Mr. Speaker, I would like to know the opinion of the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the statement he made here in March 2010, which reads:
We have made it clear that the military will not be [in Afghanistan] post-2011 and in that regard there is no need to have a debate in the House
Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell me what has happened since March 2010 to make him do a complete 180? I think that the debate we are having right now is very civilized and polite.
Was the reason for this drastic about-face pressure from our NATO allies, particularly the Americans?
Does the minister agree that this is the statement he made in March? If so, then why is he now changing direction?