National Defence committee  We can start here. We can do it simultaneously with some of our colleagues in the Secretariat. The Pearson Centre has been involved recently in helping write operational guidance to heads of missions in anticipation of a senior mission leaders course at the UN that prepares future SRSGs and force commanders for their roles and responsibilities.

National Defence committee  But one could argue that your father's world and my father's world really doesn't exist in terms of the interstate conflict that drove them to the beaches of Normandy.

National Defence committee  I'm always hesitant to speak on politics, because it's not my forte. In a democracy, where you have the selection of government by the people, it is a shared responsibility. I have never been elected, so I don't walk a mile in your shoes. I do know how difficult it is to make the decisions that you do for the treasure and talent of your country.

National Defence committee  It's always important to link the public with something that is bigger than themselves and to help them understand that what happens in the plains of Afghanistan also has an impact on Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. That's where the role of Parliament, the role of the media, and the role of NGOs such as the PPC and Peacebuild can be very useful in saying the world has changed and now what happens over there is intimately connected to you.

National Defence committee  I think it's extremely important that the military personnel have a chance to reflect and rest, but I also agree with David that there probably will not be time for that.

National Defence committee  Again, using the bully pulpit Canada has, using pressure of all kinds, is an excellent way to stay the regional neighbours into their own borders. As to the intelligence, the UN is no longer thinking intelligence is a dirty word, so there's quite an appetite for learning and understanding more about what intelligence-gathering is and what it really means for a mission.

National Defence committee  As much as I would like to say yes, I have to say no, if we look at UNAMET, UNMIS, and some others. However, most of the countries of the African Union are 60 years old and independent, so they're quite new at this game. I think that's where the mentoring, advising, and provision of support are extremely critical if we really want the African Union to become robust enough to handle African problems in African ways.

National Defence committee  I think it would require a fairly robust response of seconding individuals in over a long time. It would again be whole of government, helping the African Union with capability, with staffing, with planning, and with understanding how that works, and all in the cultural context.

National Defence committee  I think one of the key lessons is the role of patience and intercultural communication and understanding. Nothing happens quickly. We are taking a 13th- or 14th-century environment and trying to propel it to the 21st century. There are a whole range of activities that require patience, due diligence, deliberateness, relationship-building, and trust-building that are sometimes viewed as outside the purview of a force.

National Defence committee  Responsibility to protect as a political process I think is different from protection of civilians. I would like to address it from a protection of civilians perspective, because I'm not adroit enough at speaking about politics. When we have the kinds of conflicts that we do, where we see the damage to the civilian population, whether it's in genocide or the mass rape that we're seeing in Congo, I think one of the questions that has to be asked is, how and when do we engage?

National Defence committee  As a quick example, when we were preparing for a course we were delivering to the UN police in Darfur, we reached into the diaspora community in Hamilton and learned how to address issues of sexual and gender-based violence that are culturally taboo. So we were able to get questions translated in Darfur.

National Defence committee  Right. Again, one can say that we wish we could wave the magic wand and have them all democratic in a nightfall, but I think the reality is that the slow drip, drip of leadership, mentoring, and advising by countries such as Canada helps to dissuade and helps to change.

National Defence committee  I would assert that the UN is only as strong as its member states allow it to be. It's a voluntary compliance organization, and I think here again is where the developed world's absence from the discourse and absence from decision-making has allowed or has resulted in the UN's abysmal responses.

National Defence committee  I think that's where Parliament has such an important role as a teacher, as a leader to its constituents. I think that's where history becomes very important. I think that's where myth busting becomes extremely important. And institutions like Peacebuild and the PPC can be helpful in that, but when economic tensions and economic realities address local folks' pocketbooks, it makes it a little bit harder to keep the attention span going on, I'll grant you that.

National Defence committee  In every meeting I go to, I'm asked one question: when will Canada come back and help us? I think Canada's leadership on the world stage—particularly in areas like New Horizon, which talks about partnering, which talks about the need for a command-and-control structure, which talks about the need for training and equipment—Canada's long-term history, and Canada's experience in Afghanistan makes it a principal player in this.