After years serving as Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, I have moved on to a new role with the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan.

On October 6, I was elected chair of this committee, a position I am honoured to accept.

This Committee was established in March 2008, when this government extended Canada’s military presence in Kandahar to July 2011.

As chair, I will lead observations on this mission and make recommendations as to how to best proceed in achieving our goal of instilling a lasting atmosphere of peace and democracy in Afghanistan.

As a committee, we will meet regularly with ministers and senior officials to get their feedback on the progress we are making and hear their recommendations regarding the future of this mission.

We will also make recommendations, based on the research, observations and testimony of interested parties, on the conduct and progress of our efforts in Afghanistan.

It is the responsibility of this Committee to develop a comprehensive understanding of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan, the progress that has been made, and projections for the future.

We will then clearly communicate this overview to the public as a way of ensuring all Canadians are being provided with ample information on the conduct and progress of the mission.

Following a trip to Afghanistan at the end of May, former chair, Kevin Sorenson, shared his committee’s findings on the mission, remarking that they do not expect our objective of ensuring the Afghan state is capable of ending internal conflict and providing basic services to its people to be met before 2011.

He recommended that the end of Canada’s combat mission in 2011 should not signify an end to our country’s engagement with this issue and the people of Afghanistan.

Much remains to be done to strengthen the ability of the Afghan government to provide basic services such as security, rule of law, health, social services and education, to its people.

In his report, Mr. Sorenson suggested a plan as to how to continue to develop these goals beyond 2011 and our current mission should be formulated before the end of this year.

In the coming months, myself and my fellow members of the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan will work hard to evaluate our progress and map out our objectives for supporting the Afghan people in finding peace.

-30-