Foreign Affairs committee  That's correct.

Foreign Affairs committee  I can't pull the number off the top of my head. I could probably guesstimate. The revenue generated by the consular fee in 2008-09 was $89.1 million, with over five million passports issued.

Foreign Affairs committee  That money, I just want to add, does not come to the department. It goes into the consolidated revenue fund of the government.

Foreign Affairs committee  There can never be too much education. I couldn't tell you how many people say to us, “If only I had known...”. Sometimes decisions made abroad can be quite impetuous. We think the penetration of our website is about 35% of Canadian travellers. We face particular challenges in reaching young people.

Foreign Affairs committee  We tell Canadians before they leave the country that when they are in another country they are subject to the legal system of that country. It is the same thing in Canada. When foreign nationals arrive in our country, if they commit theft or drive under the influence of alcohol, for example, they are subject to Canadian law.

Foreign Affairs committee  First of all, we rely for statistics on Statistics Canada, which provides us quarterly reports. We also subscribe to services and research provided by the Conference Board of Canada. They don't distinguish between trips and individuals. The vast majority of trips continue to be trips to the United States.

Foreign Affairs committee  When Canadians are detained abroad there is international law, the Vienna Convention of 1964, that applies. The Convention has been signed by Canada and 174 other countries. Under article 36, a country is entitled to be informed by the host country that one of its citizens to have access to the individual.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, thank you for the invitation to appear before the committee to discuss the consular services provided to Canadians by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Mr. Chair, I am Lillian Thomsen, Director General, Consular Policy and Advocacy, and I am joined today by my colleague Patricia Fortier, Director General of Consular Operations, and Paul Roué, Director General of Emergency Management.