Afghanistan Committee on Oct. 27th, 2010

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

This is the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan, meeting number 15. We are following up a study on the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.

I would just like to briefly read you the motion that was passed by the committee. It was agreed that the committee invite the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of National Defence, and the Chief of the Defence Staff to appear on Wednesday, October 27, 2010, to speak to developments affecting the conduct of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.

I would like to welcome to our committee today the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon; the Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Peter MacKay; and the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Walter Natynczyk.

Welcome, gentlemen.

Maybe I'll begin with Mr. Cannon. The committee has asked that opening statements not be too long. Normally we give you ten minutes, but if you could do it in less tim, we'd appreciate it, because there are a lot of questions by the committee. I'm sorry I couldn't get that message to you in advance.

Any time you're ready, you can go ahead.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Thank you, Chairman.

Of course that message was delivered, and hopefully I'll be able to get this done within seven minutes.

Mr. Chair, it is a pleasure to be here today to provide honourable members of the committee with an update on the recent developments in Canada's engagement in Afghanistan. I would like to begin by recognizing the work of the men and women of the Canadian Forces and pay tribute to those who have been injured and, in particular, to those who have lost their lives in the service of Canada and Canadians.

We must also take a moment to recognize our development specialists, diplomats, and capacity-building experts, who are working in difficult and often dangerous conditions to improve the lives of Afghans and the capabilities of the Afghan government.

In addition, I wish to acknowledge the visit of the special committee on Afghanistan to that country. Judging from your report, it is clear that you saw first-hand the importance of Canada's work in Afghanistan, as well as the importance of connecting the Afghan government to its people, and then connecting them to their government.

While Afghanistan remains volatile, the time since the end of the quarter covered by the report, which will be dealt with in the next report, has seen a number of key events for the future. For example, the Kabul International Conference on Afghanistan was held on July 20. The conference, which was Afghan-led, co-chaired by the United Nations and attended by more than 70 partner-countries, international and regional organizations and financial institutions, marked a critical step toward Afghan leadership to secure, stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan.

The plan adopted at the conference sets out realistic priorities on moving towards a more secure, prosperous, and democratic Afghanistan. More importantly, it sets out clear timelines for the Afghan government to assume lead responsibility for safeguarding its people, building its economy, and reforming government institutions and services.

Parliamentary elections were held on September 18, and we still await the final results. Although marked by numerous incidents of insurgent violence, the elections did not experience a single significant complex attack. Over 90% of planned polling centres remained open nationally, and the election involved millions of Afghans as candidates, campaigners, workers, as well as voters.

While it is too early to pronounce on the final results of the elections, the Government of Afghanistan and its election bodies showed a greater capacity to plan for this election and ensure that voters were able to vote. However, the announcement of preliminary results on October 20 points to a considerable amount of fraud, and 1.3 million ballots have been disqualified out of 5.6 million cast.

We have supported efforts to enhance the capacity of Afghan electoral institutions. Canada and the international community welcomed the Government of Afghanistan's commitment at the Kabul Conference to further electoral reforms in order to strengthen the Afghan electoral process. Another notable event from the reporting quarter is the National Consultative Peace Jirga that was held from June 2 to 4 in Kabul, attended by some 1,600 Afghan participants, 20% of whom were women.

This represented an important milestone towards finding sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

An attempted insurgent attack on the day of the Jirga—during your visit—was effectively countered by Afghan National Security Forces, helping to underline the progress made in building ANSF capabilities. A key outcome of the event was the establishment of a High Council for Peace to provide leadership for the peace and reconciliation process, a commitment President Karzai fulfilled on September 28 with the announcement of members to the council.

We have always said that reconciliation must be Afghan-led, and Canada and the international community stand ready to support them within the framework generally accepted by the international community.

As you know, Canada's engagement in Afghanistan has been defined and guided by six specific but interrelated priorities, as well as three signature projects.

Our efforts to improve the delivery of basic services is the focus of the 9^th quarterly report, which covers the period of April 1 to June 30, 2010.

During this period, two additional targets set by the Government of Canada in 2008 to guide our activities and investments in Afghanistan were achieved.

First, the area released as free of mines and remnants of war has surpassed 500 km².

Additionally, two infrastructure projects at Sarpoza prison were completed, for a planned total of 19 infrastructure projects.

With regard to our training and mentoring efforts, the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team training centre provided basic training to 87 Afghan National Police officers. Afghans are starting to see the benefits of the work we are doing in the security sector. According to recent polling conducted across Kandahar province, 60% of Kandaharis now see themselves as safe in their communities, and 46% see security as improving. Only one in six Kandaharis see security as getting worse.

In closing, Mr. Chair and colleagues, we must always remind ourselves that we are trying to help the Afghan people rebuild in the midst of a conflict. While progress has been difficult, we must also recognize the progress.

