Shame they can't see much.....
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Section 29, of the Copyright Act.
(Canadian Press story below)
Commons defence committee confined to Kandahar Airfield
Doug Schmidt, CanWest News Service, 23 Jan 07
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KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - A group of MPs charged with overseeing Canada’s mission in Afghanistan landed at Kandahar Airfield Tuesday to measure what progress is being made but was promptly told by its military hosts its three-day visit would be spent closeted inside the NATO base.
The eight members of the all-party Commons defence committee were told that, for security reasons, they wouldn’t be visiting any troops in the field, they couldn’t see first-hand any of the reconstruction efforts underway "outside the wire," and there were no plans for them to meet with any locals. Instead, there would be plenty of in-camp briefings.
"The limitations of where they can go have been directed by the minister," said their host, Brig.-Gen. Tim Grant, who is the commander of the 2,500 Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
"We just hit the ground - perhaps that’s open to negotiation and change," said NDP defence critic Dawn Black upon arrival.
Black said the committee had been told it could only leave the base by air and that helicopters might be made available. Grant didn’t reject that idea but told reporters Tuesday morning: "As it stands right now, aviation support is not available for this group." He said security reasons prevented him from explaining why.
"Suddenly we find out that the minister has ordered the general to not let us go outside of the wire because of safety. I thought the general makes that decision," said an angry Ujjal Dosanjh, the Liberal party’s foreign affairs critic.
Security was tight for the arrival of the delegation, whose members exited the Hercules in flak jackets and helmets ....
Commons defence committee to assess successes, failures in Afghan mission
MURRAY BREWSTER, Canadian Press, 23 Jan 07
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Parliamentarians, replete with flak jackets and helmets, stepped off a military transport Tuesday looking as though they were ready for battle, but theirs will be the battle of the briefing room.
Eight members of the all-party Commons defence committee, charged with examining Canada's role in this war-torn country, are not expected to meet any local Afghan officials, nor set foot off Kandahar Airfield to view reconstruction projects.
Their assessment of the Conservative government's deepening involvement in this nasty guerrilla war, which could shape party positions in an anticipated spring election, will largely be based on a barrage of prearranged briefings and PowerPoint presentations from Canadian military and government officials.
They will, however, tour various facilities at the NATO base, including a recreational boardwalk, a cement factory, a newly installed banking machine and the hangout of soldiers, dubbed Canada House.
"We're not going to see much, but maybe that will change," New Democrat defence critic Dawn Black said of the itinerary.
Black, whose party has called for Canadian troops to be withdrawn from fighting militant Taliban forces, has asked to meet with Afghan officials.
"It's not on the itinerary, but we'll see," she said as she wrestled to get out of her bulletproof vest. "I've got a number of questions to ask them."
Among the questions she hopes to ask is whether Canadians are "truly making a difference for the lives of the men and women in Afghanistan" - something her party is skeptical about. In the Commons, the NDP has repeatedly accused the Conservative of being more interested in fighting a war than the humanitarian side of the mission.
Not allowing the committee outside the airfield was a decision of Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, said Brig.-Gen Tim Grant, commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.
"The movements of the party, the limitations on where they can go, have been directed by the minister," he said.
While not expected to travel in convoys along the sometimes treacherous highways of Kandahar, other visiting dignitaries have been shuttled to different locations by U.S. helicopter, but Grant said given the pace of operations there isn't a lot of air transport to go around.
The military said it would try to find some helicopter time with the Americans, Dutch or British.
"If they could see the (reconstruction) projects, it would be an added bonus," said Grant. "There's no doubt about that.
The general conceded security was a concern, but refused to elaborate on the arrangements, suggesting reporters direct those questions to the minister's office ....
Canadian MPs miffed at Afghan travel curbs; minister says it's for safety
MURRAY BREWSTER, Canadian Press, 23 Jan 07
Article Link
.... O'Connor had informed committee members before they left Canada that any travel outside Kandahar Airfield must be by air because road transport is too dangerous, said Isabelle Bouchard, the minister's spokeswoman. She mentioned roadside bombs as one of the dangers. "The people on the ground, they must request helicopter support because Canada does not own this kind of helicopter in theatre," she said in a telephone interview. At the moment, none of the allies could provide helicopter transport because of operational factors, she said. "Maybe the opposition members would support our procurement in this process" so that Canada could get its own helicopters, she added. She denied that the minister was blocking committee members from seeing Afghanistan. "On the contrary, the minister wants them alive and well, back next week in the House. We were surprise to hear" their complaints, she said, "because they were well aware of what they were getting into." While not expected to travel in convoys along the sometimes treacherous highways of Kandahar, other visiting dignitaries have been shuttled to different locations by U.S. helicopter ....
- edited to add CP stories - 
