Statement

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada

May 31, 2011
Kandahar, Afghanistan

Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the following remarks yesterday in Afghanistan:

"Men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, I'm honoured to be here with you today, honoured to stand before you as we mark a key transition in the work Canada is doing here in Afghanistan.

"And what is striking is that, in the history of our country, our troops have never been at war for such a long period of time.

"We have, in fact, been in Afghanistan almost as long as our forefathers fought in the First and Second World Wars combined. So I'm here to praise the dedication and perseverance of all the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, and also of Canada's diplomatic corps, and of numerous other Government of Canada departments and agencies who have served here in these difficult and dangerous conditions since 2002.

"I am here to thank you for your service to our country, here as well, and I say this with great sadness, to pay respect to those members of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as those who served Canada in a civilian capacity and Canadian private contractors, aid workers and journalists who gave all they had, their very lives, in this great enterprise.

"And I am also here to highlight the important change in the work we are doing. From the outset, our priorities in Afghanistan have centred on diplomacy, development, and defence and security, which make all these efforts possible.

"We shall continue our diplomatic, developmental and humanitarian efforts.

"However, our people, our security mission is about to change from one in which we lead the fight against terrorists to one where we train the Afghan National Army to lead that fight.

"Now, I called this a great enterprise, and so it is. You all remember the days when the forces of Islamist terror first attacked our world.

"The bombing attacks, the assassinations, all directed against countries which advocate freedom, respect for human rights and the primacy of the rule of law.

"Attacks that reached their hate-filled depths on that day when nearly 3000 people, citizens of many nations including Canada, were killed in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

"These 9/11 attacks were conceived, planned and prepared here in Afghanistan, here where there were plenty of terrorist training camps but very few schools. Here where there were enough places for terrorists to plot to murder and maim, but hardly any hospitals. Here where the vicious Taliban regime bludgeoned its own citizens, but welcomed the world's worst killers; men so immersed in their own evil that they believed their appalling ambitions to be nothing less than the will of God.

"We all remember the choice that confronted us: how should a country like ours respond? Canada, the good and peaceful citizen of the world that makes tolerance a national trait; what should we do when everything we uphold is assaulted by those whose only goal is violence and who will tolerate nothing but their own intolerance?

"Should we confront terror at its source in Afghanistan or wait until it comes to us.

"The answer was apparent to all, but only you, you and thousands of other young Canadians in uniform were able to provide it. We said we would stand with our allies. We said we would go to Afghanistan. We said we would take on the forces of terror in their own backyard, and that you did.

"You went into the most difficult regions, lawless regions, violent regions, and you worked wonders.

"A name such as Panjwai and Arghandab, to name a few, are taking their place of honour, new chapters in the book of courage written during the long history of Canada's Armed Forces.

"Canada's successes here are of course composed of countless acts of individual bravery. In fact, they're so numerous that it's almost awkward to single out individuals.

"But here's a few that, having come to my attention, persuade me that the noblest military virtues of courage, coolness and care for comrades are so deeply embedded in the Canadian Armed Forces that they have become second nature to all.

"Let me remind you of some of them. Artillery officer Captain Nicola Goddard, killed in her vehicle while participating in what became a hugely successful attack on a Taliban position in Panjwai district.

"Major Michael Wright, who, outnumbered, surrounded and under intense fire in Panjwai, refused reinforcements for safety reasons, and led his men to outmanoeuvre the enemy, to inflict serious casualties upon them and to defeat a much larger force without a single Canadian casualty.

"Or Sergeant Martin Côté, a Quebec medic who shook off the effects of a severe concussion even after his own vehicle was hit, helped the survivors, relayed the information to headquarters, and began life-saving treatments, all under live enemy fire during a combat retreat.

"There are dozens of stories like these, occasions when your friends, your comrades exceeded all reasonable expectations and risks, or made exceptional sacrifices to diffuse an IED, to save a life, or to defeat an enemy.

"You know well that it takes a team to fight a war. So for people such as Goddard, Wright or Côté, to do what they do, it takes a lot of other people, to do what they have been trained to do and to do it very well.

