Foreign Affairs committee  If you don't mind, I'd like to answer that question in English, because my French isn't very good. I want to start by saying first that I don't want to have words put in my mouth, and I think two committee members have done that. I do not believe the Canadian Forces should with

Foreign Affairs committee  We were not there during the Russian period.

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes.

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes, I do, in fact.

Foreign Affairs committee  I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but yes, I've written a book on weaponry, I have studied military matters and military—

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes, I was.

Foreign Affairs committee  I was a corporal in the 1960s.

Foreign Affairs committee  The point of humanitarian work is that, whatever context you are in, you must focus on helping people who need help at the bottom of the pile.

Foreign Affairs committee  The people of Afghanistan are far better off than they were under the Taliban.

Foreign Affairs committee  In terms of the military, first of all, let me say that I have benefited from being the NGO dissident voice at so many military training missions. One of the best things about the western military, and the Canadian military in particular, is that they have always made room for di

Foreign Affairs committee  Well, I'm glad the conference went well, but I have to disagree. Afghanistan's a very odd country. I can think of no other country that is surrounded by states that have an ethnic basis that bleeds directly over the border into Afghanistan. In my opinion, there is no chance tha

Foreign Affairs committee  Well, if you don't understand what I'm talking about, I do not think you can put yourself in the position of a Pakistani.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Obhrai, on this trip I spent a week in Pakistan. Whatever my position is, I think I understand that the Pakistanis do feel a threat from India. Whether it's justified or not, that is the way they feel. Understand that in our position in the 1960s and 1970s, we were not invo

Foreign Affairs committee  I can only speak for the CARE point of view, but there is clearly--and I must say that the ministry of reconstruction and rural development responded to this very quickly--a gap in the aid that has to do with the space between micro-credit and formal business. It's what we call t

Foreign Affairs committee  This is a very large question, but let me say a couple of things. I am concerned that there is an extraordinary degree of groupthink, both at the Canadian government level and among the international community, with regard to Afghanistan. I have never seen such a dense, self-r