Elizabeth May: Mr. Chair, we have all taken pains in this discussion tonight to avoid anything that smacks of partisanship, because it is inappropriate.
However, there is a point in what my hon. colleague has said. I also wish the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, in travelling to Ukraine, had been able to bring a delegation that represented Canada and not just the ruling party.
It has become routine with the current administration—and not with previous administrations—to exclude the other parties in various fora, whether it is climate negotiations or a state visit to Israel. As the Green Party leader here in the House, I know we are recognized as Greens. We are not yet a 12-member caucus, so I would not have expected to have been included.
However, as the hon. member for Winnipeg North mentioned, there is expertise on all sides of the House. Just on reflection, without trying to score any partisan points, I would hope that in the spirit we are taking tonight and in reflecting on the importance of democracy and the importance of civil society, reflecting all parts of society, that perhaps the current administration would reconsider and include all sides of the House in future delegations.
Kevin Lamoureux: Mr. Chair, it was a lost opportunity. Not to focus too much attention on that particular point this evening, when we look forward to what is going to be taking place over the next number of weeks, hopefully the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister will recognize that was a lost opportunity and we can do much better if we are prepared to take advantage of what everyone here has to offer, which means incorporating opposition parties as part of the program.