Debates of the Senate
2nd SESSION . 40th PARLIAMENT . VOLUME 146 . NUMBER 17
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Hon. Pamela Wallin: Honourable senators, in the last few days we have lost four young Canadian heroes: Warrant Officer Brown, Corporal Fortin, Corporal O'Quinn, and Trooper Marc Diab, who tomorrow will travel along the Highway of Heroes - all victims of the deadly IEDs. Four more families have holes in their hearts. Their loss is profound. Canada, too, has lost; we have lost the potential of these already extraordinary citizens, the achievements that will never be realized and the lives not fully lived. We are so grateful for their courage and bravery, their defence of the ideals we uphold and their willingness to help those so desperately in need a world away.

There is no doubt of the monumental humanitarian need or the security imperative for all of us in Afghanistan and in the West.  Former Prime Minister Pearson once asked how to bring about a
creative peace and a security which will have a strong foundation.  That is our question in Afghanistan. On this battleground, there are no traditional front lines. When you see the terrain or, worse, travel over it, you quickly understand that issues such as paving roads are crucial, not for comfort but because it makes the planting of IEDs more difficult. Canada is there doing just that.  We need to understand what a win looks like in a counterinsurgency.

There will be no defining moment and no victory day parade. The Prime Minister soberly observed that you never completely defeat an insurgency, but we must help the Afghans in trying to do that, and help to ready them for what will be a long battle for a better way of life. They need water, food, schools, the capacity to govern and to offer security to their own, and legitimacy. We are making these things not just a distant goal but a real possibility. Our successful exit strategy, which is as close as we will get to a win, is to have created some sense of stability, security and hope.

We can truly honour our fallen heroes with our commitment and belief that their lives made a difference and that their mission mattered. To those who have shouldered the burden, to their
families and to those who have given their lives, you have made us safer. You have bravely battled a brutal enemy and allowed the world to see hope on the unveiled face of a young Afghan girl standing in the school - no longer silenced or hidden. This is what our military men and women do selflessly and modestly. We will continue to extend a hand with more and better equipment. 

The Americans are sending in reinforcements, and we hope that other allies will stand up as well. In Canada, there are new military support centres to better equip our troops, and special
programs such as the one in my home province of Saskatchewan, where the government is offering soldiers and their families support for post-secondary schooling. Every day, let us offer our unwavering support through our belief that change is possible, and that hope is a worthy goal.

Click here for a pdf copy of Senator Wallin's Statement