Mr. Speaker, I applaud the hon. member for his service. He is a veteran of the air force, and I understand what he is saying about basic training.
I am an infanteer. I am one of those guys at the pointy end of the stick. That is what an infanteer does, what we do in combat arms. That is one of our roles, as we have seen in Afghanistan in its more extreme state: kill or be killed. That is war.
However, I want to point out for the hon. member that there are so many other skills. That is why Canadians across this planet, serving in our uniform, have made the best ambassadors for our country. It is because of all the tremendous skills they learn, aside from the basic reason for armies. They provide tremendous international support in terms of peacekeeping.
When I was in Bosnia, it was Canadians who were brilliant negotiators in being able to move around the country and work between the warring factions. Because we have that skill to fight, we are so formidable. We may not be the biggest army in the world, but we are the best. When people take on Canadians, they know they are in trouble.
I am very proud of my lineage. I did 33 years of this and I understand. I have eaten a lot of mud and dirt in my time in basic training. I applaud what the member is saying. The Helmets to Hardhats program is an excellent program. What I am afraid of, though, are the mischaracterizations of some of the members opposite and the poor information and understanding that certain members have of our Canadian Forces.
Quite frankly, the Liberal Party leader should fire his spokesman, because that—