"I'm speaking now of the dedicated, hardworking specialists who work in intelligence, electronics systems and aerial surveillance, and everything else a modern army depends on to be effective and to do so at an incredibly high standard of excellence.

"I'm also speaking of police volunteers and of civilian contractors whom we rely on, such as CanCaps operation manager at KAF, Terry Warwick, who has shown unyielding and unwavering dedication to the mission since he started at Camp Julian in 2003. That's called being in it for the long haul.

"Friends, the Canadian Armed Forces have been called the best small army in the world, and that you are. The best of the best, bar none. But as you have been courageous warriors, so you're also compassionate neighbours. When I talk with those who have served here, I'm always struck by your satisfaction in what you have made possible for so many ordinary people in Afghanistan.

"Before, Afghan children remained in ignorance.

"Now there are more than 150,000 teachers in this country, more than seven times as many as a decade ago. Of them, almost one third are women, providing education to hundreds of thousands of girls to whom it was once cruelly denied. In Kandahar alone, Canada has built or repaired 50 schools. Across the entire country, we have helped establish 4000 schools.

"Achievements in the health care field have been remarkable as well.

"In 2002 it was a lucky Afghan, maybe one in ten, who lived within a two-hour walk of a doctor. Now, two-thirds of the population does.

"Part of the solution was simply training more health professionals. Canada has trained almost 1500 doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers. And with our international partners, Canada has vaccinated more than 7 million children against polio, a simple, inexpensive procedure that saves lives and spares countless people from untold misery.

"Then there's the Dahla Dam, a signature Canadian project to restore the reservoir that makes possible a vastly increased farming output in the Arghandab valley.

"Friends, behind every girl now in a classroom, behind every healthy baby in its mother's arms, behind every farmer who can feed his family without taking up arms, behind all of this progress are innumerable acts of heroism, of selfless devotion to duty by you, the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, our diplomats and our aid workers.

"Now one might suppose that with all your sacrifice and with the news of the killing of the Osama bin Laden, that the threat of terrorism has vanished. Sadly, that would be a delusion. We cannot pretend that terrorism no longer threatens our world or indeed even our own country. Yet, thanks to you and the work of our allies, it is now increasingly possible for the Afghan National Army to assume greater responsibility for holding the gains you have made and for protecting its own citizens.

"That is why, along with our continued diplomatic, development and humanitarian work, training the Afghan National Army will be the new focus of Canada's efforts here in Afghanistan. Be assured Canada's training mission is among the most substantial made by our allies.

"It represents our unwavering commitment toward the Afghan people and toward the hard-won progress that we have helped to achieve.

"Friends, I'd like to end on a personal note. This is the fourth time that I've visited Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Earlier today I met with members of the Royal 22nd Regiment at our patrol base at Sperwan Ghar.

"On an earlier visit, I had the privilege of visiting the forward operating base Ma'Sum Ghar, just a few miles from there. It was then probably our most dangerous outpost in the entire world. But there is something at Ma'Sum Ghar that I want to mention.

"It is the stone maple leaf flag that many of you probably know. Made up of painted rocks on a cleared area, it is a soldier's monument, a tribute to our home: Canada, in a place far from it. And if you know that flag, you also know that when a Canadian soldier is killed, a white stone is placed at its base, placed there by comrades, a simple gesture of friendship, of solidarity and of remembrance.

"Tragically, there must be more white stones there today than when I saw it last. But that flag of stone placed in such a far-flung corner of the world, to the memory of friends, reminds us of a great truth about Canada.

"Fellow Canadians, as the combat mission here in Kandahar draws to a close and Canadian boots no longer tread this dusty ground, always remember that we Canadians are not here for ourselves. We do not dream of empire. We do not covet what other nations possess, and we do not make war to advance selfish or cynical aims.

"Canadians will strive for justice and stand for what is right, and Canada has young men and women like you who will march to the ends of the Earth, even to Ma'Sum Ghar or Sperwan Ghar, to defend what makes Canada the best country in the world.

"Let no one forget it. My friends, you have done exceptionally well. You came into the toughest part of this country, and you held it, and now it is being developed.

"On behalf of all Canadians, I salute you."

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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