Mr. Chair, I want to thank my colleague and take this opportunity to congratulate him on his critic role for international co-operation and the CIDA file. He is doing an amazing job in advocating for the world's most vulnerable.
It is a comment on this Parliament today that all parties have agreed to have a debate on human rights violations in Iran. I could not stand here and not mention that even though we are talking about human rights violations in Iran, we know that there are human rights violations that mirror these in many countries around the globe. By shining the light on Iran, we are also shining the light on human rights violations that happen in other parts of the world as well.
Our government has closed offices that could actually help to support the democratic process in Iran. It has cut funding to CBC, therefore impacting Radio International and impacting the programming that could assist the Iranian people. We know that the best way for Iran to achieve democratic reform is for it to come from the Iranian people, and it is our job to support them.
In my colleague's opinion, what could our government be doing to support the Iranian people to make real their aspirations for a democratic society?