EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2008 

How Are We Doing in Afghanistan?
Canadians Need to Know. 

A Report of the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence 

Communicating with Canadians on the Afghan Conflict  

After a series of hearings in Ottawa examining Canada’s mission to Afghanistan, six members of the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence visited Canadian troops, development officers and diplomats on an eight-day trip (March 28-April 4) that included four days in Kandahar. 

The six Senators who made the trip, the Committee’s third to Afghanistan, were: Tommy Banks, Colin Kenny, Michael Meighen, Grant Mitchell, Rod Zimmer and Joe Day. 

In the month since our return, these six Senators – in conjunction with other senators on the Committee who have taken part in hearings on Afghanistan – have worked together to produce a report that we hope will be of assistance to the federal government in managing the Canadian mission. 

The report is entitled:

How Are We Doing in Afghanistan? Canadians Need to Know. 

While challenges to success in Afghanistan remain formidable, we found considerable progress in the way the mission is being run. We did not, however, find improvements in the way progress is being measured or communicated to Canadians. 

One of the Committee’s primary conclusions is that the Government of Canada must find better ways of communicating progress (or lack of progress) to Canadians, so the Canadian public can make informed decisions as to whether the mission is worth its heavy cost, both in terms of lives lost and taxpayers’ dollars spent. 

The Committee continues to believe that the Canadian mission to Afghanistan is worthwhile. Whether it will continue to be worthwhile will depend on how much we continue to improve the security and the general well-being of Afghans. 

It is our assessment that many Canadians are of two minds about the mission. Most understand that Canada has a role to play in improving international stability and bettering the lives of impoverished people, but many are unsure whether the Afghanistan mission is helping to accomplish both of these ends.  

We also believe that the Government of Canada might help Canadians appreciate the mission if it would take the advice of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan (the Manley Panel) and better communicate information on successes – and continued challenges – on the ground.  

To help do that, we believe that the Government should report to Canadians through Parliament, on a semi-annual basis, through reports containing measures that will indicate whether significant progress is being made, and that is one of our recommendations.  

Examples of what kinds of indicators might be measured regularly in Kandahar are contained in this report. 

Major Recommendations 

In total this report contains 16 recommendations.  Some of the other major ones: 

• That Canada apply further pressure to its NATO allies to provide 4,000 additional troops the Committee believes are needed to secure Kandahar Province.

• That the Canadian Forces consider lengthening the normal non-combat military service time in Kandahar from 6 months to 9-12 months. 

• That the Government of Canada allow Canadian Forces and Canadian government officials operating in Kandahar to talk to members of the Taliban if they believe such communications would encourage disarmament or improve the security of development projects. 

• That 50 RCMP officers and 150 police officers from provincial and municipal forces across Canada be sent to Kandahar to mentor Afghan police. 

• That up to 500 recently-retired Canadian police officers be deployed to perform the same type of role. 

• That Canada offer financial assistance to ensure that Afghan National Police have proper equipment and are paid salaries comparable to members of the Afghan National Army. 

The report is available online in the “Reports” section of the Committee’s Web site, www.sen-sec.ca. The full list of recommendations appears on page 103.  Some members of the Committee have reservations with some aspects of recommendations (2, 6, 12 and 15). 

Again, we offer this report in the spirit of assisting the Government in the management of this huge Canadian investment in international security – an investment for which the entire Committee has high hopes. High hopes, however, should not be based on inadequate information, lest they become false hopes. Canadians need to know.

For further information, contact: 

Leslie Dauncey               
Media Relations
613-995-7966  

For general information about the committee, contact: 

Shaila Anwar       613-991-0719
Gaëtane Lemay    613-993-8968
Co-clerks of the committee