Our commitment to the Afghan people is clear. We are working harder than ever with Afghans, and closer together as an international community, to create the conditions for a more prosperous, better-governed and more secure Afghanistan.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, colleagues.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Thank you very much. That was done in under seven minutes.

Minister MacKay, if you have an opening statement, please go ahead.

[Peter MacKay, Conservative, Minister of National Defence]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll try to be just as succinct and cover some new material.

Members of the committee, chers collègues, it's always a pleasure to be here with Minister Cannon, Canada's Chief of Defence Staff, General Walt Natynczyk, and all of you to discuss recent developments concerning Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

I had the opportunity to return to Afghanistan recently with Minister Blackburn and General Natynczyk. This was a visit that I would describe as extraordinary, remarkable in terms of various areas of progress we witnessed. While we were there, perhaps the most noticeable area in which we noted improvement was in the area of training. We visited the junior officer staff course in Kabul, which is a key component of Canada's efforts to build the capacities of the Afghan national security forces, both police and army. We also toured a site where a new Canadian-funded facility is being built to facilitate the course itself.

We went to Camp Nathan Smith, where our Provincial Reconstruction Team provides essential training to members of the Afghan Police Force, correctional services, and the judicial system. This location has literally been the epicentre of Canada's efforts at reconstruction and development, but is also a key point for training in the country.

The efforts of our whole-of-government team to help Afghans build stronger institutions and more effective governance mechanisms are quite admirable. And it's always an honour and a privilege—each time—to see first hand the amazing work that our men and women in uniform—and their civilian counterparts—are carrying out on behalf of our country. Their dedication to the mission is truly remarkable. They all share an unswerving desire to make things better and to truly improve the lives of Afghans.

We had a chance to meet directly with the representative of Canada in Kandahar, Tim Martin, who gave an exceptional brief and an overview of some of the positive changes he has witnessed in his time at the PRT, along with Bill Harris, who was the United States senior representative. They have been working very closely, along with, of course, our military personnel, including Dean Milner.

This committee knows well, and having been to Afghanistan yourselves, that the parliamentary motion requires us to prepare for the drawdown of our forces at the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan. General Natynczyk will speak directly to mission transition and logistics in a moment.

Having said that, the men and women of the Canadian Forces are as committed as ever to their tasks and the whole-of-government effort. We do have, after all, nine months ahead of us and there has been great cooperation, and I would describe it as exceptional motivation, witnessed by the forces there.

Our mission in Afghanistan is going through a critical phase, and important developments can be expected in the coming months. We often hear phrases such as “tipping points”, “leaning forward”, and “front foot”, and we are seeing initiative taken by coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan. We heard that from people as high in the chain of command as General Petraeus, but throughout our visit we spoke with senior members of the Canadian Forces and senior Afghans in leadership positions.

The Canadian Forces will remain fully engaged in conducting the vital security component of the Afghan mission until July 2011. That's nine months out. So crucial work lies ahead, and a lot will be demanded of our men and women in uniform, those currently on rotation and those training to go into theatre.

The ISAF mission, the international development efforts, and the Government of Afghanistan are increasingly focusing on the training and the mentoring of the Afghan national security forces, and as the latest quarterly report on the mission noted, important progress is being achieved in that regard. I know props are not proper, but I would commend this as good reading for all members of the committee and all Canadians, in fact. This quarterly report sets out, in a very straightforward way, the progress that has been made, but I'll focus in on the training part.

Along with our ISAF partners, we are increasingly concentrating on developing strong and sustainable leadership within the Afghan national security forces through our training and mentoring efforts. And by mentoring I mean shoulder to shoulder with Afghans in the planning, conducting, and completing of important military operations.

The Afghan National Army is expanding in size and competence, and more Afghans are expressing their confidence in this key national institution. And anecdotally, we heard of how in many of the villages where Afghan soldiers patrol, with the support of Canadian Forces, they are getting key information. Key intelligence is being shared with them, which helps to prevent, interrupt, and predict Taliban attacks.

For example, we are hearing that the Canadian Forces are now mentoring a full brigade of 4,500 personnel. This is part of the ANA's 205th Corps and considered one of the most operationally experienced and active brigades of the entire Afghan National Army. So we are working with one of the most professional and competent brigades in the country.

A well-led, well-trained, and well-equipped Afghan National Army is essential for the security and ensuring the future of a democratic Afghanistan. The expression that you around the table have probably heard is “No training, no transition”. This has been an enduring theme in Afghanistan recently and a common refrain. Given them the capacity, give them the professionalism, and they will be able to do what we do.

