Thank you. I will be brief.
I'd like to thank our guests, first of all, for attending today.
Last week when we had our hearings I actually quoted the Colombian foreign affairs minister, who said, and I believe this bears repeating:
...every inch that we open up to legitimate trade, for legitimate investment, for legitimate tourism, et cetera, is an inch that we in Colombia take away from narco-trafficking and terrorist activities...
That is so critical.
When we focus so much on issues of human rights, and it is critical that we do, we somehow don't talk so much about the business case.
I have a very strong business school in my city of London, Ontario, the Richard Ivey School of Business, and if we were making a business case about whether we should or should not do business between Colombia and Canada, they would clearly come out in favour.
We look at the current $1.3 billion of two-way trade, which has increased significantly over the last five years.
The statistics are that murders were reduced by 55% since President Uribe has come to power. Kidnappings have been reduced by 85%, murders of union leaders have been reduced by 86%--all of this supports the business case. And there's the dramatic growth in unions of 50% since President Uribe, with dramatic, increasing union membership of some 76%.
If I might ask you a question, Your Excellency, because we haven't heard from you, and it would be important for me, if I could, I'd like to hear your standpoint as to why this deal is important to the people of Colombia. If I might ask you that, sir, please....