Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Certainly if we look at the like-minded western countries who have bilateral dialogues with the Chinese, we're all doing it for the same reasons. We have similar values and interests. We've all signed the international human rights legal framework, and we have very serious and ve

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I was not in my present job when the dialogue took place last year, but my understanding is that all of the Canadian non-governmental organizations who are interested should be in touch with Foreign Affairs, with the department, beforehand. We try to consult as comprehensively as

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, it has.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Although I don't have as long a record on China issues as my colleague Mr. Houlden, I was around and was present when the dialogue was initiated in 1997, and I was with it until about 2000. I would say, in that time, there were perhaps two or three times.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  No, I'm sorry, I can't, partly because I don't have a good enough institutional memory, but also because it is part of a government-to-government discussion.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes. We'll take it under advisement and get back to you.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Well, at the moment we are very much in the information-gathering stage. Frankly, when this subcommittee decided to conduct this study, we felt we would not be in a position to provide full advice to ministers until we had the results of your study, your report and recommendation

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Perhaps very quickly on the final point about the bilateral dialogue and where it could or should be reporting, that would be a decision for the government and for our ministers, of course. Simply to repeat again, it's a government-to-government dialogue.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. I thank the subcommittee for the invitation to speak today on Canada's bilateral human rights relationship. As indicated by my colleague earlier, I will speak specifically about the Canada-China dialogue, which is known as the joint committee on human rights. Perhaps

Status of Women committee  We have received reports from our embassies, and also from the NGOs who have collaborated with us on the project, that the animated video has been very effective. It's interesting that the fact it is animated, as opposed to using actors or real people, seems somehow to make it mo

Status of Women committee  To answer the first part of your question, about resources, our approach has been to try to coordinate the resources that exist within each of the seventeen departments and agencies to make sure they're used as effectively as possible, and, very importantly, to make sure we all k

Status of Women committee  Thank you for that question. In terms of work at the international level, certainly one of the most important elements is, on the one hand, awareness raising, getting the message to particularly the most vulnerable, the young children and girls, about what to watch out for, wha

Status of Women committee  Thank you. I wish to begin by expressing my appreciation to the Committee for inviting us to discuss the Government of Canada's efforts to combat human trafficking. There can be no question that human trafficking constitutes a criminal violation of the most fundamental of human