Mr. Speaker, yes, once the deal was done it was made public. This is not what I meant. What I said, and what the committee members said, is negotiations went on behind closed doors. On the one hand, what the secretary of state has just said does not contradict this.
On the other, what he said about the firm stand the government took with regard to the peace process does not contradict in any way the fact that endorsing the agreement now will send the message that we support the current policy.
I was happy to hear in what context negotiations started: in the context of a slow and painful peace process which has been very costly for both sides. These negotiations were meaningful then. Even if, as I said before, they went on behind closed doors, everything he said does not contradict this fact. Even if this is the way the deal was done, we agree with it in principle, but we are questioning the timing, and none of his answers are satisfying with regard to the effectiveness of this agreement as far as the current process is concerned.
The European Union will be able to intervene thanks to the wording of the principle. We know that if the situation does not improve, it will do so, whereas Canada will have signed an agreement with no such provisions.
I have too much respect for the peace efforts. I had the pleasure of being in Israel during the implementation of the Oslo agreement, and of witnessing the peace process in action. I was able to see how difficult it was, how deeply rooted in their history the settlers' claims were. And it is because this process is so difficult that countries, such as Canada, who might influence it and help the democratic forces within to respect the Oslo agreement, must keep up the pressure.