Mr. Chair, it will give me great pleasure to reply to the hon. member. First, I did answer the first question by saying that the allegation in the newspapers was completely false. That is my reply and I think it is complete.
Of course, everyone knows that when it comes to participation in international conferences, the universal rule for the host country is that each country speaks with one voice. Still, a province or territory that is part of the Canadian delegation to the international conference, such as UNESCO, for example, can sometimes occupy Canada's official seat and present one or more aspects of the Canadian position, which is in accordance with international law and diplomacy.
For example, in education, provincial participation is coordinated by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, which designates one province or territory in turn to represent all the ministers at UNESCO meetings. In 1998, British Columbia was head of mission and in October 2003, Canada's delegation to the Education Commission was led by Manitoba minister McGifford, who represented the Council.