Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm going to put three questions out to you, and you can answer them collectively or individually.
This comes back to the questions I was asking you in the last round. What on-the-ground resources do we have right now within the GCC--the number of trade commissioners? I understand we have embassies in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE, but I presume they're fairly small and not adequately resourced. Aside from that, there doesn't seem to be much presence. So what is the staffing component, and how could we or should we enlarge that staffing component, particularly trade commissioners?
Second, my sense is that when you're talking about building relationships you're not talking about one-offs. You mentioned the Australian example, where there is an ongoing effort every week to have a presence in the region, and on a quarterly basis a ministerial or parliamentary committee goes into the region.
When we talk about the time factor in building relationships, what would be realistic and effective at the same time, in terms of the investments Canada needs to make?
My third question is mostly for Mr. Mariamo and deals with people of Arab origin living in Canada.
The fastest growing population group in my riding is of Arab origin. At what point should we ask Arab Canadians to become involved in the relationship between Canada and the Gulf Cooperation Council? Do they have a role to play? Can the government do something to help Canadians of Arab origin to take part in establishing these relationships?