:
Good afternoon. This is the third meeting of the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan, on Thursday, March 25, 2010.
In our second hour today, we will go to committee business. There is a portion there that will be public, and a very short portion dealing with the budget that will be in camera.
We are continuing our study of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. Appearing as our witness today is the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Cannon, I welcome you to our committee. I thank you for responding positively on very short notice. Initially we had asked you to appear yesterday and your schedule wasn't allowing you to do that, but you made a spot clear because the committee had requested your attendance. So we thank you for that.
Before we give you the opportunity, we also have appearing, from the Privy Council Office, Greta Bossenmaier, deputy minister for the Afghanistan task force. It's my understanding that Ms. Bossenmaier will stick with us in the second hour as well.
We will have in the second hour, from the Department of National Defence, William Pentney, the associate deputy minister.
Jillian Stirk, the assistant deputy minister for the Afghanistan task force, is here as well.
Minister Cannon, thank you for attending, and we look forward to your opening comments. The committee will then go into the first round of questioning, which will be a ten-minute round.
Welcome.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, for inviting me to speak to you as chair of the cabinet committee on Afghanistan, to highlight Canada's work in Afghanistan as profiled in the recently tabled seventh quarterly report on Canada's engagement in Afghanistan.
I will be available for only one hour, colleagues. However, officials from across the whole of the government community, including the Department of Foreign Affairs, CIDA, the Department of National Defence, and the deputy minister of the Privy Council Office's Afghanistan task force, will be available after my departure to continue the discussion on the quarterly reports.
Let me begin, colleagues, as we sadly must, by paying tribute to the courage and the sacrifice of Corporal Darren James Fitzpatrick, who succumbed to his wounds on the weekend after an IED attack in Kandahar on March 6. We praise the men and women of the Canadian Forces and our civilian staff who seek to help Afghanistan achieve peace and security. Their dedication will never be forgotten.
Without a doubt, the dangers of Canada's mission in Afghanistan are ever-present and the challenges to achieving progress there continue to be daunting, yet there is clear evidence that the efforts of our soldiers, our development workers, our police and customs officers, and our diplomats are all making a difference.
Despite the volatile security environment, the economic impoverishment, and the governance problems that persist, we are seeing tangible improvement in the daily lives of Afghans, as I will highlight over the next few minutes.
[Translation]
Most of you will be very familiar with the set of priorities and signature projects that Canada established in 2008, following the recommendations made by the Manley panel. You're aware of the 21 benchmarks and 44 progress indicators we developed to track our progress. And you have read that the quarterly reports we have produced to communicate the results of our work to Parliament and to Canadians—the seventh of which was tabled last week.
The latest report covers the period from October 1 to the end of 2009. Along with an update on our targets, this report also provides a snapshot of Canadian engagement at the national level in Afghanistan; that is, beyond the vital work we are doing in Kandahar province.
It comes as no surprise, however, that the progress we achieved this past quarter—to which I will speak in more detail later—was set against the backdrop of increasing instability caused by the uncertainty in Afghanistan.
The efforts of Afghans and the international community in Afghanistan continue to be undermined by those who seek destabilization through the constant threat of improvised explosive devices, targeted suicide attacks—aimed increasingly at innocent Afghan civilians—and a campaign of intimidation of Afghan government officials and ordinary citizens.
Last October, for example, insurgents attacked the UN guest house in Kabul, killing and wounding Afghans, UN employees and international security personnel. And two weeks ago, insurgents executed a series of coordinated attacks in Kandahar on the Sarposa prison. As we will explain in the next quarterly report, insurgents failed in their attempts to create havoc at the prison, thanks in large part to Canadian mentoring and training of prison staff and Canadian support to the prison's infrastructure.
I am pleased to report that, last quarter, thanks to Canadian efforts, two additional targets were achieved, bringing the total to four. Over 23,500 people in Kandahar have had literacy training and over 4,150 Kandaharis—four times our target—have had vocational training. Additionally, over 200,000 Kandaharis have received “mine-awareness education”, a vital part of keeping Afghans safe from the harmful effects of landmines and explosive remnants of war.
Over 52,000 mines were cleared this past quarter. Clearly, Canada's work on landmines is having a major impact: during the last quarter of 2009, the number of landmine victims dropped significantly and farmers are regaining access to land that had previously not been usable for agriculture. This is just one example of the tangible improvements we are making in the daily lives of Afghans.
