Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I have always said that a mission implies two theatres of operation. Some things happen on the ground, but there is also public opinion, which is probably just as important if not more. Everyone knows this, and the Americans have known since the Vietnam war. Many people say that the war wasn't lost in Vietnam, but rather in the American theatre of operations, when the public said that they were tired of the war.
I would like to know whether you believe that the Canadian public is sufficiently informed. When soldiers are deployed, people in Canada and especially in Quebec believe that it is to ensure that peacekeepers can restore peace in an exotic locale, that these are extraordinary people who separate the camps. I feel that the public is not sufficiently prepared for such missions, such as the one in Afghanistan.
Do you feel that it is important to make a greater effort to make the facts public, to keep the public in the loop? First, perhaps Canadians need to be straightened out and told that we are not going there simply to insert ourselves between the two camps who have agreed together to put an end to hostilities, and to separate them.
As MPs our we properly informing the public and ensuring success in both theatres of operations, as I mentioned at the start of my question?