Mr. Speaker, over four months after they were kidnapped in Niger by an al-Qaeda faction, Robert Fowler and Louis Guay were freed following negotiations orchestrated by the governments of Mali and Burkina Faso. However, the talks that led to their release remain secret.
Mr. Fowler, former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations and UN special envoy to Niger, and Mr. Guay were kidnapped on December 14 some 50 kilometres from the capital, Niamey.
This story has a particularly happy ending, as Malian authorities have confirmed that the two Canadian diplomats are in good physical and mental condition.
The Bloc Québécois salutes these two men for their courage. We hope that they will be reunited with their families and friends very soon and that they will get all of the help they need to recover from their ordeal.