Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here, all of you.
It is always a very interesting subject as all of us have constituents who, one way or another, need consular services abroad. I join Mr. Shugart in congratulating our consular services for their exemplary performance of duties. I think we have perhaps one of the best consular services in the world. I thank Mr. Ferguson and his team for pointing out what's lacking. Our Prime Minister is so fond of saying that we can always do better.
One thing that struck me in your report, Mr. Ferguson—and honest to God it was a surprise for me—is that in 7.4 of the report you state, “The level of consular assistance that Canada provides at its missions abroad is discretionary—that is, it's not mandated by legislation.” I wonder if either you, Mr. Shugart, or you, Mr. Ferguson, find this to be a weakness of our consular responsibilities, or if this is something we should address.