I apologize, Mr. Speaker.
Tomorrow, in the Parliament of Portugal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will receive the north-south prize awarded by the Council of Europe. This prize is awarded each year to two persons, from the northern and southern hemispheres, who distinguished themselves internationally by championing democracy, human rights and solidarity around the world.
The minister has earned this prestigious honour for his relentless effort to ban the production, storage and sale of antipersonnel mines. All Canadians can be proud of his work.
I invite my colleagues in this House to join me in congratulating the recipient of the 1998 north-south prize, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.