Thank you so much, Chair.
Mr. Smith, I have to admit I didn't know anything about the Battle of Medak Pocket. I just googled it and started reading. Oh, my word.
There are two paragraphs here I would like to read:
The battle would change the face of peacekeeping, and influence how the Canadian military approached post-traumatic stress disorder. But as the soldiers returned home, the public was learning of the torture and death of a teenager at the hands of Canadian soldiers in Somalia. The violence of Medak raised questions about peacekeeping the government didn't want to answer.
I have quite a heart for what went on in Somalia and the whole issues around mefloquine, the inquiry and the disbanding of the Canadian Airborne. It hugely impacted the response of our government even in this case as well.
As hard as it may be to talk about, how does that make you feel when you realize that political implications often end up being the reason that you're in the situation you're facing today in regard to educating our youth?