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Minister's Speech

Speaking Notes for The Honourable Gordon J. O’Connor, P.C., M.P., Minister of National Defence, for an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence

Ottawa, Ontario - October 18, 2006

– Please Check Against Delivery –

Mr. Chairman,
Members of the Committee,

It’s a pleasure to appear before you today to discuss Canada’s mission in Afghanistan.

For my second time as Minister of National Defence, I welcome the opportunity to provide this committee an update on the progress we are making in this important mission.

Why Are We in Afghanistan?

Let me say a few words about why this is so critical for Canada.

The reasons have not changed since this beginning of this mission.

On September 11th 2001, terrorists crashed four aircraft killing almost 3000 people, 24 of them Canadian.

They forever changed the way we see our world.

Subsequent attacks have reminded us of the threat that terrorists continue to pose to society.

Although we may feel safe here in Canada, we must remember to whom we owe much of that security.

The Canadian Forces are in Afghanistan conducting military operations to protect Canadian interests.

They are in Afghanistan rooting out those who harboured and supported the perpetrators of the attacks of September 11th.

They are working to protect us from suffering a violent attack in our own communities.

As you are fully aware, the Afghanistan mission is about much more than that, though.

Our International Duty

It is also about fulfilling Canada’s international responsibilities.

We aren’t the only country threatened by terrorism.

It’s a global threat.

NATO countries have been working together to defeat terrorism at its source and Canada is playing a leadership role.

I was pleased to note at a recent meeting of NATO Defence Ministers that Poland has pledged to increase its contribution in Afghanistan.

I have also been encouraging other members of NATO to do more in Southern Afghanistan — to share more of the burden.

We are looking for our Allies to contribute more troops and to remove the restrictions on the forces they have already committed.

Our Moral Duty

But we’re also in Afghanistan because we have a duty as citizens of a rich and prosperous nation — a free nation — to help those around the world who don’t enjoy the same advantages.

We have a duty as members of the United Nations, of the G-8 and of NATO.

We have a duty because our government wants to restore its reputation as a leader and a dependable partner in defending freedom and democracy in the world.

Canadians have a tradition of reaching out when needed.

It has been that way for generations.

We are in Afghanistan at the invitation of the Afghan government.

You know, life for children born in Afghanistan is hard from their first breath.

They face inadequate medical care, poor housing, dismal education opportunities, institutionalized violence, injustice and poverty.

These are just a few of the challenges almost every Afghan child has to deal with.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is one of the big reasons why we are in Afghanistan.

This mission isn’t easy. I know the price Canadians have paid.

I have spoken to the families of the fallen soldiers.

I have looked into the eyes of those who knew and loved them best.

When we are faced with the news of a Canadian casualty, it is important to remember why Canada is making such a sacrifice.

We can’t allow the Taliban to return to their former prominence — to take over Afghanistan and resume their regime of terror and tyranny; to flaunt their disregard for human rights; to punish and terrorize their own people; to murder innocents; to harbour those who would threaten us and our families at home and abroad.

But, as the Prime Minister pointed out in his address to the United Nations success in Afghanistan cannot be assured by military means alone.

Reconstruction and development in Afghanistan are our fundamental goals and they remain a high priority for Canada.

That’s why the Canadian Forces and their civilian counterparts from other government departments are taking a whole-of-government approach to help Afghanistan re-build.

They are providing an opportunity for Afghans to rebuild their country following the Afghanistan National Development Strategy and in cooperation with the international community.

And our military is supporting these objectives by providing a safe and secure environment.

An environment that will, in turn, accelerate the pace of development and aid delivery — prerequisites for effective and long lasting stability.

What Constitutes Progress?

As Afghan President Harmid Karzai stressed during his visit last month:

“A democratic nation is not built overnight nor in one or two elections.

So, as I’ve said numerous times, we will know we have been successful in Afghanistan:

When the country and its government are stabilized,
When the terrorists and their local support networks are defeated and denied sanctuary, and
When the Afghan security forces are well established and under the firm and legitimate control of the Government of Afghanistan.

When it is clear that these developments are irreversible, then we will know we have reached our goal.

Achieving Positive Results

But, we have made measurable progress in Afghanistan.

