Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following countries on celebrating their independence day this week: Mali, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.
Since 1972, Canada and Mali have worked closely together to advance the cause of human rights and good governance.
Ukraine and Canada have maintained a deep historic friendship with one another through the generations of Ukrainians who have come to Canada and adopted Canada as their new home.
Each year Canada welcomes thousands of students from Saudi Arabia who come to learn in our fine academic institutions. These academic exchanges are an important element of our strong bilateral relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Canada and Indonesia are partners in a number of multilateral organizations, such as APEC and ASEAN. Such common memberships attest to the shared commitment to the Asia-Pacific region and multilateral co-operation.
This government will continue to work hard with our friends to ensure prosperity for all our citizens.