Minister MacKay, you have said that their efforts on our behalf really do equal and honour the service and sacrifice of all the veterans who have gone before them in the service of our country throughout our history. Having seen the professionalism of our troops, I certainly share that feeling, so I want to reiterate that comment as well.
Minister Cannon, I don't want to leave out the very good people working for the Department of Foreign Affairs, CIDA, and the other government and non-governmental Canadian organizations in Afghanistan. They are also making a very significant contribution to the lives of the people of Afghanistan in very challenging conditions. I was very impressed with every one of them I met there. All the people I met from other countries praised the Canadians. They praised the Canadian Forces and they praised the Canadian government officials for their professionalism and their expertise. That's something all Canadians need to know and be very proud of.
One of the things we heard about, Minister Cannon, was the Canadian-government-led program to encourage participation of women in governance. I understand, and I was encouraged to hear, that there are a very significant number of women in the Afghan parliament. Could you comment a little more on that, and on the political situation in Afghanistan more generally?