Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have two questions, one for Minister Verner, and one for Minister Guergis.
For Minister Verner, the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan is a complex task, and critical to that task is capacity building. Capacity building: I'm talking about teaching Afghan authorities how to better manage their own affairs. That means teaching everything from how to manage prisons, to how to properly deal with detainees, to developing a bureaucracy to build and maintain a sewer system, highways, basic infrastructure that's all so critical to the future of Afghanistan. I'm wondering if you could expand for the committee on the concept of capacity building, and the progress that's being made. As well, perhaps you could explain to the committee what Canada's contribution has been to capacity building in Afghanistan.
My second question is to Ms. Guergis.
Minister, some here in Canada, particularly the NDP, are calling for a complete pullout of our forces from Afghanistan in one breath, and yet they claim to stand for women's rights and children's rights in the next breath. You had an opportunity to meet with a leading women's rights advocate in Kandahar recently on your visit. I'm wondering if you could expand a little bit for the committee on what Canada's presence means to the rights of women and children in Afghanistan, and perhaps you could dispel this myth that's being perpetuated by the NDP.