Evidence of meeting #14 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was taliban.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:15 p.m.
NDP
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
It's a cabinet committee that is being chaired by Minister Emerson—
5:15 p.m.
Gen Lewis MacKenzie
But what I'm talking about is—
5:15 p.m.
Gen Lewis MacKenzie
—the Prime Minister calling to the President of France, to the President of the United States—
5:15 p.m.
Gen Lewis MacKenzie
That's the level it has to be. It's had a modest impact. Whether it'll have more, I don't know.
The thing is that with fewer troops, you're going to continue to fight for a draw. You're not going to lose, but you're going to fight for a draw, and I don't know of any military alliance in history that has fought for a draw.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you.
That pretty well concludes our testimony today and our questions.
Again, we want to thank both of you for appearing today. We appreciate it.
I have one question. I guess it's the prerogative of the chair.
You talked about the Afghani troops. The average income in Afghanistan is between a dollar and two dollars a day, based on GDP, for each person. What do we pay the Afghani troops we're trying to recruit?
5:20 p.m.
Gen Lewis MacKenzie
When I was there it was $80 a month.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
So they're being fairly well paid in comparison with the average citizen.
Do you think that's enough?
5:20 p.m.
Gen Lewis MacKenzie
No, because the Taliban will give you about $220 to $230, and the police are getting a little bit more. Once again, the problem is that you have to hitchhike home to the family to deliver the money. It might be a long way, and by that time you've been ripped off for about 20% of it, at least. And when you get home, you don't then turn around and come right back. You come back when you've run out of money. Therefore, the absentee rate is unbelievably high, except, for some reason, that the units that have been formed in southern Afghanistan are really quite reliable and are sticking around. There's a bit of an esprit within the organization. Don't ask me why it's there and not in the police force, other than for the fact that I think the police are more regionally oriented.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Are Canadian dollars the major component of what the Afghan army is being paid with?
5:20 p.m.
Gen Lewis MacKenzie
No. I'm speaking on thin ice here, but I don't think Canada is responsible for the payment. I think Canadian funds end up in the pool that goes to pay, but we don't physically.... We tried for a while at the police stations, where we have our men and women serving with the police, to actually pay the police themselves, as opposed to through the chief. I understand that was somewhat problematic, because it would have been humiliating to the chief.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
All right. Thank you very much.
I'm going to ask the committee to stay. We have a couple of items of committee business, dealing with the budget, in order to get some witnesses here.
Again, thank you, General MacKenzie and Mr. Bokhari.
We will go in camera, as we are to discuss a budget. I ask that the committee stay fairly close.
[Proceedings continue in camera]