Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Indeed, the Province of Kandahar still poses a challenge. We need to understand that the security there is extremely precarious, hence the need to work closely with our troops. That being said, some progress has nevertheless been achieved in Kandahar. According to figures provided to us by the World Food Program, 10,000 metric tons of food have been shipped there and this number is expected to grow to 20,000 by next year.
Irrigation canals have been built in Kandahar. When I went there, I even went beyond the PRT, to the village of Sola Kalay, in order to meet with the community development council. I had an opportunity to meet with farmers working in their fields and they showed me the irrigation canal which, thanks to Canada's financial support, had enabled them to irrigate their land and grow crops. Roads have been built there. We have announced a sweeping polio vaccination program. In the Province of Kandahar, approximately 350,000 children will be vaccinated. The program has almost been completed, and according to the discussions that I had with the World Health Organization representative when I went there, this disease has practically been eradicated there.