Mr. Chairman, could I ask the minister to respond specifically to the facts that have been widely established, many of them documented in this report that just came out on the Afghanistan compact? There were 2,732 fatalities between September 1, 2006, and February 25, 2007. Violent incidents in January 2007 were more than double those in January 2006. There were 15,000 families displaced in the south from ISAF military operations. And according to recent reports, popular support for the Taliban in Kandahar is growing. Why? Because with some of our actions we're fuelling the support for the Taliban rather than the opposite.
I ask the minister again, on what basis would he ask parliamentarians and the people of Canada to have confidence in his continuation as minister?