National Defence committee  I used to be in the business world. Every world I've been in has been a male-dominated world. I feel as if we've gone through all the same questions, and to be honest, I feel we have all of the factors. We have a lot of knowledge that could actually lead us to success much more rapidly, instead of feeling as if we're reinventing the wheel in every single sector.

National Defence committee  In the business world, we actually tell senior managers, “Within your department, you're low in terms of moving toward equity”, and then we give bonuses and incentives for them to get there They have to report back up to the most senior levels of the financial institution about why they're not achieving their objectives.

National Defence committee  Just to be clear, I'm not looking to give bonuses, so I don't want this to be a big debate. It's more to have the incentive structures, with accountability at the different levels and some sort of penalty if you're not achieving your targets, and you're given all the tools you need to achieve your target.

National Defence committee  Dr. Okros, would you comment?

National Defence committee  Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the excellent conversation. I have tons of questions, so if I can loop back around, I'd love to. Ms. Scoppio, you mentioned that you need a critical mass to create change. Typically, when we talk about women creating change, we talk about 30%, but 25% falls short of that.

National Defence committee  Thank you. I think I have less than a minute left. We don't have a lot of time. Mr. Day, you mentioned in one of your initial comments that jihadi is complicating the peacekeeping process. I want to give you 30 to 45 seconds to talk a little bit about that.

National Defence committee  Thank you.

National Defence committee  Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Ms. Haq mentioned something about trade being very important in African countries, and Canada can play an important role, and so with respect to.... Sorry, I said trade, yes. Trade is very important. I could read your lips there. I know there was a question there.

National Defence committee  If I understood that correctly, you're saying that the UN Security Council will say, “We have a problem in Mali,” and deploy a group, but once they get there, they say, “Okay, what do we need to do to be able to create the conditions for peace?” You're suggesting there could be some more advanced thinking and advanced strategic work, where they would say, “Let's set our objectives before we actually get on the ground, so that we have a better idea about how we're going to get to peace.”

National Defence committee  How does the information on the ground get shared back with the UN? It seems we are into more complex initiatives. The work is long-term. It's not like we're in for a few weeks; we're there for years. How is there constant feedback, and how do adjustments happen as the operation continues to unfold and move its way toward peacekeeping?

National Defence committee  Do you think that's going well for the most part, in terms of the intelligence that's going back and forth, or is there something that needs to be improved in that area?

National Defence committee  Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I'm going to continue that line of questioning. The question is for you, Richard, but, Adam, if you want to also comment, I'd be very grateful. It sounds a little odd. Richard, as part of your presentation you talked about the missions in Africa. You talked about how a peacekeeping mission provides a framework for long-term peace, vital humanitarian aid, and you went through a list.

National Defence committee  I'm hearing from you that we have to gather some more data so we can figure out how we can leapfrog and transcend in a very big way. Dr. Jones, I think we heard that we need to focus a little more on stopping conflicts before they start, and think more about the post-conflict stage, once we get to what that new peace looks like and what work we need to do.

National Defence committee  I appreciate that. Thank you so much.

National Defence committee  Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Dr. Jones, I'm going to start with you, following up on my colleague Mr. Fisher's question about Canada's contribution in Mali, and whether you believe it's a positive contribution to the UN objective of creating conditions for peace. I hear from you that you wish we took on a lot more of the tougher end of the peacekeeping and were there a little longer, but do you think that, overall, it's a positive contribution?