I want to welcome you to this meeting of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. This is November 1 and this is meeting no 5.
Today we will begin our study on human rights in Sri Lanka. I'll turn to our witness and introduce her in just a moment.
Before I do that, I want to alert members to the fact that on Thursday I have called for the meeting to be a planning meeting. It will be in camera. The purpose will be to try to settle our agenda for the upcoming weeks. We now have enough topics to keep us busy for quite a while. We also have enough proposed topics that have come forward in the form of motions to keep us busy for yet a longer while.
I think we need to make sure that we are working in a timely fashion on the issues that the consensus regards as being the most important. This can be achieved only by having a meeting to plan that. That's what we'll be doing on Thursday. If you have anything you need to bring forward and want to have on the agenda on Thursday, motions have to be submitted 48 hours in advance. You have until this afternoon, so bear that in mind, or else, as they say at weddings, forever hold your peace--or at least until the next meeting.
As our witness today we have Ms. Elaine Pearson, who is the deputy director of the Asia Division, Human Rights Watch. She is joining us from New York City. We welcome her.
Ms. Pearson, normally we invite our witnesses to give about 10 minutes of testimony. That's not a firm rule, but it's a suggestion to you. Then we'll turn things over to the members to ask questions, typically in rounds of questions and answers that are about six minutes long, although I'll determine that at the time, based on how much time is available.
Our members will ask questions in either English or French. Translation is provided.
May I invite you to begin, please?
Ms. Pearson.