Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Minister, thank you for being here. I understand that you were anxiously awaiting your appearance before the committee today and I thank you for that.
At the February 7, 2022, meeting of the Special Committee on Afghanistan, I first asked a question about Canadian NGOs not being able to do their work on the ground in Afghanistan under Canada's Criminal Code. On February 17, 2022, I sought unanimous consent to introduce a motion to permit Canadian NGOs to do their work on the ground without fear of prosecution, and as I understood it, the cabinet blocked that motion. Subsequently, a number of ministers and NGOs appeared before the committee.
So the problem was identified quite some time ago. Why did it take so long for this bill to be introduced, Mr. Minister?