Mr. Speaker, in May, three businessmen from the Montreal region wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to complain about the fraudulent practices of the international agency for rural industrialization, a non-governmental organization accredited with the United Nations.
A reply was sent, explaining that INARI is a private organization based in Togo, with the status of observer at the UN's Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies. It is strictly in that capacity that INARI participates in ECOSOC's debates, and its status does not in any way engage the responsibility of the UN or its member states regarding the legality of its activities.
Since INARI is a private organization based in Togo, the Canadian government does not have jurisdiction to get involved in the management of its internal affairs. Still, we did report the complaint made by these Canadian businessmen to the UN secretariat, which pledged to refer it to the UN committee responsible for NGOs. The members of that committee—Canada is not one of them—review issues relating to NGOs at the United Nations, and can review, if necessary, the observer status granted to certain NGO's.
I undertake to provide the member with a full written version of this reply.