We also completed another two schools in our education signature project. Fourteen out of 50 schools have been completed and another 28 schools are under construction. In the next quarterly report, you will see these numbers increase even further.
Teacher training, another vital component of education, also progressed with another 197 teachers trained, bringing the cumulative total to 341.
And the Dahla dam—another Canadian signature project—continues according to plan, with consultation to improve local security conditions in advance of the work that will take place during the dry season. An additional fifty jobs were created by the Dahla dam project this past quarter, bringing the total to 405.
Canada's third signature project is the eradication of polio. During the reporting quarter, nearly 400,000 children in Kandahar province were vaccinated against this deadly disease.
Canada contributed to the curriculum of the Afghan National Customs Academy during the reporting quarter. And in January, classes began. This past week, 48 customs officers graduated from the academy.
In the area of policing, one of Canada's key achievements in the last quarter was the signing of the Kandahar Model Police Project Charter. The project will team Afghan police officers with Canadian policeman mentors, and help to make the Afghan police more responsive to the people of Kandahar and more accountable to government.
In an effort to address the recruitment and retention problems in the Afghan National Police, Canada supported the approval of a new pay and incentive package which included pay raises for the police, bringing them to parity with the Afghan National Army, a longevity raise every three years and an increase in the hazard duty incentive pay.
Canada provides financial support for this initiative through the Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan. But in the spirit of honest and frank reporting, we have also reported that progress has not advanced as far as we might have liked across the board. Afghan public perceptions of the security situation in their communities continue to deteriorate. Retention and recruitment problems are limiting the progress we are making in the capacity and building of both the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police.
And the number of polio cases reported nationally increased. None of this, however, should imply that Canada has failed in its efforts. Rather, it points to the fact that progress will be made at different paces and that factors outside of our control will have an impact on our ability to meet our commitments.
Measuring progress in the midst of conflict is no easy task, but Canada continues to deliver on its commitments to help Afghans rebuild their country as a stable, democratic and self-sufficient society.
[English]
Mr. Chair, corruption has been cited as one of the biggest challenges facing Afghanistan's development. President Karzai addressed this issue in his inaugural speech last November and pledged at the London conference in January to tackle corruption as a priority of his government.
Canada is also working to help Afghans fight corruption at various levels. Our police mentors have helped develop an anti-corruption strategy for the Afghan National Police and the interior ministry. Canada has also provided an anti-corruption advisor to the Afghan Attorney General's Office and we have provided the UNDP with a $1.5 million grant to support their anti-corruption activities in the Ministry of Education.
It goes without saying that we cannot achieve progress in our priority areas without a strong and effective Afghan government. The London conference in late January, at which I represented Canada, was an important opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the international community to work with the new government of Afghanistan to accelerate the transition to an Afghan-led security environment.
We are also encouraged by President Karzai's move to launch a new political process for reconciliation. Canada has always supported a national reconciliation process that is based on the acceptance by all groups within Afghan society of the central government's legitimacy and authority as well as respect for the rule of law.
At the London conference, Canada also announced it is contributing $25 million to counter-narcotic efforts, bringing our total commitment in this area to over $55 million.
[Translation]
Afghanistan will again be a priority area for discussion at the meeting of G8 Foreign Affairs Ministers that I will chair in Gatineau in a few days' time. In particular, I hope to build with my G8 colleagues on the important work Canada has been doing to help Afghans and Pakistanis manage their shared border. Pakistan too faces its own economic, political and social difficulties; and I want to examine how we can further encourage and assist Pakistan as well.
[English]
Allow me to conclude my statement by reiterating that despite the still very challenging security situation, this latest quarterly report is a testament to the fact that we are making a concrete difference.
I am pleased to answer any questions you may have, colleagues, and officials from the whole-of-government community on Afghanistan will continue the discussion after my departure.
Thank you.
:
It is five minutes, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, through you, I would like to first thank the minister for being here.
From the outset, I would like to point out that Canada has invested a lot and that Canadian men and women who have participated in the mission have worked extremely hard. However, we have lost 140 people. Given how much this mission is costing the country, this is a disappointing performance record. You said that security is not stable. You said that there is growing instability because of the Afghan insurrection, because of a weakening of the economy and persistent problems related to governance. You said that there was nevertheless a tangible improvement in the daily lives of Afghans, but you went on to say that there is a constant threat of explosive devices, among other things, which is creating more and more innocent victims among Afghan civilians. You also said that there was a massive intimidation campaign underway and spoke of the fact that the efforts of the international community are being undermined. This situation is extremely disappointing and leads us to ask many questions.
