Madam Speaker, it is mystifying that the government wants this new office of everything but cannot answer some very simple questions about it.
I would like to hear from the parliamentary secretary what this office will actually do. I would like to know why this office is not a real independent office, in the same sense as the previous office. Why is there not an ambassador who has the ability to speak and raise issues in a clear public way? Is this new money, or is this just the product of internal reallocation, potentially away from existing human rights activities?
Finally, why the absence of focus? Of course, we all recognize that human rights issues are interconnected, but if we are focused on everything then we are not focused on anything. Therefore, instead of this office of everything approach, can the government answer some of these clear questions and commit to a focus on some of these important areas of international human rights?