Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Through you, to the Minister of Public Safety, first of all, in response to your comments, I would like to confirm, as MP for the riding that is home to CFB Petawawa—and that is the “Training Ground of the Warriors”—and on behalf of the women and men who serve there in Canada's armed forces, that they are distressed over the opposition intimating that they are somehow guilty of war crimes.
Now, this committee did travel to Afghanistan, and one of the places we visited was the hospital. It was truly extraordinary the way our medical military personnel would tend to our wounded, sometimes having to pronounce them dead, and then with the same level of professionalism, treat the insurgents and the Taliban. It's truly incredible what they're able to do.
The soldiers and their families do not understand why members of their own country's Parliament seem more concerned over the well-being of those who seek to destroy them than their own soldiers' safety and security.
Now, when the defence committee visited Afghanistan, we did see the training school for the Afghan National Police and were briefed by Mr. Fudge on the training of the Afghan National Police, and on the fact that they had to begin at the stages of literacy, and then human rights, even before they got into the police training.
My question is this. Perhaps you could please report more details on the activities of the RCMP in Afghanistan—border security—as it applies to your department's jurisdiction.
Minister, here at home your department is responsible for safeguarding public infrastructure and emergency preparedness, recognizing that security must first be established before infrastructure can be developed. What steps have been taken to safeguard the critical infrastructure, from the standpoint of civilian protection in Afghanistan?