Further, we have met with many people. One of the problems raised by members of NGOs who have been in Afghanistan for a while is that Afghans are not sure about the quality of the health they are receiving. They said that the roads that have been built are not solid and that bridges have crumbled. I am simply repeating what I heard. We were told that these situations should not happen.
You did not really address the consequences of the election. The least one could say is that it did not provide conclusive results for President Karzai. You also talked about the fight against drugs, but the poppy culture has not been eradicated. On top of all of that, there is the issue regarding the torture of detainees.
What measures does this government, and this cabinet, intend to take by 2011 to improve the situation?
:
You talk about progress, Mr. Minister, but according to the document I have read, it seems that the opposite has occurred. That is the problem, we do not agree on what progress is versus setbacks. Let me give you some examples.
In the document, it says: “ [...] neither the brigade headquarters nor any of the kandaks had an effective strength of 70% or higher this quarter.” This is on page 12. Therefore, that is a setback.
Next, the percentage of operations carried out by the Afghan army decreased. It stands at 58%, whereas during the previous quarter, it was 80%. As well, based on the progress indicator, while the majority of Kandaharis feel that security has improved, they believe that security has not improved in the six key districts. That is a setback.
As far as the Afghan National Police is concerned, no infrastructure project was completed during this quarter, whereas many had been completed previously. Those are setbacks.
Regarding the percentage of Kandaharis who perceive an improvement in dependable delivery of services, no data was collected. However, a little further, it says that 52% of Kandaharis are satisfied with the provision of education, but previously, that figure stood at 60%. Therefore, it is a setback of 8%.
As far as polio is concerned, 16 new cases were declared, whereas before there were only 9. That is also a setback.
As for health care staff, 87 people were trained last year. During the last quarter of last year, 47 people were trained. That is another setback.
There are all kinds of numbers like this, and I could go on. In my opinion, we have failed. If I had to award a mark to this report, it would not pass, unfortunately. So will you be working harder during the next quarter so that we can give the next report a passing grade of 60%?
:
Mr. Bachand, allow me to give you a different point of view.
When the literacy programs ended during this quarter, 23,500 had received training. Over 220,000 people received training on the risks associated with mines. These are important things because people could step on a mine at any time.
Another kandak was evaluated as being perfectly able to plan, execute and maintain operations on a nearly independent basis. Over 75 additional police officers were trained, which brings the total to 2,105.
The Dahla dam project created 50 new jobs, and 405 people worked on the site. Regarding another major project, two new schools were built, as I mentioned, bringing the total to 14 schools.
Further, 197 teachers were trained, bringing their number to 341. Over 95% of children targeted by vaccination campaigns against polio received vaccinations during that quarter. Thanks to Canadian aid, over 95,500 tons of food were made available through the world food program.
It is not easy to measure progress in a context of conflict. You know as well as I do that the ability to make progress and to report on progress is compromised by security problems.
It is not always easy to notice or measure progress on a quarterly basis, but look at the trend. I think we can be happy with the work which our military, our civilians, our men and women, have accomplished since the beginning of this conflict. Progress has been made, and more particularly since we implemented quantifiable and measurable objectives.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And I will be brief.
[Translation]
Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to be here this afternoon.
As Minister Cannon has indicated, making and measuring progress in the midst of conflict is not an easy task, but Canada continues to deliver on its commitment to help Afghans rebuild their country as a stable, democratic and self- sufficient society.
[English]
Following the key recommendations of the Manley panel, the Afghanistan task force within the Privy Council Office was formed in 2008 to help coordinate and ensure the effectiveness of Canada's efforts in Afghanistan.
[Translation]
I am privileged to work on a daily basis with dedicated colleagues from across government on this important Canadian and international priority.
[English]
As I heard, you want to speak about the seventh quarterly report. The quarterly reports are really a whole-of-government effort, and I thought it would be appropriate to have representatives from the whole-of-government team here to join me. It really is the nature of our work to work in collaboration. The degree to which so many different departments and agencies are working hand-in-glove, in Ottawa and especially on the ground in Afghanistan in what really can be called “one mission and one team”, is unprecedented, especially given the conditions under which our colleagues in Afghanistan work.
In keeping with this whole-of-government approach, we have here a representative team of the folks both in Canada and on the ground in Afghanistan who are working on this whole-of-government effort and have contributed to the quarterly reports.
Thank you very much.
We welcome your questions.