Letter from Maxime Bernier

Jeremy recently emailed Maxime Bernier, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, asking him and his government to take a more active role to end the conflict in Darfur. Here is the email he received back. Please check it out, and the website he gives below. We'd love to hear your comments too. :)

"Dear Mr. Frimer:

The Office of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, has forwarded to me on December 6, 2007, your email concerning the situation in Sudan.

I share your concerns regarding the situation in Sudan, particularly the ongoing violations of human rights in Darfur, including sexual and gender based violence, the deterioration in the humanitarian situation, as well as the fragile peace in the south. Sudan remains a matter of great concern to the Government of Canada. To that end, since 2006, Canada has provided important humanitarian, peacebuilding, peacekeeping and reconstruction assistance to help promote long-term peace and stability throughout Sudan, totalling $149 million.

Canada's response to the crises in Sudan is three-pronged: providing humanitarian aid to meet the needs of those affected by the violence, using Canada's diplomatic channels to promote a sustainable resolution to the conflicts, and providing assistance to the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) peacekeeping missions in Sudan.

Canada has welcomed the UN Security Council's landmark decision of July 31, 2007, to establish a hybrid AU-UN peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) and is pressing for its rapid implementation. Following the decision of the UN Security Council, Canada announced an additional $48 million to support the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) during the transition to UNAMID.

Canada is the fourth largest donor to AMIS. As a principal donor to AMIS, Canada provides essential airlift and ground transportation, as well as targeted expert deployments of civilian police and up to 50 Canadian Forces personnel to both the AU and UN peacekeeping operations in Sudan.

Canada also continues to play an active role to promote a political settlement to the Darfur conflict. Canada continues to call on all parties to the conflict to participate in the renewed peace talks, which began on October 27, 2007. Canada attended the ministerial meeting of the enlarged Contact Group on Darfur, in Paris, on June 25, 2007, where international partners discussed the need to more effectively coordinate efforts and define how best to support the AU-UN-led effort to seek a political solution to the conflict in Darfur. At the June 2007 G8 Summit, held in Heiligendamm, Germany, Canada and other nations jointly endorsed a G8 statement of concern over the ongoing violence in Darfur.

Canada actively continues to use all diplomatic channels, including with the UN and the AU, the G8 and other partners to urge appropriate action in Darfur. Canada has stated that an effective and strengthened ceasefire will contribute to a positive atmosphere for successful peace talks. As a member of the UN, Canada has implemented targeted sanctions as outlined in UN Security Council resolutions on Darfur, particularly travel bans and asset freezes. Canada has urged all parties to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1591 and cease conducting offensive military flights over Darfur. Canada was a strong advocate of the UN Security Council referral of the Darfur situation to the International Criminal Court. Canada has made a $500,000 voluntary contribution to assist with the International Criminal Court's Darfur investigation. Canada continues to raise the situation in Darfur and Sudan in general during regular sessions of the UN Human Rights Council and in other multilateral forums.

In southern Sudan, Canada is part of the international effort working to ensure the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that was signed in January 2005. Canada's support for reconstruction efforts in southern Sudan is provided through a Multi-Donor Trust Fund managed by the World Bank. Reconstruction efforts are yielding tangible results, such as in the education and health sectors. For example, 4.6 million textbooks have been provided to primary schools, 2 million school kits were distributed in 2006, and 14,000 primary and secondary teachers have been recruited. Furthermore, the distribution of mosquito nets has increased significantly, and over 1.2 million children have been vaccinated against measles and 2 million children have been vaccinated against polio. There have also been significant achievements with the upgrading and repair of hospitals, support to primary health care centres and units, and rehabilitation of water supply systems.

Canada also provides important funding for community-based capacity building initiatives in the south, in areas such as federal governance, human rights, and the reform of the legal and judicial sectors, as well as support for important demining work to ensure the security of the people both living and returning to the region. Canadian support to the United Nations Mine Action Service has helped to demine 857 kilometres of roads for safe transportation between Khartoum and the Uganda border, and has also helped demine 4.7 million square metres of land.

For more information on Canada's support for peace operations, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, and long-term reconstruction efforts in Sudan, I invite you to visit the Canada-Sudan website of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada at www.canadasudan.gc.ca.

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your concerns.

Sincerely,





Maxime Bernier
Minister of Foreign Affairs"