I respect the military officers and analysts who have made the case for a respite. I wonder if it's going to be possible, though, and I wonder what degree of commitment and engagement is going to be needed in the short to medium term. I can understand the need, with the tempo of deployments to Afghanistan, the many people who have gone through that process, the wear and tear on equipment, and so on, but the world does not stand still, and there could be considerable pressures for Canadians to be deployed elsewhere in the near to medium term.
On May 25th, 2010. See this statement in context.