For generations, Canada has acquired an international reputation for helping populations that have been oppressed by cruel and undemocratic regimes.

The deployment of Canadian troops to Afghanistan shows that we are a people who will stand in harm’s way to protect the innocent and helpless, wherever they may live. The vicious regime was forcing Taliban practices on an unwilling population, including stoning women for refusing to wear a burka. Thanks to our dedicated troops and other military personnel from around the world, millions of Afghan women now have freedoms that would have been impossible without global intervention.

Recent polls show that most Canadians support their troops in Afghanistan, but many object to the mission. It is important to remember that there is more to Canada’s role in Afghanistan than we hear on the evening news. On the road to establishing democracy in that country, we have helped seven million children attend school – a third of them are girls who were previously forbidden from getting an education by the Taliban.

Canada is most interested in helping Afghans help themselves. We have provided microfinance credit programs to 325,000 Afghans – about 75 per cent of whom are women – to start small businesses and purchase livestock to support their families. Some 98 per cent of those loans have been repaid with interest. At the same time, we have supported 27,000 reconstruction projects that are producing clean water, sanitation facilities, irrigation systems and electrical power. Canada has also assisted with vaccination programs for 200,000 Afghan women and children. Our troops have disarmed 63,000 combatants and destroyed 65,000 landmines to reclaim huge tracts of land for agriculture and housing.

Canada didn’t enter the fray on its own – the Afghan mission is sanctioned by the United Nations and is led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). There are 37 countries that have contributed to ending Taliban influence in Afghanistan. Ultimately, the Afghan people must rein in the Taliban and take charge of their country, but they need help to get established.

At the time of this writing, Canada has lost 66 brave members of the armed forces to the Afghanistan conflict. As democratic freedoms help the Afghan people lead more productive lives, our troops were not lost in vain.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is seeking a degree of parliamentary consensus before a decision is made about extending the tenure of Canadian troops in Afghanistan beyond February 2009. We will consult with the other federal political parties to deliver the clear message that our troops deserve. I believe Canada has been truly blessed and we should use our abundance to help those who are less fortunate.

All Canadians have reason to be proud of the brave men and women who risk their lives on a daily basis. They are providing greater freedom and a more secure environment for an exploited population half a world away. Could there be a greater gift?

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