Mr. Speaker, as chair of the defence committee and indeed on behalf of the committee I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and comrades of Sergeant Marc Leger, Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, Private Richard Green and Private Nathan Smith who were killed last night in the tragic friendly fire incident near Kandahar.
I hope the families of these brave soldiers know that we feel their loss profoundly, we share their grief and we mourn with them.
To those who were wounded: Sergeant Lorne Ford, Corporal René Paquet, Master Corporal Curtis Hollister, Corporal Brett Perry, Private Normal Link, Corporal Shane Brennan, Master Corporal Stanley Clark and Corporal Brian Decaire, each and every one of us is praying for their full and speedy recovery.
To their families, friends and comrades, they too are in our thoughts and prayers. I hope this terrible accident will cause all Canadians to reflect on the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the Canadian forces.