VZCZCXRO1590
PP RUEHDBU RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHIK RUEHMT RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHQU RUEHVC
RUEHYG
DE RUEHOT #0429/01 1561222
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051222Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9506
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0268
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0859
RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 000429 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/A AND WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MOPS EAID AF CA
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENTARY REPORT NOTES INCREASING VIOLENCE, 
BETTER TROOPS, UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT IN KANDAHAR 
 
REF: A. OTTAWA 179 
     ¶B. 08 OTTAWA 1496 
     ¶C. 08 OTTAWA 373 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  The government's fourth quarterly report 
to Parliament on the Canadian mission in Afghanistan cited 
improvements in Canadian and Afghan combat effectiveness in 
Kandahar, but noted that progress on key development 
benchmarks had faced challenges from growing insurgent 
violence.  All Canadian air assets destined for Kandahar are 
in place.  Training and mentoring of police and corrections 
officers is starting to pay dividends, and the situation 
should improve as the U.S. deploys more troops and 
development experts to the region.  The government reported 
incremental progress on Canada's "signature projects," having 
built five more schools, completed the scoping of the Dahla 
Dam project, vaccinated hundreds of thousands more children, 
and supported the registration of additional Kandahari voters 
during the quarter.  The report elicited remarkably little 
parliamentary, media or public interest in Ottawa.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) The Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan, chaired by 
International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, on June 3 
delivered to Parliament the fourth quarterly benchmark 
assessment of the Canadian mission in Kandahar, Afghanistan 
(ref a reported on the third report), covering the period 
January - March, 2009.  The report cited sustained but uneven 
progress on Canada's six priority benchmarks, despite an 
increase in insurgent attacks and IED placements in Kandahar 
compared to the same three months of 2008.  The report 
emphasized that Canada's capacity-building effort continued 
to face challenges from assassinations of government 
officials and other prominent leaders, as well as declines in 
the percentage of Kandaharis who felt "safe" (29 pct, an 
all-time low) and who supported the Afghan government during 
the quarter (down from 81 pct in September to 74 pct in 
March).  The report highlighted improving "rule of law" as a 
central element of Canada's mission. 
 
¶3.  (U) Despite these negative security developments, 
according to the report, the combat effectiveness and force 
protection of the Canadian forces improved during the quarter 
when Canadian air assets, including Chinook medium-to-heavy 
lift and Griffon attack helicopters as well as unmanned 
aerial vehicles (UAVs), reached full operational capability. 
The report welcomed the new U.S. Administration's strategic 
review and its decision to commit additional armed forces and 
diplomatic and aid personnel to Kandahar, stressing the need 
for Canada and the U.S. to collaborate closely across each 
country's interagency. 
 
Benchmark 1 -- Security 
 
¶4.  (U)  The Canadian Security Goal for Kandahar is to enable 
the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to sustain a more 
secure environment and maintain law and order.  Canadian 
military and police engagement focuses on ensuring that, by 
2011, the army (ANA) and the police (ANP) will be able to 
conduct operations and secure key districts of Kandahar with 
limited support from ISAF allies. 
 
¶5.  (U) During the quarter, there was no further progress on 
Afghan forces reaching the highest capability milestone - 
fully capable of near-autonomous operations -- (brigade 
headquarters and one "kandak") although four other kandaks of 
the 205 ANA reached the second highest capability milestone. 
According to the report, "ANA units mentored by Canadians 
QAccording to the report, "ANA units mentored by Canadians 
displayed increasing capacity to plan and conduct independent 
operations, but they usually partner with Canadian or other 
international forces."  It also noted that Brigade commander 
skills had improved significantly and, for the first time, 
ANA battalions were able to field artillery, logistics and 
engineering capabilities. 
 
¶6.  (U) The report cited modest, but important progress with 
the ANP.  Canada contributed C$20 million to fund over 3,000 
police and corrections officer salaries for two years, and 25 
Canadian civilian police officers began mentoring 230 ANP 
members who had just completed police training under the 
U.S.-led Focused District Development (FDD) program.  The 
Canadians also enrolled 250 ANP members in a basic reading 
skills course developed for the largely illiterate ranks of 
the ANP, and Canadian trainers and mentors from Corrections 
Canada began developing courses for mid-level prison 
 
OTTAWA 00000429  002 OF 003 
 
 
administrative and resource managers. 
 
