Mr. Chairman and honourable members, good morning.
I'm here once again to provide you with a short update on Canadian Forces operations in Afghanistan. I will be referring to the slides that we have on the screen.
I might just pause to say that I do hope your recent visit to see the joint task force in Afghanistan was profitable, and I'm sure you left with a positive impression of the hard work being undertaken by the troops to contribute to a brighter future in Afghanistan. I know they appreciate your coming. I mean that genuinely. Canadians who come and look and then communicate back to the country mean a lot to the troops. They said that to the Governor General, who I had the good fortune to accompany two weeks ago into the country. It does mean that. So I want to pass that sentiment along, because we do ask the troops, and they roll their eyeballs a bit, but they do appreciate people who come and want to have a look at what they're doing, that part for sure.