Joe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

He will be very proud of them. I would be happy to arrange a visit for him and to have him come with me to visit them. I would be happy to facilitate that, if he has time.

I stress to the delegates from Canada, which is a member of the G8, that we have a huge interest in job creation, in turning economic progress into jobs and in using job creation to create further economic progress. Of course, this is a universal concern. We consider this a vital stimulus to the Irish and European economies. We are very concerned about youth unemployment and a lost generation of young people. I ask Canadians to use their good offices within the G8 to suggest that we need job creation, a jobs stimulus, activation policies to get jobs going and a credit flow to facilitate that. I note that Canada has strong representation in the International Monetary Fund, IMF. Job creation and stimulus must be a sub-text of the IMF. Job creation and giving people the dignity of work is a huge issue for humanity at present. We must look at imaginative ways of doing that and of sharing our ideas with individuals.

I am impressed by what the association has been doing in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, with regard to child soldiers, women's rights and atrocities of war. I commend that. Those are interests shared by Irish people. I hope the delegates will continue to pursue that agenda, with their considerable influence.

I know Canada has taken a robust stand on Syria. As the Tánaiste recently said to the United Nations, what is happening in Syria is an affront to humanity. It is an appalling story. I believe the delegates were present when I spoke about this matter at the Council of Europe. I am curious to know what Canada is doing about Syria and I would like to hear the delegates' comments on that. We need to restore peace in Syria through an arms embargo and, having restored peace, to ensure that democratic values and mutual respect are established. We, in Ireland, would like to see all groupings in Syria co-exist happily. Given our history and traditions, we also have a specific interest in the Christian minorities that might be in danger in a post-settlement situation. We would be interested in Canadian support in that regard.

I welcome the delegation. There is huge kinship between Canada and Ireland and we should be working to build on that. We have kinship in blood and in our shared values. Both give us reason to work together. We also have a mutual interest in working together, from an economic perspective.