Afghanistan committee  I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that question.

Afghanistan committee  It was Mr. Mulroney's choice for ambassador, Arif Lalani.

Afghanistan committee  That's a good question, Mr. Rae. There are perhaps two parts to it. At the beginning, in 2006—our first reports were in May and June 2006—the Canadian effort in Afghanistan was a bit disorganized, a bit under-resourced and a little bit disjointed. The military was very strong in Kandahar, but CIDA and DFAIT were strong in Kabul.

Afghanistan committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the committee for convening this session. I would like to thank the committee for its interest in this important issue. In this public setting, I will do my best to shed light within the limits imposed by my professional obligations, such as protecting the confidentiality of sources.