National Defence committee  As I said, I do military and counter-narcotics. I only got into food aid recently, accidentally. I can understand their opinion. I think it is so important that we solve this problem for our Canadian military as soon as possible that they might even be convinced that this is a ci

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  And because I'm bringing food, so it's all—

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  I think this is all worthy of a much longer and more complex conversation, with a lot more information about what the options are, and in consultation with the Afghan government, etc. I don't have a clear answer for you about that. I think the problem has to be solved and you ha

National Defence committee  Just to speak specifically about eradication policy, manual eradication policy, from a counter-narcotics policy point of view, manual eradication is a legitimate part of a counter-narcotics strategy where there's an alternative livelihood. If somebody's growing poppies for opium

National Defence committee  I think everybody who lives and works in Afghanistan has first-hand knowledge of that. This is an economy that, as we've discussed, is almost an 80% drug-trafficking economy, another thing we haven't spoken about today but that should concern us all. If you are a policeman or a

National Defence committee  You're not the first person to ask me that, so I think that is an idea that's being considered. It's a lot easier to go in those villages if you're dressed in what they refer to as normal clothes, which is the type of clothes you see on the screen. When we're working there, we d

National Defence committee  I can. And I'll reiterate my invitation. I'm going back to Kandahar soon, and if you'd like to join me, I'll take you there. You drive south past the Pakistani embassy and into the last development. There are about a thousand families there. In Panjawai, when you leave the main

National Defence committee  No.

National Defence committee  None whatsoever.

National Defence committee  I am a Canadian lawyer, and I'm a member of the British Columbia Bar.

National Defence committee  I do, but I have no reason to claim any lawyer-client privilege today.

National Defence committee  I'm not familiar with that legislation.

National Defence committee  I don't know that.