Mr. Speaker, I would highlight for the parliamentary secretary that landmines, like cluster bombs, are indiscriminate, and that they, by their very nature, kill innocent civilians without regard. The fact is that they do not care whether one is a combatant or non-combatant, a farmer, a business person or a child at play.
The real issue is that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister of the country should have stepped up to the bat early and not decided, relatively at the last minute, to say whether or not we would participate. Landmines or cluster bombs, it is the same issue and the same problem. We need to deal with this and Canadian leadership and values on this issue were very important. I was disappointed at the failure of the Prime Minister and the foreign minister to take the initiative.
At the same time, Canada has now signed and I hope the parliamentary secretary and the government will now follow up and keep the House informed because it is a critical issue.