Foreign Affairs committee  The peace and stabilization program is a vital program that very few countries have. Not even every G7 country has a program like this. It's a program that focuses on the part of the spectrum that most conflict and fragile countries are most vulnerable to; that is, before they ar

Foreign Affairs committee  That's a very big question. As the minister mentioned earlier, it was and continues to be a subject of discussion including in the G7, where G7 foreign ministers took a very clear decision that we would stand up collectively for that international rules-based order and that we wo

Foreign Affairs committee  My name is Mark Gwozdecky. I'm the assistant deputy minister for international security and political affairs, and I also carry the title of political director.

National Defence committee  On that, I can assure you that our men and women deployed in Mali will benefit from augmented diplomatic support in the field, which is to say that they will have access to information that our diplomats will be gathering on the ground so that they better understand all the dynam

National Defence committee  Well, maybe you weren't implying this, but Canada isn't intent on bringing our form of liberal democracy to Mali.

National Defence committee  Our goal is to bring stability and to allow for the peace process to succeed. The UN has its own system of measuring its progress. It focuses on how the political process is moving forward. Right now, I don't think we would say that the process is making major gains at the momen

National Defence committee  I think we and the United Nations share the same overarching objective. As I said, our strategy is based on the results of successive UN high-level reviews that have said measure, focus on the political, focus on supporting the political dialogue that will lead to sustainable pea

National Defence committee  I won't speak about Canada's contribution there because as significant as what Canada is doing, we are, in the global scale, only one contributor and there are many other big donors at work. The European Union is probably the biggest, providing all kinds of comprehensive support

National Defence committee  I'd say significantly larger.

National Defence committee  I think it's an important point to remember that it's not all doom and gloom and that there are very positive elements in this overall story. Even in Mali we see hopeful signs. Agricultural land under production, under use, has increased, so they're more able to address their foo

National Defence committee  If I may, one of the core training functions that we impart when we train other countries is how to ensure that militaries deployed in the field abide by international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict. In providing that training, we hopefully reduce the likelihood t

National Defence committee  I would say that Mali is a state where there is a peace process that is struggling to move ahead and make progress. I wouldn't say it's a failed state, because there is a government that is in place that is working to try to exert its authority across the entirety of its territor

National Defence committee  You're right in identifying that there is conflict in Mali. There is instability in Mali, but at the same time there is a legitimate government. There will be elections in three or four months in Mali to bring a new government into place, so, there is democracy that is trying to

National Defence committee  I don't know how one defines these terms. If you're a civilian in the middle of bullets flying, you know it's bad. You're quite right that there are pockets of Mali where conflict is ongoing, and it's hot and it's bloody.

National Defence committee  I would say that your point about refugees or displaced people is a very important one. I'm not sure it's a value question, but in terms of values, I would say, if you could sum up our approach, it would be that we believe in an international rules-based order, but sometimes to s