Mr. Speaker, as my colleague for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan said this morning, I believe it would not be prudent at this time for us to have a diplomatic presence in Tehran. In fact, we would be putting the lives of Canadian diplomats there in danger, which is very much a concern for me.
However, as a former diplomat, and someone who has worked as a policy adviser for the member for Thornhill in his role as the minister of state for Latin Americas, at that time, I was very open to evaluating alternative paths forward in our relationship with Cuba. It was a special time. It was 2008, and President Obama had come into place. The Helms–Burton Act was being reviewed. Remissions were being re-evaluated in regard to the United States, as well as visitation rights. I felt that perhaps Canada had a special role to play as a mediator and a special player in relationship to both the U.S. and Cuba. Therefore, I am very much open to ideas in regard to diplomacy. However, one must look at who one is dealing with, and if the other party is not willing to listen, in some cases diplomacy is futile.