The other line of questioning has been trying to elicit from Monsieur O'Donoghue, Monsieur Leroux, and Madame Lavergne their advice on how Canada should deal with the issue of political prisoners.
I would hope we could find a consensus somewhere here that engagement should include appropriate political and diplomatic pressure for the release of political prisoners.
In any event, let me just summarize the recommendations made by Christine Chanet in her report to the UN human rights commission. She recommends the following:
Halt the prosecution of citizens who are exercising the rights guaranteed under the...[UN] Declaration of Human Rights;
Release detained persons who have not committed acts of violence against individuals and property;
Review laws which lead to criminal prosecutions of persons exercising their freedom of expression, assembly and association, [etc.]...;
Uphold, without exception, the moratorium on the application of the death penalty...with a view to...[its] abolition...;
Reform the rules of criminal procedure to bring them into line with the requirements of...the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Establish a standing independent body...[to receive] complaints from persons claiming that their fundamental rights have been violated;
Review the regulations relating to travel into and out of Cuba in order to guarantee freedom of movement...;
Authorize non-governmental organizations to enter Cuba;
Foster pluralism in respect of associations, trade unions, organs of the press and political parties in Cuba;
--and finally--
Accede to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its optional protocols and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Those are the recommendations that the special rapporteur has made to the United Nations. Is there anybody on this panel who disagrees with any of those recommendations?
Is there anybody who disagrees? Is there anybody who would object if our committee were to include essentially an echo of the recommendations made to the United Nations?
Monsieur O'Donoghue.