Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  No, we're not. We're not a participant in the six-party talks.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'm really not qualified for the context. It clearly, however, is an issue of importance for international peace and security in north Asia, so that the parties involved in the six-party talks oftentimes have difficulty agreeing on the agenda, agreeing on a meeting, or agreeing on a location for a meeting.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  All I know is that it's humanitarian assistance, and I'm confident of the food, sir. I don't want to make a claim with respect to medicine. I just don't know. But we can get back to you if you wish.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I can't speak for China, but clearly it's preoccupied with the situation in North Korea because of the possibility of refugees coming over its borders, in fact, which again raises concerns for Canada in terms of how China would treat North Korean refugee claimants or North Korean refugees.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I think most western nations are responding to the UN Security Council resolutions. In terms of our response, we were clear both in enforcing our obligations under the resolutions but also in putting a policy framework in place, which we call “controlled engagement”, as I had mentioned in my presentation.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  On human rights, I think Canada is clearly in a leading position, and we're clearly in a leading position expressing our views. We're not alone; I don't mean leading in.... We're not alone, but we're clear in our expression on that. On the nuclear issue, in terms of our own view, the resolutions were with respect to...were coming out of North Korean's regime in terms of its nuclear program.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'd be happy to speak to it if you want. In the interests of respecting the chairman's instructions on time, I truncated the presentation, but I'd be pleased to talk—

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, and in answer to your earlier question to my colleague, obviously it's a closed regime, as we all know, so you have limited options in terms of either trying to document systemic human rights abuses or in fact engaging with North Koreans—I don't want to say the North Korean government.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to discuss the current human rights situation in North Korea. As you no doubt know, North Korea has been the source of many concerns to our government and to Canadians. Canada is troubled by its aggressive and belligerent behaviour, its role as a nuclear proliferator and the human rights situation, among others.