Mr. Chairman, as Mr. Coderre has asked some very relevant questions, and this concerns my amendment, I feel the need to respond.
First of all, with regard to the designation of countries, I relied on the work that was done by the Liberal critic, Mr. Bevilacqua, to ensure that there were a number of signposts to prevent the government from putting too many countries on the list.
I also would have preferred the term "designated countries" over "safe countries" because it's a more neutral term, with fewer implications of a diplomatic or international political nature, since a country would probably want to have that recognition.
With regard to the acceleration mechanism, you know I have often put questions about this to various stakeholders. Most people agree that it would be highly acceptable to have acceleration mechanisms for dubious cases or for which we would like to have a quicker decision. That moreover is the formal position of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which says it is in favour of a list of designated countries if it's for procedural purposes, not to strip people of rights.
I believe that, taken together, these two amendments will help achieve all objectives, and I hope I have the committee's support.