Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Please excuse me, I've lost my voice.
Ms. Brillon, I've heard you talk about social support, societal support, and the support that a country needs to give its troops. Let me tell you about something I've often heard from Canadians and Quebeckers which might surprise you.
There is a huge difference between what is happening now and what occurred from 1914 to 1917 and from 1939 to 1945, when conscription was the norm. Many of the people who were involved in these two wars had no choice and didn't necessarily have any will or desire to go to war: they were forced to do so.
That's not true of our troops today. Today's troops are individuals who have made a rational decision to enlist in the army. They initially made the decision knowing full well that one day they might have to go to war or be part of a peace-keeping mission. I make a distinction between the people I referred to earlier and someone who makes an adult decision to go to war and then expects support from his or her society or country. Basically, when individuals make such a decision, they know full well that one day they may have to shoot at someone or that they may be shot at themselves. This wasn't the case from 1939 to 1945. Nor was it the case from 1914 to 1917 because these people were forced to go to war.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't support our troops, but I want to know whether people are sufficiently aware, when they decide to enlist in the army, of what may happen to them. If I decide to drive at 160 km/hr, I know that I may kill someone or get killed. Obviously, the same is true if I choose to enrol in the army.
My question is whether these individuals—and this comes back to Gilles' question—are sufficiently aware of what may end up happening to them when they actually sign a contract with the army, whether it be the Canadian, American, French or any other army in the world. That's my question. Are they made aware of these risks? Don't we romanticize things, in a way? I remember the old slogan: "Sign Up, You'll Travel". You will indeed travel, but you'll find the travelling very tough when you go to Bosnia or places like that. Are these people really made aware of what they'll be facing?