Foreign Affairs committee  Here's the great news, and thank you for asking a question that allows me to say this. We've been tracking armed conflicts, wars, since 1987. In the last 15 years there's been a 40% decrease in the number of wars. Why did that happen? Here's the short story. The cold war ended, o

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes, certainly. Over the 10 years the YPI program was funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, we found that the 100-plus people we sent out actually did what the program was designed to do, which was to become engaged in international careers throughout the UN system in di

Foreign Affairs committee  We're certainly an advocate for strengthening civil society participation in peace processes, in disarmament processes, and in other sources of activities, obviously on the development side. Our development colleagues in the NGO community are very interested, very concerned, and

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes. We've been active in Sudan and primarily east Africa. You have this band across the north where the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa overlap. You have the dynamics of ethnic and other tensions, religious differences and those sorts of things, demonstrated in Sudan and other

Foreign Affairs committee  Certainly the humanitarian and development assistance for those Malians who are in most need is crucial and will contribute over time to the stability. On the exact requests in terms of military engagement, I have no more awareness of those than what I read in the media or that

Foreign Affairs committee  Thanks very much. We've actually not had projects funded by CIDA and by Foreign Affairs since about 2009.

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes, we have—

Foreign Affairs committee  Clearly there are a number of sides active in the north. There has been a civil war off and on with Tuaregs for many years. Some of the factions currently engaged in activities in the north are Tuareg and militant and might identify themselves, but others are not and others are w

Foreign Affairs committee  I wouldn't hold to a fast election date. There has been experience in war-torn countries where having elections too soon actually exacerbates conflicts. Obviously, it's for the Malians to decide ultimately, but if there are interim arrangements that are stable and that are still

Foreign Affairs committee  The ECOWAS small arms agreement has been in place for a number of years, and like for many of these sub-regional or regional agreements on arms control and disarmament, implementation is a huge challenge. There is great support both by civil society in that region and more broadl

Foreign Affairs committee  Thanks very much. Obviously with great respect for Mr. Fowler and for the experience he went through, which none of us would like to experience ourselves, I think the notion of offensive special forces, drone, and other kinds of attacks in the long run can be counterproductive,

Foreign Affairs committee  Thanks for this opportunity to discuss Canada’s current role in Mali. Let me start by saying that the cautious approach being taken by the Canadian government is welcome. In the detailed briefing I have sent to you, I propose five principles to guide Canada’s decisions on how

National Defence committee  That's correct, and there are certain missions that it's appropriate to apply to.

National Defence committee  Yes, and what we're asking them to do should also be balanced with the proper equipping of our diplomats, our development practitioners, and our democracy promoters.

National Defence committee  We can never equip ourselves to meet any eventuality.