Mr. Speaker, the heart of every Canadian goes out today to the loved ones of our soldiers who were killed and injured in Kandahar.
It is 50 years since Canadian soldiers died in an offensive military mission. According to the Pentagon, 2% of American soldiers were casualties in World War II, the Korean war and Vietnam as a result of so-called friendly fire. By the time of the gulf war, this had increased to 24%.
Can the minister help explain to Canadians what this phenomenon results from? What specific measures does the Canadian government take to ensure that our soldiers in harm's way at the hands of their enemies do not find themselves in harm's way at the hands of our allies?