Canada in Afghanistan

August 10, 2007

As your Member of Parliament for Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry, I am aware of the varying opinions of our troops in Afghanistan. It makes me extremely proud to know that most constituents Support Our Troops whether they agree with them being there or not. These are Canada’s sons and daughters and we can all be very, very proud of them.

Canada is in Afghanistan at the request of the democratically elected government as part of the NATO-led and UN-sanctioned International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). We are in Afghanistan to help establish a safe, secure and stable environment.

This work is being guided by an international agreement know as the Afghanistan Compact. Endorsed by the United Nations, the document focuses on three major pillars of activity; security; governance, rule of law and human rights; and economic and social development.

Although significant progress is being made, rebuilding a democracy won’t happen overnight. Canada along with the international community and the Government of Afghanistan, stand by our commitment to achieve a secure and sustainable future for this country. Through the continued efforts of the international community, many tangible results can already be seen across Afghanistan.

To date, six million children have already returned to school (35 percent of whom are girls). Canadians are directly involved in helping Afghans rebuild schools that were destroyed by insurgent groups like theTaliban.

Some 85 percent of Afghans now have access to basic health care, compared to roughly 9% in 2001. Seven million children have been immunized against polio, and millions of vitamin A supplements have been delivered.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has provided $150 million toward community-based development projects, microfinance, demining and road construction. To date, over 11,400 projects have been completed nationwide. Ultimately the goal is to have communities take ownership of their development and reconstruction projects.

Microfinancing has given over 335,000 Afghans (72 percent of whom are women) access to small loans in order to help kick-start their own businesses and become entirely self-dependent. The local economy is also seeing steady growth. A gross domestic product that was $4 billion in 2002 is now close to $9 billion.

Through demining activities, CIDA funds have assisted in clearing over one billion square metres of land that was once filled with mines and explosives. This land is now available for Afghans to use productively for agriculture and housing.

Our military has recently taken over the task of training Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers operating in Kandahar province. Ultimately ANA troops will be able to provide security for their own county before coalition forces leave Afghanistan.

The people of Afghanistan have been through a lot in the last three decades – oppression, drought, poverty and ongoing insecurity. Against these odds they have shown resiliency, a strong work ethic, and a will to show the rest of the world they can recover and forge ahead.

Helping Afghanistan continues the noble Canadian tradition of taking an active role to bring stability and lasting peace to a part of the world accustomed to turmoil and upheaval. Only through knowledge can we expect to understand how very important our role in Afghanistan is. I encourage you to visit the Government of Canada website: www.canada-afghanistan.gc.ca to learn more about Canada’s role there. We can be proud to support our men and women overseas, across Canada and right here at home in Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry.