Mr. Speaker, I know the Vietnamese Canadian community across Canada is very appreciative that the hon. member for Vancouver Quadra raised this issue not only in the House of Commons but in other fora.
As the Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific stated during question period, Canada's position and our relationship with Vietnam is one of supporting engagement rather than isolation. This is in concert with the rest of the international community. Having a dialogue on human rights remains an important part of our relationship.
When the Minister of Foreign Affairs was in Hanoi in the middle of November, he raised human rights issues with his Vietnamese counterpart, Minister Nguyen Manh Cam. The secretary of state also raised his concerns about human rights in Vietnam during his visit to that country. Furthermore, he had a lengthy discussion about human rights with the Vietnam deputy prime minister during the latter's visit to Canada last year. We also maintain an ongoing dialogue through our embassy in Hanoi and with the Vietnamese embassy in Canada.
Our policy is to speak honestly and forthrightly in appropriate multilateral fora such as the United Nations' third committee, which deals with questions of human rights.
In his speech on Friday, December 1, Ambassador Bob Fowler mentioned Canadian concerns related to religious and political prisoners. In our judgment, maintaining a position of quiet diplomacy bilaterally while continuing to speak honestly in multilateral fora is more effective than a confrontational approach.
We are pleased to see that two prisoners have already been released. I am certain that the hon. member's interventions at the ambassadorial and other levels went a long way toward this release.
We hope our current policy and the hon. member's skills of quiet diplomacy will continue to have positive results.