Ongoing operations—often jointly conducted by ISAF, the Canadian Forces and their Afghan counterparts—are seriously disrupting the insurgency. And the size of protected population areas is growing across Kandahar. Minister Cannon and I met with some of our counterparts from NATO countries a little less than two weeks ago. We can assure you that there is firm resolve across the alliance and confidence that operations in Afghanistan are going in the right direction. And, that our allies and partners are as committed as we are to the success of the mission.

Mr. Chair, the men and women of the Canadian Forces continue to accomplish extraordinary things in Afghanistan. Without sounding perhaps maudlin, I believe they're a shining example of our generation and they build on the traditions that our country has committed to in the past to bring compassion, constructive engagement in building security through active military cooperation with countries, but also this whole-of-government approach, which is being emulated, in fact, by other countries.

Although the situation in Afghanistan remains complex and challenging and fluid, I believe we are beginning to see success taking form. I believe there is a shared, cautious optimism, which the allies and the Afghans are expressing, and we certainly saw tangible evidence of it during our visit.

We are members of a select group of countries that are doing a lot of the heavy lifting in this country, something Canadians can be very proud of. The highest compliment you can pay to a Canadian soldier is to thank them and to remind them that they are keeping faith with previous generations who have contributed in conflicts in Europe, places such as Korea, and around the globe, where Canadian soldiers have distinguished themselves always.

I thank you and I look forward to your questions.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Thank you very much, sir, for being succinct.

General Natynczyk, you have the floor.

[General Walter Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff, Department of National Defence]

Thank you and good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.

It's my pleasure to be here with you today.

I would also like to thank you for your visit to Afghanistan in June of this year. It was appreciated by our men and women in uniform.

I believe that going on these visits is very important. One of the lines I used to use when I was on operations is that the farther you were from the sound of the guns, the less you understand about the mission; therefore, when you go into Afghanistan you can see the full context first-hand and get the experience and you can also see how things have changed.

The United States uplift of forces is causing things to change rapidly in Afghanistan; they have changed even since your own visit in the spring. Since your visit, the U.S. has continued to surge more forces into theatre. Last year there were 3,000 NATO troops in Kandahar province, mostly Canadian, and three Afghan National Army battalions or Kandaks.

Today, the number of NATO troops in Kandahar province has quadrupled, and they've been joined by an additional 10 battalions or 10 Kandaks from the Afghan National Army. With the surge have come more of the essential enablers needed to change the direction of the mission. For the first time, what we're seeing is that NATO is finally approaching the point where it has the troop density and enabling capabilities needed to mount an effective counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism strategy.

Also, thanks to NATO's training mission we have seen the Afghan army leadership and capability continue to develop. They've always been brave, but now they're assuming greater responsibilities with confidence. In more and more cases they are planning, mounting, and leading their own operations.

During our Thanksgiving visit, it was compelling to see Afghan battalion and company commanders step up and brief the minister and me on the tactical situation in the Panjwaii and Dand districts.

While the road ahead remains long and hard, I think we're seeing some encouraging signs that the context of the mission may be changing favourably. We're beginning to see some signs of success. We can thank our men and women in Afghanistan, military and civilian, for the changes we are seeing. They're doing absolutely fabulous work, they're motivated to be there, and they can see the difference they are making.

I'd also like to talk about the mission transition.

We have nine months left in the mandate for the Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan, and I've been very clear with all members of the CF that we will work to implement the direction and timelines as directed in the parliamentary motion. We understand orders. The combat mission will end in July and we will completely withdraw from Kandahar by December 2011. This is a big task, but I want to assure you that the planning for the withdrawal of the Canadian Forces troops on this timeline is already well underway.

We'll continue to fulfill our operational responsibilities in cooperation with our NATO and our ISAF partners until the end of our military mission in July of 2011. I've told our folks that I want them to focus on making a difference each and every day—next week, next month, right until the end of our military mission. What we aim to achieve in Kandahar is a seamless transition from the Canadian Forces to our allies that will allow our partners—that is, our other government departments, ISAF members, and Afghan security forces—to continue building upon the progress made to date.

Our planners at Canadian Expeditionary Forces Command and Canadian Operations Support Command have been working on end-of-mission planning for months in consultation with all of our many stakeholders. Their planning will determine what we will do with the equipment and materiel we have in Afghanistan. Some of this equipment will be returned to Canada and some of it will be sent for repair and overhaul to facilities both at home and abroad, depending on what makes most sense. If analysis demonstrates that the materiel is deemed surplus, then we'll dispose of it. We are well on the way to developing a plan that makes good sense and has the required authorities and the appropriate oversight needed to make the right decisions about what we do with our equipment and materiel. The bottom line is that all of these decisions will be focused on delivering the best value for Canadians.

