Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce today that Canada is strengthening its support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
As I said on May 17 when this House voted to extend Canada's mission in Afghanistan, our government is helping the people of Afghanistan to rebuild their shattered nation. We are doing so and we are committed to doing so for three reasons.
First, because our national security is at stake. As North Americans learned on September 11, 2001, terrorism is a menace to us all. It is a global phenomenon and it must be confronted wherever we find it, at home or abroad. We were unmistakably reminded of this by the recent arrests of a number of people charged under Canada's Anti-Terrorism Act.
Second, we are doing this because we are determined to demonstrate Canada's leadership on the world stage and to show that we will pull our weight in United Nations missions.
Third, we are doing this because the government and the people of Afghanistan have asked us to help them, and it is in the nature of Canadians to share the peace and prosperity we have achieved with countries torn by war, poverty or natural disaster.
A great deal has been accomplished since Canada and its coalition partners, comprising 35 countries, decided to help the Afghan people stabilize security and 60 nations began the task of rebuilding this country. For example, in the last election, some 12 million Afghans registered to vote—the vast majority for the first time in their lives.
In addition, 3.5 million refugees have been relocated; some 5 million children—a third of them girls—are enrolled in primary school; 120,000 Afghan women have benefited from microcredit to start up their own businesses; vast quantities of heavy arms, ammunition and mines have been turned in, cantonned or destroyed.; and 11,000 villages have been rebuilt in the countryside .
Canada's financial commitment to supporting this important work stands at over $1 billion over 10 years. Budget 2006 set aside $100 million for this year alone, but more needs to be done. That is why I am pleased to announce today one more contribution to the rebuilding of Afghanistan, namely, that Canada will provide $15 million to the Asian Development Bank to help Afghanistan rebuild the country's rural irrigation systems, systems damaged by years of conflict.
This is a major initiative. For centuries, the Afghan people have been using traditional irrigation methods to grow their food.
Up to 80% of their agricultural production depends on irrigation, and over half of the national economy depends on agriculture. Thanks to Canada 's contribution, a number of irrigation systems will be rebuilt, which will stimulate food production and will help local farmers to grow other crops than poppies which when processed end up on our streets in the form of illegal drugs.
Canadians should be very proud of this country's work in support of the reconstruction of Afghanistan. They can be proud of the courageous personnel of the Canadian Forces, who are working with allied troops, Afghan police and members of the Afghan National Army to enhance security in this country. They can be proud of our diplomats and development workers, who are cooperating with Afghan officials to lay the groundwork for a better life for the people of Afghanistan by providing clean water, mine-free roads and reliable energy sources, and by building more schools and health care facilities.
By establishing major institutions such as an independent human rights commission, they are also helping the people of Afghanistan to build their country's democratic infrastructure.
Today's announcement represents one more building block in this work and one more step in a journey we are taking with our allies and the Afghan people to establish a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan, an Afghanistan that will never again serve as a safe haven for international terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda, an Afghanistan that can take its rightful place in the community of nations. This is an important mission, one that our country is proud to be part of.