I'll take that as your answer, Minister Cannon, although it has been made clear to this committee and to the House that the international obligations of Canada don't end with the passing over of prisoners.
I would like to get to another issue that I think is important to a lot of people.
It's been said in many places that this war cannot be won or that the situation in Afghanistan cannot be resolved by military means. I want to present to you a position put forth in December by the Canadian Council of Churches in an ecumenical brief on Canada's role in Afghanistan. They called for reconciliation actions and peace and development, but they called for something further:
We further call for a Canadian diplomatic surge to persuade the international community to encourage and support Afghans in intensified and persistent dialogue or engagement efforts towards a military ceasefire and a sustainable political settlement. In short, we encourage Canada to mount a peace mission and to accord it the same level of political energy and commitment, along with requisite material support, as has been accorded the military mission to date.
I regard that as a very powerful statement of hope that Canada would equally engage in efforts towards a ceasefire and settlement. I'd like you to tell this committee what you as minister and your government have done, and what efforts you have made to pursue this particular route.
I know we're engaged with the Americans on the military side. What are we doing as a country, at the diplomatic level, to pursue what the Canadian Council of Churches calls here a hoped-for “diplomatic surge”?