Statement made on 18 November 2010 by Senator Roméo Dallaire
Hon. Roméo Antonius Dallaire:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
In 2005, the Government of Canada was very involved in the peace process in Sudan. The Prime Minister at the time had sent a team of two senators and an ambassador to present Canada's position and increase the African Union's involvement in the fight against what President George W. Bush called the genocide in Darfur.
Since then, our capacity in Sudan, in Darfur, has been significantly reduced; barely 45 people are left. Funding has been provided for humanitarian aid, but with the referendum on Southern Sudanese independence to be held shortly, we anticipate conflict, friction and major humanitarian catastrophes because of the displacement of a significant number of Darfurians.
Does the Government of Canada have an action plan to help the United Nations, to set out a diplomatic position and ensure that this transition goes smoothly? Does the government have observers on the ground, or is it planning to let events take their course and pick up the pieces later by injecting new funds, as it has done in the past?
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