Mr. Speaker, we share the minister's consternation but the question is: What are we going to do about it? We have gone from a dozen hostages to 700 and instead of delivering humanitarian aid our troops are now in need of food, water and supplies.
It is our understanding that 20 Canadians stationed at the two observation posts outside Visoko will run out of rations by Friday and the 700 soldiers held at the base have only enough food to last for two weeks.
What steps is the government taking to ensure the safe passage of supplies to our soldiers in and around Visoko and is the government taking any direct leadership role in this matter or merely leaving negotiations up to the local commander?