Of course, the return of materiel and equipment will be challenging. Our planners have been hard at work, and I'm confident that we have a plan that will work. Our operations in Afghanistan will not be affected during this period. We anticipate meeting all of the mission close-out timelines. We're planning to move low-priority and low-value materiel overland to a seaport, where it will be shipped by sea. But sensitive material, such as communications equipment, will be shipped directly to Canada by air. The remainder of our equipment will be transported by air to a processing facility through to Europe, where it will be processed, cleaned, and then shipped by sea to Montreal.

As we are still in negotiations with prospective partner countries, it would be inappropriate for me to provide more detail until negotiations are concluded.

Allow me to conclude, Mr. Chair, by stating that none of our current and future basing or logistic considerations changes the fact that I expect the Canadian Forces to continue making progress in our mission right up until July 2011, and we will be ready to respond elsewhere in Canada or the world when so asked by the government.

The Canadian Forces, along with our civilian partners, have made an enormous contribution and at the same time great sacrifices in Afghanistan since 2001. For this, we have heard that the Government of Afghanistan and the Afghan people, along with our NATO and ISAF partners, have expressed their gratitude. Our men and women in uniform continue to perform outstanding work, and I could not be prouder of them.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Thank you very much, sir.

I'd like to thank everyone for their opening statements.

The first round of questions for all the parties is ten minutes long

I understand that for the Liberal Party, Mr. Rae, you're going to be splitting your time with Mr. Wilfert. You may go ahead when you're ready.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

That's correct, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

First of all, even though it's going to eat into my time, I want to express our appreciation to General Natynczyk.

In particular, General, you would I know continue to convey to the men and women in uniform, despite what they might hear politically from time to time in the House of Commons, how strongly supportive we are of their effort, how much we've made an effort to bear witness to their sense of sacrifice, and how proud we all are as Canadians. This pride does not touch partisanship. I think it's unworthy of anyone to suggest that it does.

I just want to say with some considerable emotion how struck we all were, when we went to Afghanistan on our last trip, by the courage as well as the real, deep competence, and to express the real sense of pride we had as Canadians that there was a Canadian way of doing business in Afghanistan that was shared by everyone we met. Whether they were in uniform or were civilians, whether they were diplomats or were brigadiers, colonels, or privates, it didn't matter. I think we were all struck by that, and struck with a great sense of pride in what was being done.

It's in a sense because of that sense of pride and sense of competence that I must confess I was really quite taken aback by the crisis in the relationship with the UAE, which was allowed to develop apparently over a period of many months.

So my first question would be to Mr. Cannon. It would be to ask him whether he could tell us how many times, since the arrival of the UAE ambassador earlier this year, he has had the opportunity to meet with the ambassador in private to discuss what the concerns and the issues were, which touch not only on the landing rights issue, which has been well discussed, but on a number of issues around visas and around the relationship.

Could the minister tell us how many times he met with the ambassador?

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

There is a point of order.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I know the minister is more than capable of handling himself, but I just want to remind members and witnesses that any discussions of specific interaction between the Government of the UAE and the Government of Canada would not be for public dissemination.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I don't think the number of times the minister has met with someone is a matter of great secrecy.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

No, that's fine.

[Laurie Hawn, Conservative, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I understand.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Go ahead, Mr. Minister.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Chair and Mr. Rae, I think the larger issue here is Canada's relations with the United Arab Emirates. Our relations are robust. They include cooperation in commercial, political, economic, defence, and regional security matters. The UAE is currently Canada's largest merchandise export market in the Middle East and northern Africa region. We exceeded $1.3 billion in 2009, making that Canada's 17th-largest export market. Approximately 125 Canadian companies and organizations have a presence in the UAE. Canadian business councils in the UAE have more than 250 members. More than 27,000 Canadians live and work in the UAE.

I have spoken--Mr. Rae, if you want to listen, please--I have spoken to my counterpart, and we agreed that the bilateral relations should remain strong and shouldn't be put into risk.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I didn't hear an answer to my question, Mr. Cannon.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

I responded to you by saying--

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

No, you didn't. I asked you a specific question because I have been advised that in fact you've never met with the ambassador in private. You've never had a discussion with the ambassador. No discussion has taken place at that senior level. When I heard that, I couldn't believe it, and I'm asking you if that's the case.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

I'm telling you that I met with his boss, the minister. Is that clear? I met on numerous occasions.

Personally, Mr. Rae, I prefer meeting with the foreign minister, who indeed is the one who is the authority, not the ambassador.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Is it your policy--

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

He is the head of delegation.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I understand that.

Is it the policy of your government not to meet with ambassadors who are here, in Ottawa? Is that the position of the Government of Canada?

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

That is not at all the case.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

It is not the case, but you have not met with any.

[Lawrence Cannon, Conservative, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Rae, I told you that I met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of that country. I hope you understand that he probably has more power than the ambassador.