate way to go, given the experience of these people. Don't accept that they aren't refugees by any definition or any standard in that case.
It's very important that the committee pursue this matter again, perhaps in exactly the same way we did last time. I think Canada can offer a final and enduring resolution to the terrible situation these folks find themselves in.
Just looking around the room, I'm also very moved by the support of the community. I think the strongest community representation we ever saw on any matter before the committee was last time, when the Vietnamese community came to show their support for this solution. It's moving because it's a community that, now that it has settled and is for the most part Canadian, has learned about the Canadian value on refugee resettlement. You experienced that generosity and now want to return that generosity. That's a tribute to our adaptation and to your adaptation, and to your adoption of Canadian values. It says good things about the Vietnamese community and good things about Canada in general. I wish the government would make it a little easier for the committee to take on the responsibility that they're so willing to undertake.
[Applause]
We don't usually have applause in committee. That's great, though. I enjoyed that.
Anyway, I think it's very important that we proceed, so I'm hoping we can make the appropriate representations to the current government and the current minister. Maybe we can get a different approach with the new minister.
I wanted to ask Mr. Mahoney to expand a little bit on the convention on statelessness and how it might be used in this circumstance.