Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the hon. minister for her speech. We are well aware of each other's commitment to the community and through her family.
I am glad that the minister raised the issue about civil society. I had the privilege a number of years back to travel with the foreign affairs committee to Ukraine, before the government changed, to look into the erosion of rule of law and the erosion of democracy.
I met with representatives of the media, representatives of families who had been jailed, representatives of families who had been kicked out of the country. I heard concerns from human rights organizations. It is great that we now have a trade agreement with Ukraine. The problem is that we need to give more support to civil society to make sure that all Ukrainians benefit from economic development. As members in this place have mentioned, there is continuing corruption.
Does the minister agree that the government should be increasing its support to civil society? Young Ukrainians like the ones who have come here to intern have gone back to Ukraine and want to work with the government toward their direct engagement in the future of their country—not just in the development of the economy, but in creating better courts and a better judicial system.