Mr. Speaker, I can understand that people with family and friends in that part of the world would be absolutely devastated.
In Sierra Leone, bodies are lying in the streets and women are giving birth without medical care. The situation is tragic and its impact reaches far beyond Ebola sufferers. Entire systems have disintegrated.
Just as an aside, I lived in West Africa for three years. I have friends there too. When I found out that Senegal was affected, I thought of all of the friends and former colleagues I left behind. As a Canadian, I am affected by this issue, but I am also personally affected.
This is a perfect opportunity for Canada, which has always had a strong relationship with West Africa, to show leadership. We have to send DART, money, mobile labs and support for transportation because transportation assistance is a big issue in West Africa. We also have to share our expertise in responding to biological disasters. There are many things we can do.
Many organizations on the ground have asked us to deploy DART to respond to the crisis.