Statement made on 16 February 2011 by Senator Roméo Dallaire
Hon. Roméo Antonius Dallaire:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
Canada is one of the world's middle powers. We are one of the 11 most powerful nations out of 194 in the world. Our work ethic is recognized around the globe. We are leaders in technology. We believe in human rights and have no imperialist ambitions to subjugate anyone. We are therefore an ideal neutral third party to help countries resolve their conflicts.
I ask honourable senators to think of a country a little further south of Egypt: Darfur. We have invested tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in development through CIDA in Darfur, where a burgeoning democracy has been recognized and where a third party is desperately needed to help that country emerge from the political impasse that is holding it back.
We speak their language and we are familiar with the region. We are in a perfect position to help that country. It is our duty to be there during these kinds of situations.
Why are we allowing France to continue making a mess of this situation? Why have we not yet responded to the United Nations' requests for assistance to come up with solutions to help this endangered democracy, which could degenerate into a humanitarian disaster?
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