Mr. Chair, I thank the member for his question and his excellent speech on the progress that is being made in Afghanistan.
He tried to point out, and I will elaborate a little, the progress that has been made in Afghanistan during these past five years.
We are making a tremendous difference. In the five years since this international mission began, we have witnessed a turnaround in the mood of Afghanistan, from one of despair to one of hope. Afghans want security. They do not want to live in fear. They want to look forward with hope to a brighter future. This is exactly what we are doing in Afghanistan. We are bringing them hope.
We are working with the Afghan people to rebuild their society. A society can rebuild only if its citizens feel secure. Development is only sustainable if security and stability are firmly established. The first step for reconstruction in Kandahar is to create a secure environment. It is our troops on the ground who are helping to open up the opportunities for the goals of the Afghanistan Compact to be achieved. They are creating the safe spaces where Afghans can begin to rebuild their lives.
Now, despite the decades of war, the years of extremist rule, the lack of basic infrastructure and public services, the extreme poverty, the harsh environment and the corruption, these people have hope. They can see the possibilities for the future, for their families and for their villages.
We are seeing life return to the streets of Afghanistan. Last month the Kandahar amusement park reopened. That is a sure sign that the people are beginning to feel like they can go out again and feel safe.
Six million children, one-third of them girls, are now getting an education for the first time, compared to only 700,000 boys in 2001. Twenty-five hundred villages now have access to electricity. Six thousand kilometres of roads have been built and repaired.
On that note, I want to talk a little bit about the Route Summit that was built by our Canadian troops. This is a new two-lane road that will connect the Panjwai district to Highway 1. Route Summit is only about four kilometres long but its impact is immeasurable. This road means that a farmer can get his produce to bigger markets, finally earning a reasonable income for his family. It means doctors from the major urban centres can now visit villages where they had no access to medical services before. It means the police and the army can respond to the crises where and when they are needed. Most important, the road is a symbol of the Afghan government providing for its population and unifying the country.
Canadians played a very important role and we should be very proud of our role in the Route Summit. It was our combat engineers who worked with local construction crews to build the road while our soldiers protected them.
I just want to quickly quote President Karzai from when he was here to remind us of the progress that is being made. He said:
Afghanistan today is profoundly different from the terrified and exhausted country it was five years ago.
Afghanistan’s democracy will continue to grow, will continue to develop, will continue to gain the confidence of its people – but only with patience and with the continued support of Canada and other members of the international community.