REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE |
TUESDAY, June 14, 2005 |
The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence
has the honour to table its
THIRTEENTH REPORT
Your Committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Wednesday, October 20 2004, to examine and report on the national security policy for Canada, now reports that between May 16, 2005, and May 18, 2005, it travelled to Kabul, Afghanistan, to conduct fact-finding discussions with Canadian Forces personnel deployed overseas.
It had discussions and received briefings on the following subjects: the future of Afghanistan; Canada’s current and future role in Afghanistan; the current rotation at Camp Julien; force protection; participation in Afghan National Army Training; NATO communications on TV Hill; the role of intelligence in Afghanistan; and operations of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal section of the Engineering Squadron.
As part of these discussions, the Committee met with:
Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Kennedy, Deputy Commander, Task Force Kabul;
Ambassador Christopher Alexander, Canada’s Ambassador to Afghanistan;
Major Nick Pilon, Master Corporal Hynnes, and Captain Chantal Tetrault from the 2 Combat Engineer Regiment;
Major Henri Desrochers from the cadre helping to train the Afghan National Army;
Sergeant Craig Finkenzeller, from the Forward Observation Post at the Queen’s Palace; and,
Captain Ryan Hartman.
In addition to these meetings, your committee had a number of opportunities to sit down with small groups of CF personnel one-on-one to discuss a wide-range of topics.
The Committee also had discussions with Canadian Forces personnel deployed elsewhere in southwest Asia.
The content of our discussions in Afghanistan has been immensely valuable to the Committee’s on-going study of Canadian national security and defence policy and will contribute materially to reports the Committee plans to table in the Senate in the coming months.
Respectfully submitted,
COLIN KENNY
Chair