Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for raising the very important issue of what is happening in Africa. He very rightly pointed out the countries where we have a very serious and grave concern about what is going on.
As a matter of fact, talking about Zimbabwe, on many occasions the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I have condemned what is going on in Zimbabwe. We have met with the opposition leaders who have come here and we have used our diplomatic channels to put pressure on the government of Zimbabwe to respect human rights.
However, we know that is not happening. The best course of action is to pressure the African Union to bring some kind of resolution to the issue in Zimbabwe. There is no question that what the hon. member has said is happening in Zimbabwe is happening in Zimbabwe. It needs to be addressed.
We have put pressure on South Africa. I understand it is using what is called quiet diplomacy. At the end of the day, Africa is a continent and we need to get the leaders in Africa to put pressure on Zimbabwe. I am very happy to tell the hon. member that the president of Zambia has finally said that what is happening in Zimbabwe is not acceptable and now is putting on pressure.
I agree with the member. Our diplomats will work in the international arena to ensure that our point of view is made very clear to Zimbabwe. We will ask the African Union to help us bring a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Zimbabwe.
In reference to the point the member raised about Sudan, I want to tell the hon. member that the previous Liberal government had made a commitment to Sudan and we are continuing with that. We are spending $8 million a month in Sudan to ensure that the African Union and the UN forces get the necessary tools to bring the warring parties to peace. As the member rightly pointed out, many people say that genocide is happening in Darfur.
As a matter of fact two weeks ago I was in Egypt and I had a lengthy talk with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about his impressions of what is happening in Sudan. He thought there was some hope and that there would be some movement in getting a UN hybrid force in Darfur. We are working through the security council. I had an opportunity to talk to the Chinese foreign minister to see if his government would put pressure on the government of Sudan. I am happy to report to the member that the Chinese have appointed a special envoy for Darfur.
Yes, these are areas on which I share concern with the member. Canada is working in those areas. Canada is at the forefront. Canadians are doing diplomacy behind the scenes, but we are getting our point across.