Mr. Beaudet, through all of the meetings, I haven't really heard witnesses characterizing the Taliban as being not nice people. We see what our troops are doing over there and what the cost is to bring about the improvements. You say there has been no serious improvement, yet even our troops returning from there—to a person—are saying they agree with what we're doing because we're making substantive gains on the ground there.
We look at the projects and the seven million children who are now in school. When they began there were fewer than 700,000. That's a tenfold increase. We look at the number of mines that have been cleared. There's some 1,000 square kilometres of land that has been brought into use because the mines have been removed.
We know we need security there. Whether it's in Haiti or it's in any country that has internal strife and turmoil, you do need the security and the police, and you do need the troops to bring things about. These improvements are happening, and they are moving. I find it curious that you would say there has been no serious improvement.
Monsieur Boivin, you said that it's very complex and that there's a long-term requirement. I think that's understood by the committee. It is a long-term commitment. As we are improving and going through the education of the children—it is inter-generational and it will take time.
So I do agree with your comment. It's complex and it's long-term. But I disagree with your comment that we haven't made serious gains, Mr. Beaudet.