Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.
I present this motion to the committee because obviously the entire issue of what's happening in Afghanistan right now with the Canadian Forces is very topical for Canadians. People from every region of the country have serious concerns about this and are asking questions.
When I look back on the former Minister of National Defence's presentation to this committee in November--and I've read the transcript--the role that was presented at that time appears to be quite different from the role that is being performed there now. It seems to me that it has evolved considerably. I think it would be a good thing if the people on this committee had an opportunity to ask questions about the rationale for the movement down to the southern area of Afghanistan and to hear firsthand from the past Minister of National Defence about exactly how things evolved to this point, particularly concerning the agreement that the Chief of the Defence Staff signed during the election campaign on the transfer of prisoners. I think that needs to be explained more thoroughly to Canadians and the committee.
Obviously, the current Minister of National Defence could answer questions that the members of Parliament around this table have about what's happening now. I think that's a valuable role to play as well.
So I put the motion in and ask for support that we invite both the previous and current Ministers of National Defence to appear before the committee.
Thank you.