Mr. Speaker, I would like to salute the efforts that a company from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Laboratoires Druide, is making to create sustainable jobs and reduce unemployment in Kabul, Afghanistan.
With financial support from CIDA's industrial cooperation program, Druide and an Afghan partner have set up a new plant to manufacture liquid soaps for personal and household use. And in keeping with Druide's environmentally friendly approach, the plant is producing certified organic products.
The Canadian-Afghan joint venture, called Florance, currently employs eight Afghan women and eight Afghan men and could expand in the short term.
I want to congratulate CIDA and Druide on their social involvement, which may seem minimal compared to the huge needs in Afghanistan, but is nonetheless extremely important.