Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'll be splitting my time with my colleague, Bernard Patry.
I'd like to welcome the members of the independent panel on Canada's future role in Afghanistan, and I'd particularly like to welcome John Manley, my former boss when I was a parliamentary secretary to the minister of the day.
Mr. Chairman, one of the main recommendations of your report was that Canada's continued military presence should be contingent on obtaining from NATO an additional battle group of about 1,000 soldiers. How did you arrive at that, given the fact, for example, that in testimony before this committee on February 14, retired General Lewis MacKenzie said he would recommend 4,000 additional troops in Kandahar Province alone, and 10,000 more in southern Afghanistan? Other military experts have suggested 5,000. These numbers are drastically higher than what the panel has recommended.
Can you assure this committee you're confident in this 1,000 additional troops? Because we have asked the government on repeated occasions for clarification on the 1,000, and they have basically suggested that we ask you.
I'll turn that over to members of the panel.