Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the committee members for this opportunity to talk about a subject that is near and dear to me.
When the clerk of the committee phoned last week, I was already in the process of putting together the final touches on the document that has been circulated to you. It should be before you now. The document is titled, “Post Afghanistan - Whither Canada First Defence Policy”. Although plain reading of the paper indicates that the return to international peace operations is and should continue to be a priority role for the Canadian Forces post-2011, I am of the view that before we accept the commitment in that regard, we should give soldiers and their families a welcome pause from operational deployment.
Indeed, as I made clear in the paper, the repatriation of Canadian troops in 2011 would provide the Canadian Forces with a welcome opportunity to attend to several pressing issues. These include the reconfiguration of the Canadian Forces, particularly the army, which is coming off a prolonged, war-fighting mission, and a critical examination of our headquarters system, which consumes much of our limited resources. But there is much more, ranging from the civilianization of the Defence oversight committee, the restructuring of the Canadian Forces grievance system, and a provision, perhaps, of a degree-granting charter to the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean so that this national institution can once again commission French-speaking officers for the three services. I am of course open to questions concerning any of these proposals or the one contained in the paper.
As you know, over the weekend the Minister of National Defence announced that Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie will be assuming the role of the chief of transformation this coming June. It's not only a good thing, it is also an unmistakeable statement of requirement on the part of the defence department that, post-Afghanistan, the Canadian Forces will be required to undergo a transformation of sorts in order to meet the future needs and challenges of the nation. In my opinion, over the coming months this committee should be prepared to participate, if not lead, in the transformation process, as many of what I certainly perceive as critical or urgent requirements for change should be done under the general guidance and support of this committee. I therefore urge members of this committee to take a proactive role in this matter, both in this general application and in specific areas that require modification, changes, and improvements.
Also, as noted before, save and accept a real emergency on redeployment, the Canadian Forces should be provided with a respite from assignment on international missions. Such a respite will permit the Canadian Forces to make the applicable and necessary changes to their structures, their configuration, and their governance.
Before getting into a discussion with you about the need for such a transformation and its impact on the Canadian Forces' ability to deploy, in the short term, on international peace operations, please permit me to make a couple of additional suggestions before I close.
First, given the current situation in Haiti and the fact that full rehabilitation of that nation will be a huge effort of almost Marshall Plan duplication, it might be advantageous for both nations, in the fullness of time, for Canada to establish a garrison within Haiti to assist, to train, and to give aid to the civil authorities.
Second, while it may be a point to the obvious, the world, post-Afghanistan, is still a very dangerous place. Hence, I believe it would be a grave error to put the Canadian Forces into a peacekeeping only configuration. It remains a truism that forces capable of combat operation, however limited, can equally conduct so-called peacekeeping operations. The reverse, though, is not true.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the time you've taken to listen to the issues and concerns, and I would be happy to entertain any questions you may have.