I'll respond to the political party question, if I understood it correctly.
I think the appropriate diplomatic route has to be pursued with care. On the one hand, you don't want to take what we would call, in a free and developed democratic society like Canada, a partisan role of indicating that we favour, in one sense, one political party over another. But that should not be used as an excuse to not work for freedom of association. In principle, I think we should be supporting the formation of political parties because the freedom of association is one of the UN's system of rights.
We should not accept the argument that this is, if you like, a partisan position or even, I would be prepared to argue, not a legitimate argument coming from the Cuban government saying this is an interference in the internal affairs of another country. I don't think it is. Why do I say that? I think any country that is helping to foster or promote a right that's part of the international system of human rights, not our charter of rights or the American charter of rights, but part of the UN system, in particular, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and, say, the covenant on political and civil rights...the Cuban regime is committed to both. I don't know if they're signatories to the covenant. Does anyone know? I suspect they would be, but I don't know. But they are committed, as a member of the UN, to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes freedom of association.
That was one of the justifications, if I may say so, by an earlier Government of Canada in creating the international centre. We were given a mandate, not to promote Canadian parliamentary democracy or American, but the UN system of rights. And when I met the heads of government, including Fidel Castro...I told him I was not there to promote a Canadian or American or European agenda, but the UN agenda of human rights, which his government is committed to as a member of the UN, because they're obligated to act according to the UN declaration of rights.
I'm taking time to answer the question about political parties because it is a serious issue, and I support the idea of helping to respond to initiatives coming from within, to respond to issues coming from courageous people, two of whom we have here. But for those people within the society, who have demonstrated courage, who want assistance, who want to meet with our ambassador, who even want to meet with parliamentary delegations, representatives of our parties, to talk about how they would organize political parties, I think that is consistent with the UN framework and not interference in internal affairs, as I would define it, out of respect for Cuban citizens to have the right of freedom of association like anyone else.
So I've taken time to answer that, but I would hope the committee would address this issue, and I think that's a useful framework to put it in, to act according to what Cuba is already obligated to in the UN system of rights.
Maybe I should pass some of your questions to other people.