Mr. Speaker, as members of this House know, the Americas is one of this government's top foreign policy priorities.
We continue to be concerned about the recent escalation of tensions in the Andean region. We call on our Andean partners to pursue a constructive dialogue aimed at resolving these tensions and to work together to reinforce regional stability and to fight terrorism.
Canada demonstrated its renewed commitment to the hemisphere through active diplomacy in this week's OAS permanent council special meeting forging a unanimous declaration on the crisis.
We will continue to promote mutual respect and reconciliation among our hemispheric partners in the wake of recent events, as well as support efforts to build a strong peace that embodies our shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.