Thank you for that question.
Canada's response at the time, in 1994, was not, probably.... It was not enough, but since that time, I think Canada has done a lot. It's important to note that a Canadian army official who was working under the UN mission did a lot to convince New York at the time to do something in a pre-emptive manner, but it never happened. It's very sad, because had the telegram been taken seriously, I think we would be speaking of a different.... I probably wouldn't be here today as a witness. But I think we can learn from mistakes of the past, particularly emphasizing prevention. I think the Montreal Institute For Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia is doing just that.
As you mentioned, as somebody who had to overcome so much—I think I mentioned luck, being supported by my parents and being able to overcome so much—I think what Canada needs to do is recognize that a problem still exists, even though it has been 20 years since the genocide, and look at innovative ways to collaborate with existing communities in Montreal. You have many young Rwandans who are very committed to giving back to their own local communities and internationally. I think we could leverage that and create some synergy between Rwanda and Canada just in this country.
I think, bluntly, put more funding toward getting some of the programs off the ground. For me, it's not just funding, but providing capacity in terms of educational opportunities. You're basically teaching someone how to fish rather than just giving them the fish. As I mentioned in the last point, I've seen a dozen groups of young Rwandans in Montreal, in Ottawa, in Toronto who are trying to begin entrepreneurship projects, but again the problem of funding becomes an issue. If you could recognize that this is a category of young people who went through a specific problem and help lift them up, it could create a good net effect for the future.