Former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley is promising "reasoned, thoughtful consideration" from the panel that has been commissioned to advise on Canada's future role in Afghanistan.
Manley spoke to reporters Tuesday as the five-member, non-partisan panel, which he is heading, prepared to leave Afghanistan following a week-long tour on the ground.
In October, Prime Minister Stephen Harper set up the panel to advise the government on what Canada should do in Afghanistan once its commitment to the NATO mission ends in 2009.
The recent trip was kept a secret until the panel left the country.
"I don't know what we're going to recommend," said Manley. "What I do know is that this has already been Canada's most significant international commitment since the Korean War and we're going to make sure we take the time that's necessary to give the best advice that we can."
In Kabul, the five-member panel met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. They also visited the northern province of Balkh and Kandahar province.
Throughout the week, the panel also met with rank and file soldiers, police chiefs, tribal elders and Canadian Provincial Reconstruction Teams.
"I think that it always has surprised me just how willing some of our people are to put themselves in harms way to do something they believe is important and I have great admiration for them," said Manley.
Non-partisan viewpoint
Manley said Canadians expect their parliamentarians to look at the issue of Afghanistan from a non-partisan point of view.
"Parliament will decide and what I hope we can do is provide very reasoned, thoughtful consideration," said Manley.
"...If we can frame the discussion so that it's perhaps a little less partisan, then we'll have contributed something worthwhile."
Manley said the visit overall was "very worthwhile" in helping the panel prepare for their next phase of work.
"We're talking to just about any global expert you can think of," said Manley. "We've taken time to go to New York, we've met with several UN agencies, we'll be in Washington, we'll be going to NATO before we return to Canada to have conversations there. We have to put all of that together in order to come to a set of recommendations for parliament."
Harper said he has asked the panel to examine four main options for the future of the Afghanistan mission:
- Option One: Continue training the Afghan army and police with the goal of creating a self-sufficient indigenous security force in Kandahar province so that Canadian troops can withdraw in February 2009
- Option Two: Focus on reconstruction work in Kandahar, which would require other countries to take over security role
- Option Three: Shift Canadian security and reconstruction efforts to another region in Afghanistan
- Option Four: Withdraw all Canadian military forces after February 2009 except for small contingent to provide security for aid workers and diplomats
The other members of the group include:
- Derek Burney, Canada's former ambassador to Washington and former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney
- Respected broadcaster Pamela Wallin, who was Canadian consul general in New York
- Former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Jake Epp
- Paul Tellier, former Clerk of the Privy Council and former president and CEO of Canadian National Railway and Bombardier