I know you have heard of some of the bigger, well-publicized successes:

Afghanistan has implemented its first multi-party elections;
millions of refugees have returned;
children have started to return to school;
armed insurgents have been demobilized; and,
the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police Force have been stood-up.

But I also want Canadians to be more aware of our recent success.

Ladies and Gentlemen, despite great challenges, we have taken concrete steps forward in the last six months.

Our progress in the Kandahar region has laid the groundwork for continued improvement

Operation Medusa is but one of our recent successes.

This past summer, the Canadian Forces provided the necessary security for our Allies — the British and the Dutch — to deploy in southern Afghanistan.

Without Canada’s support, NATO’s expansion into southern Afghanistan could not have happened.

In July, the Canadian Forces, working under a NATO umbrella, took command of operations in Southern Afghanistan.

We are now patrolling and conducting combat operations in areas previously considered Taliban sanctuaries.

Daily, our Canadian Forces men and women are meeting ordinary, hard-working and peace loving Afghans.

They are conducting meetings with elders, delivering development aid and making a difference in the everyday lives of Afghans.

We are helping to build up the Afghan National Army through our work at the National Training Centre, and through joint combined operations with the Afghan authorities such as the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police.

All this builds Afghan domestic capacity, and helps us move closer to our ultimate objective of a fully independent and stable Afghanistan.

Our operations in the Pashmull and Panjawi areas have also planted vital seeds of development.

We are building an Afghanistan Development Zone in strategic areas — pockets of stability, and reconstruction from which future renewal can spread.

Change though, takes time.

Here in Canada, we don’t always appreciate the impact of what’s going on so far away.

We miss the smaller — but critically important — steps forward that are happening every day.

Projects like the water distribution system Canadian PRT members constructed at Kandahar University.

Or the positive effect that a simple donation of Canadian medical supplies and bed linens has on an Afghan hospital.

Or the women’s wellness sessions our PRT members have provided — concrete steps Canadians have taken to improve quality of life of Afghan women.

These projects – in many ways, things that we take for granted here – result in the lasting gratitude of the Afghan people for the work of Canadians.

I’ve seen the good work that our men and women in uniform — and their civilian counterparts — are doing, and the results they’re achieving.

Strong Military Contribution

Canadians are not just conducting combat operations.

The Canadian Forces are there to help to create an atmosphere of stability and trust where frankly, it will be impossible for the Taliban to again take hold.

I visited Afghanistan last month to see with my own eyes how our troops are faring.

I wanted to talk to the men and women on the ground about the challenges they face.

At the end of my visit, I said Canada could do more.

We need to do more.

I asked how we could support our forces better.

And, what they asked me for was new equipment and more personnel.

To ensure that our vital reconstruction efforts could continue, our government immediately took steps to enhance our military task force in Afghanistan.

We are deploying an additional infantry company and a tank squadron, as well as armored recovery vehicles and armored engineering vehicles.

We are also providing our forces with a counter-mortar capability, including a radar system to locate enemy weapons.

This government is seeing to it that our troops get what they need to do their jobs.

Conclusion

Ladies and Gentlemen, Canada knew from the beginning that this mission would be difficult.

But, the Canadian Forces are among the best in the world, and they are making progress in one of the most volatile regions of Afghanistan.

We are proud of them.

Ladies and Gentlemen, if Canada and its coalition partners abandoned Afghanistan now, the Taliban would regain their power over the Afghan people.

They would again ban women from the workforce — leaving thousands of families without an income.

They would shut down girls’ schools and colleges.

Cultural institutions and monuments would be thoughtlessly destroyed.

The soccer stadium would again be used for weekly lashing and executions.

We would have to stand shamefully by as Afghan civilians were summarily executed, as houses were burned, as private property was destroyed.

We would have to wait in fear as al Qaeda got settled in again. Making a home for itself from where it could again haunt the world.

Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, there is no question that the work our soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen are doing in Afghanistan is in our national interest — no question that it is the right thing to do.

Their efforts are helping to protect Canadians from terrorism.

And, they are helping Canada to meet its international responsibilities.

They are helping improve the lives of people struggling to achieve the rights and privileges that many of us Canadians take for granted.

For these reasons, this government’s commitment to see this mission through to the end remains steadfast.

I would be happy to entertain your questions now.

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