Thank you, Chair.
Before I ask the formal question, I would just like to say a few words. Over the last three days, we have heard very powerful and moving testimonies from vulnerable and internally displaced groups around the world. These were very difficult and heart-breaking stories that call for action. Our committee will be reflecting on these stories as we prepare our report for the fall, which I hope will include comprehensive recommendations for a framework to help these communities.
We need to recognize the urgent crisis faced by the vulnerable communities and persons today. This urgency is why the committee unanimously decided to hold these meetings in the summer. Canada has been held up as a world leader for our response to the Syrian refugees. I thank you all for the work that you have done on that, and I hope Canada will continue to be a leader in responding to the concerns we have heard this week from a lot of different groups.
As mentioned by my colleague, during the last three days we have heard from several witnesses about restoring the source country program. Many people have said that this would be a good mechanism to allow Canada to assist vulnerable and internally displaced persons. But we also heard that the program as previously constituted was in need of reform to be more effective in achieving these goals.
Further to my colleague's question, would you expand on how you see the source country program in the context of assisting these populations? What modifications would you recommend to make it more effective in this regard?