Mr. Chair, I know that when a take note debate takes place, it appears that it is only at this point in time that Canada is actually involved. I look back at a year ago when we were having emergency debates on Mali. Canada stepped up and helped out with humanitarian initiatives there. Mali is a country with a long engagement with Canada. Canada has been present there for over 20 years.
Could my colleague talk about the importance of being present? Canada has contributed $25 million over the last number of years to the Central African Republic. We continue to give through our maternal and newborn child health initiatives. We just did a replenishment of $650 million for the Global Fund. Part of that money will be going into the Central African Republic. These are the kinds of initiatives that are ongoing.
I wonder if my colleague could speak about ongoing engagement and how important it is to see long-term progress on the economy and on health initiatives.