Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The context is difficult in Venezuela because the government challenges the legitimacy of many of these NGOs. NGOs are sort of forced to take sides, or they feel that they are being pressured by the government not to do certain things. They are trying to retain their autonomy and

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I will present in English, but if there are questions in either of our official languages, I will be very pleased to answer. I'm going to address the narrow question initially because I was asked to come forward in relation to your motion on

International Trade committee  I just want to make the point that we're not talking about development assistance here, but I think we have to remember that the flip side of this is that some of the smaller economies, where we're working with CIDA and other programs, will benefit from FTAs. From their vantage p

International Trade committee  My first point, sir, maybe just to clarify, is that no one sees Panama as a drug-producing country. Its geography makes it a transit country for drug trafficking; that may be true. And also, as has been mentioned, there is a risk that drug moneys move through the financial system

International Trade committee  Well, I don't want to say that I frequent McDonalds restaurants in Central America, for fear that we're getting off track here, but I will say, having spent a lot of time in that region, that frozen french fried potatoes from the Maritimes are all through Central America, and hav

International Trade committee  I'm from Saskatchewan. I hear you, sir.

International Trade committee  I think you can look at Panama across the board and see they are positioning themselves almost like a Latin American Singapore. It's an entrepôt trade. It's trade in goods and services. They are a transportation hub; their airline now has four flights a week to Toronto and they w

International Trade committee  Regarding the canal figures, about $1 billion is set aside for a project whose total cost will be over $4 billion—which has not yet been confirmed. There are still opportunities involved in 20% of the canal projects or expenses. It is still a viable initiative, and is therefore w

International Trade committee  Yes, indeed. I think our ambassador to Panama would probably tell you that the subcontracting opportunity is key for us. Those consortia are pretty big even by Canadian standards. What we're looking for is opportunities to subcontract within entities that are making and obtaining

International Trade committee  Maybe I'll just add a couple of points in terms of opportunities in Panama. You're quite right, sir, that the current level of trade is small, but again, as you said, this a very dynamic economy and one for which the projected growth levels are significant going forward. As a s

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I understand your question. Our policy for supporting security is focused on Central America and the Caribbean right now. Our anti-crime programs target Central America and the Caribbean. We haven't really broached the subject with Venezuela because that country can afford to e

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'd prefer to verify that before I comment formally, but one could argue, I'm sure, sir, that that has been a factor. If you start that kind of major reorganization, as we've seen in a number of ministries, they become less efficient at doing their jobs, and you're seeing people

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As I mentioned earlier in response to the other question, I think that these are two governments that are very isolated from the rest of the world. They lack support and partners. These are people who are operating on the margins of international relations and who are looking for

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I can't comment on that, but I saw the same press report. We can't confirm something like that, but it is true there have been reports on the subject.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  This actually has to do with the safety and security of citizens in the streets. There's a lot of violent crime, murders and flash kidnappings. People are actually being kidnapped and their families are asked for ransoms. Many people are affected by this serious phenomenon in Ven