Mr. Chair, I enjoy serving with the member. He talked a lot about provincial reconstruction teams. I wanted to make a comment on the one I visited in relation to the three block war.
This is a very appropriate expansion of our troops' abilities, not just peacekeeping in one block, but there are times when we have to fight to protect the innocent. Then there are times when we have to provide humanitarian aid or development aid, as he would term it, before it is safe for the aid organizations to get in there.
The provincial reconstruction team I visited at Gardez in Afghanistan consisted of soldiers who had to protect civilians. They were well armed to the extent that they could carry out peacekeeping for those who wanted the peace. They also delivered humanitarian supplies, water and food and helped girls get back to school. At that time in that state it was a very dangerous part of Afghanistan and no aid organization could go in there. It would have been too dangerous.
In my perception of the three block war is it is appropriate only when it is too dangerous for anyone else. We can give people food to survive and meet their basic needs. Then, as the member says, the army would no longer do development or humanitarian aid. The regular agencies that do it so well and so professionally would carry that out when it is safe for them