Good afternoon. This is the third meeting of the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan, on Thursday, March 25, 2010.
In our second hour today, we will go to committee business. There is a portion there that will be public, and a very short portion dealing with the budget that will be in camera.
We are continuing our study of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. Appearing as our witness today is the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Cannon, I welcome you to our committee. I thank you for responding positively on very short notice. Initially we had asked you to appear yesterday and your schedule wasn't allowing you to do that, but you made a spot clear because the committee had requested your attendance. So we thank you for that.
Before we give you the opportunity, we also have appearing, from the Privy Council Office, Greta Bossenmaier, deputy minister for the Afghanistan task force. It's my understanding that Ms. Bossenmaier will stick with us in the second hour as well.
We will have in the second hour, from the Department of National Defence, William Pentney, the associate deputy minister.
Jillian Stirk, the assistant deputy minister for the Afghanistan task force, is here as well.
Minister Cannon, thank you for attending, and we look forward to your opening comments. The committee will then go into the first round of questioning, which will be a ten-minute round.
Welcome.