Mrs. Rosalie Flanagan:

Chair, before you finish, could I just say that as you know, I have come very recently to this committee, just within the past year. The opportunities for activity have been limited but I have been more than impressed and overwhelmed by the comments and support members of this committee have given today both to the commission and, more importantly, to the families and especially those families who are still waiting to find their loved ones. All of the actions that you have proposed and have been agreed by the committee are very encouraging, to me and to all of us on the commission I am sure, and will be to the families. When I joined the commission it was from a humanitarian point of view. The emphasis today has been on the humanitarian aspect of it and all that flows from it, such as the need for information, the need for additional assistance with searches, support from politicians and support for WAVE, has been underlying the humanitarian message.

It struck me when we were talking about the need for Christian burial of loved ones that many people, probably throughout the world but certainly on this island, have had the experience in the past year and a half of not being able to have a normal wake and burial of loved ones who have died from illness or in the normal way. That has brought home to us a small measure of the experience that these families are having. It is something that could be brought home more to people. That might encourage people to come forward with information.

As has been said, it might encourage them to engage their consciences and help to bring information to Mr. Knupfer and the team and help us move things forward. This is especially the case now if we are able to re-engage in searches and meet people. I thank everybody for everything they have said and all the support they have given us. I appreciate very much the opportunity to come before the committee to speak to it and to listen to what the members have to say.