Thank you for your welcome and giving me the opportunity to come speak to you today.

I was so proud to see so many people in support of our troops this weekend at Kempenfest.
Making peace a viable solution in the world has to be more than a promise of a distant hope. And in Canada we can proudly boast peacekeeping is a major national tradition in Canada.

More than 125,000 Canadian military personnel and thousands of civilians have been deployed in conflicts from Ethiopia/ Eritea, to East Timor, Kosovo, Bosnia, Cyprus, Sierra Leone, Central America and a host of other including most recently, Afghanistan.

From Lester B. Pearson’s day to now, most Canadians have supported an active, international role for our country in peacekeeping missions. Canada is home to the world’s first monument to peacekeepers, in the heart of Ottawa. Peacekeeping is now an integral part of our national identity or “national DNA” of you prefer. Canadian troops have served in over

72 missions since 1947, many of these as peacekeepers in conflict zones across the world.

We are prepared to share our knowledge and resources by teaching peacekeeping skills to troops from other countries as well. These examples indicate the importance of Canada’s role in international peacekeeping operations and as an effective political and human mediator in this complex world.

In 1957 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for the establishment of UNEF, the first modern peacekeeping operation. It is time that Canada is recognized again for its peacekeeping efforts. That is why Canada’s Government is continuing to help the citizens of Afghanistan. Currently there are 37 countries both NATO allies and partner nations that are aiding Afghanistan.

History

Canada has already achieved successes to date through its mission in Afghanistan however it was not always that way. Beginning in 1979, military conflict destroyed the health system of Afghanistan. Most medical professionals left the country in the 1980s and 1990s, and all medical training programs ceased.

At the same time, the physical and psychological effects of war have substantially increased the need for medical care. Infant, child, and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world.

In rural areas, one in five children dies before reaching age five. Because of poor sanitation and insufficient potable water supply, infectious diseases such as malaria and diarrhea are very common. Malnutrition and poor nutrition also are pervasive.

As the country continues to rebuild and recover, it is still struggling against poverty, poor infrastructure, large concentration of land mines and other unexploded ordnance, as well as a huge illegal poppy cultivation and opium trade. The country continues to grapple with the Taliban insurgency and the threat of attacks from a few remaining al Qaeda.
Before Canada’s presence in Afghanistan they desperately needed a fairer justice system, democratic institutions and mechanisms to protect human rights; such basic services as clean water, sanitation, schools, health care and roads; ensuring the country is no longer a haven for terrorists or drug traffickers; ending violence against women; protecting children rights; and ensuring security throughout the country.

During the devastating 23 year long conflict in their country, thousands of Afghans - men, women and children, were killed, wounded, tortured, lost their friends and relatives, had their houses burned down and their property destroyed or stolen. They have been violently deprived of their most basic rights: right to life, right to education, right to work, right to basic medical care, right to be free from torture and humiliating treatment, right to freely express their opinion, to elect their leaders and to contribute to the improvement of their lives individually and collectively.

9/11

Key among these concerns were the gross deprivations caused by policies which removed or banned women from public life, the traditional customs which undermined their status and the flagrant abuses of women’s rights.

Without substantial progress in addressing the sources of insecurity, reconstruction efforts and the establishment of viable State institutions will continue to falter and the economy may well be subsumed by the illicit drug industry. Improving security throughout Afghanistan and establishing the rule of law are key elements for a successful transition to peace.

Canada’s government has working to make drastic improvements to Afghanistan’s infrastructure by constructing and rebuilding roads.
To name a few key projects:

- Kandahar-Spin Boldak highway has been rebuilt and paved leading the Pakistan border.
- The Arghandab River causeway was constructed across the major river running through Kandahar province.

In 2000 there was virtually no access to basic health care. This moved to 9% in 2004. Today, 85% of Afghans have access to basic medical care.

In 2007: close to 6 million children (2 million girls) enrolled in school.  In 2001, there were only 700,000 boys in school; no girls.

The per capita income in Afghanistan has doubled between 2002 and 2007.

•Canada has been the top donor to MISFA. Through the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan there have been over 436,000 savings & small loans services clients in 23 provinces, including Kandahar.
•More than 2/3 of these clients are women
•Over 21,000 local Community Development Councils have been elected nationwide through the Afghan government’s National Solidarity Program.
•These Councils have completed over 19,000 projects, between 2003 and May 2008.
•In Kandahar alone, there are over 575 councils and over 1000 completed projects (2003 to May 2008).
•These projects include over 1500 wells, 180 km of irrigation canals, 600 culverts in Kandahar.
In 2004 over 10 million Afghans registered to vote in what were described as free and fair elections for the President.  These were followed by the election of the Afghan Parliament.
• 347 women were candidates for lower house elections in 2005, with a 27% representation by women in Parliament today.
Minister Emerson has said he will be undertaking three signature projects:  the Dahla Dam, education and polio eradication.

One of Canada’s six priorities for moving forward on Afghanistan is to help strengthen the Afghan Government’s ability to provide basic services like jobs, education, and water services to the residents of Kandahar province.

Infrastructure

The repair of the Dahla Dam and its irrigation system directly addresses this priority and Canada will spend up to $50 million over three years* on the Dam.
The project will: provide a secure water supply to the majority of Kandahar’s population; generate up to 10,000 new jobs; and irrigate 10,000 more hectares of land.

Polio

Afghanistan is one of only four countries in the world where polio is still endemic. The Polio Eradication signature project will see the immunization of an estimated seven million children under age five across Afghanistan, including 350,000 in southern Afghanistan, which has the highest national incidence of this debilitating virus.  Canada will spend up to $60 million over three years on this initiative.

•Canada’s investment toward the elimination polio will make us the largest international donor in this area.
The goal is to eradicate transmission of polio by 2009 and conduct monitoring and surveillance activities for the following year to ensure successful eradication.
•Our partners in the international community include the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

Education

Through Canada’s Education signature project, we will invest up to $12 million over the next three years to build and/or repair 50 schools in targeted districts in Kandahar province and to expand the Ministry of Education’s ability to deliver quality educational services.

•This project builds on Canada’s already significant contribution to Afghan education. We are currently the lead donor to the National Education Program, the Education Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP), and we are supporting the Government of Afghanistan in the roll-out of its national education strategy in Kandahar.
•Afghanistan has some of the lowest educational levels in the world. It is estimated that half of all Afghan children do not go to school.
•This means barriers to employment and other economic opportunities, as well as to resources and services.
•Teaching women numeracy and literacy is a particular imperative for the Government of Afghanistan. Research shows that educating women has the greatest developmental pay-offs for both their immediate families, and society at large.
•In addition, Canada will be supporting this signature project by training up to 3000 teachers and providing adult literacy and vocational training.
Manley Report

The John Manley report on Canada’s future role in Afghanistan recommended that troops stay in Afghanistan until 2011. The panel says Canada needs to remain in Afghanistan provided twp conditions are met:

•    The Assignment of an additional battle group of about 1,000 soldiers to Kandahar by NATO and / or/ allies before February 2009.
•    That the governments secure new, medium-lift helicopters and high-performance unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

We cannot allow violence to further and that is why Canadian troops are continuing their peacekeeping mission to protect civilians in Afghanistan.