Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
It was interesting to listen to Mr. Bachand's comments. Since I am a Conservative MP, I can speak for myself. I would have liked to hear him express his views as a responsible member of the Standing Committee on National Defence. That's more or less what I was expecting him to do.
I have to say, Mr. Chairman, that I am a little surprised to see some of my colleagues take this motion so lightly. There are moments in life when one should rise above partisan considerations. The mission to Afghanistan is one such moment, to my mind. Mr. Bachand, a member of the Quebec nation, needs to be reminded that this is the largest deployment of Quebec troops since World War II. In fact, the vast majority of the military involved in this mission are from Valcartier. From what I have heard, Prime Minister Mackenzie King once took part in a council of war held in this very forum.
One can either support, or oppose, the mission, but at this stage of the game, as members of the Standing Committee on National Defence, this is not the issue that we should be debating. The issue is not necessarily whether or not we agree with the report's findings—and I do think a certain number of findings have the support of some committee members. As parliamentarians, we have the tools with which to do a more in-depth analysis of the situation than what is being done in the House. I am talking here about the work of the parliamentary committee.
Our work is, of course, partisan in nature, but I like to think that we operate in a more constructive climate. Clearly, the stakes are high and we are mindful of what the mission to Afghanistan represents for Canadians. We are also mindful of the decision we need to make as parliamentarians where Afghanistan is concerned. Ultimately, we know that a decision will need to be made on the floor of the House. I think it is entirely relevant for this committee to review the work of the Manley Commission in advance of this vote and of the debate that will take place in the House.
Off the top of my head, I would say to Mr. Bachand that while I am indeed a Conservative MP, I see no reason why we cannot hold parallel special meetings to look into the work of the Manley Commission.
We are as concerned as you are, Mr. Bachand, about the health of our troops, especially since we are talking about Quebeckers from Lévis, Bellechasse and Les Etchemins. We are talking about Quebeckers from the Régiment de la Chaudière and from the 6th Field Regiment, about people with whom I deal either directly, or indirectly, through parents of our military forces members currently deployed to Afghanistan. I am just as interested as , if not more interested than you are, Mr. Bachand, about their condition when their mission ends.
There is one more interesting question that I would have liked to see discussed. I don't know if you've noticed, but mention is often made of the 3D approach, that is development, diplomacy and defence. We need to explore this approach further. We've talked about joint sessions of the national defence and foreign affairs and international development committees. How many times have I heard colleagues say—and rightfully so—that we need to focus on an integrated, synergistic approach. In this particular instance, we would like to do an analysis and to address this motion in an integrated way.
I sincerely invite my colleagues from all parties to carefully consider their position on this motion or on any similar motion that could be tabled. This exercise may prove interesting from time to time. All parties would withdraw their notices since they would be able to put matters into perspective.
There is one final point that I would like to address, Mr. Chairman. I admit that we have had an opportunity to comment on and to analyze the Manley report. However, some issues may not have been addressed in the report. It would be interesting to look at why this is so and to hear people's views on the subject. The only way to do that is to have them appear before the committee. Knowing how MPs like to be prepared, I am confident that some very interesting questions would be put to these individuals.
Summing up, Mr. Chairman, in my opinion it is important that my colleagues weigh the opportunity given to us by the parliamentary secretary, that is the opportunity to look more closely at the Manley report, whether in terms of availability or frequency.
An important principle is involved and I simply wanted to point that out to you, whether or not we are in camera.
Thank you.
