Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to pay tribute to our ambassador to China, who passed away Tuesday. Ambassador John Paynter served Canada well, both in India and in China. We offer our condolences to his wife Inga and his three children.
To answer the hon. member's question, indeed we are very concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka. This summer I personally travelled to that country on a fact finding mission. During that trip I told the President of Sri Lanka that we were disappointed at the unilateral resumption of hostility in Sri Lanka by the LTTE on April 19 after 14 weeks of peace. However, at the same time we also expressed our concern to the government that a military solution was not an option in Sri Lanka. We continue to urge the government and the LTTE to resume negotiations for a peaceful solution.
Canada has been saddened at the continuation and escalation of the conflicts in Sri Lanka and with the large loss of life. Canada totally condemns the slaughter of innocent persons, both Tamil and Sinhalese, in Sri Lanka in recent days. This slaughter is not helping the situation.