Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague. It is a more complicated question than one might think upon first hearing. I believe we have to break it into at least two, possibly three, categories.
Without question there is a question of confidence in the government and in the military because when the government acts badly it reflects upon the military. That should not be the issue and we can disclaim that aspect of it. Canadians realize that the military has done its job. It is not the proverbial weak link in the chain of command. It is higher up. Where we have an issue of confidence is when it get to the Minister of National Defence, the Privy Council and the Prime Minister.
As far as the treatment of Canadian forces if captured, that is something we cannot ignore. In no way shape or form am I trying to pretend that war is some type of a civilized exercise. Obviously the thin veneer of civilization falls away completely when we engage in acts of war, but in this case it was a result of the terrible events of terrorism on our own North American shores. It was something we could not ignore.
Yes, there was a legitimate reason to commit troops to the field and to the theatre of war. Yes, it does endanger our troops when we are up against an enemy who we know does not follow the rules of engagement, the rules of war, or the Geneva convention.
However, that taken aside, if we do not adhere to the Geneva convention then we cannot expect our opponents to adhere to it. The ability of the Geneva convention to protect non-combatants, to protect the very soldiers who are engaged in battle, is legendary. The point of following the convention is to make sure that in the case of capture our troops are treated as fairly and humanely as possible. They risked their lives the day they signed up for the Canadian military. They understand the risk involved. Without question, in this conflict and every other conflict our soldiers have ever been in, they have fought with honour and distinction as I am sure they will here.
The question on the Geneva convention cannot be ignored. It is absolutely essential that Canadian troops follow the Geneva convention so that we can expect that anyone who captures Canadian forces would follow it as well.