Mr. Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for his very interesting question.
Indeed, we cannot help but think of General Dallaire when comparing this situation to Rwanda. I have no doubt that he is just as troubled as we are by what is happening in the Central African Republic.
A seat on the United Nations Security Council would certainly help Canada. It is only natural for Canada to have a seat on the United Nations Security Council and to play an active role in these major international affairs.
However, in order to win that seat, we need to prove that Canada is a serious player and a real partner. We first need to prove that we do not only care about other countries when we need them or when we want to sell them something, and that Canada is a stable, serious partner.
Unfortunately, we have not proven this in Africa. The situation in the Central African Republic would be a good opportunity for us to get to work and restore our image, which, unfortunately, has become quite tarnished in recent years.