Benchmark 2 -- Basic Services 
 
¶7.  (U) The Canadian Basic Services Goal for Kandahar is to 
strengthen Afghan institutional capacity to deliver core 
services and promote economic growth, enhancing the 
confidence of Kandaharis in their government. 
 
¶8.  (U) The report highlighted Canadian success in building 
two additional schools, taking the total from three to five 
built in the past 12 months, and continued construction of 
another 25.  This Canadian "signature project" is on track to 
build, expand or repair 50 schools in Kandahar by 2011. 
Additionally, 11,000 Kandaharis (including almost 9,000 
women) completed a 10-month literacy course, and 470 adults 
completed vocational training. 
 
¶9.  (U) The report featured progress made on another 
signature project, the rehabilitation of the Dahla Dam and 
irrigation system.  Crews opened a new bridge needed to carry 
dam-building machinery, and neared completion of a new access 
road.  In February two Canadian firms conducted an "inception 
mission" to map the work site, prepared a security plan, and 
consulted with community leaders in Kandahar and Kabul. 
Canada expects the C$50 million project to create up to 
10,000 seasonal jobs throughout the local economy by 2011, 
although no new jobs were created in this winter period 
(unlike fall 2008, when 142 new jobs were created). 
 
Benchmark 3 -- Humanitarian Assistance 
 
¶10.  (U) The Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Goal is to 
provide assistance for vulnerable people, including refugees, 
returnees, and internally displaced persons. 
 
¶11.  (U) The report focused on progress in the effort to 
eradicate polio in Kandahar by the end of 2009 under the 
auspices of the World Health Program, Canada's third 
signature project.  Canada vaccinated 375,000 children in 
January and another 350,000 in March (some may have needed 
more than one vaccination).  Despite considerable progress in 
this area, five new polio cases (three in Kandahar) -- but 
down from 17 cases nationwide in fall 2008.  The new cases 
were most likely due to the inability of health workers to 
visit insecure locations in the province and/or to migration 
of persons from nearby Pakistan, where polio is of growing 
concern. 
 
¶12.  (U)  There was little progress on land mine clearance, 
despite its importance; only an additional 0.44 square 
kilometers was released to communities during the quarter 
(compared to 180 square kilometers between March 2007 and 
March 2008). 
 
Benchmark 4 -- Border 
 
¶13.  (U) The Canadian Border Goal is to enhance border 
security by facilitating a bilateral dialogue between Afghan 
and Pakistani Authorities. 
 
¶14.  (U) After a year of delays, Canada facilitated a meeting 
of senior Afghan and Pakistan officials at the fifth round of 
the Dubai Process, where the two delegations adopted an 
action plan to improve shared border security.  The plan 
contains specific steps and timelines for practical action to 
improve cooperation at the border on customs, migration, 
narcotics smuggling, and law enforcement.  Canadian officials 
also completed a major feasibility study for a modern border 
facility at the Weish-Chaman crossing near Spin Boldak. 
Canada and the U.S. are now discussing ways to share the 
costs associated with the project, according to the report. 
 
Benchmark 5 -- National Institutions 
QBenchmark 5 -- National Institutions 
 
¶15.  (U) The Canadian National Institutions Goal is to help 
advance Afghanistan's capacity for democratic governance by 
contributing to effective, accountable public institutions 
and electoral processes. 
 
¶16.  (U) Canada contributed C$35 million partially to 
underwrite the conduct of Afghan elections through 2011, and 
supported the largely successful ANSF effort in Kandahar to 
ensure secure voter registration in advance of the August 20 
national elections.  The report noted an additional 1.2 
 
OTTAWA 00000429  003 OF 003 
 
 
million registered voters nationwide during the quarter, for 
a total of 4.4 million new registration during the entire 
update of the voter registry (including 300,000 Kandaharis). 
The report admitted that there may have been some 
double-counting, along with allegations of fraud and other 
irregularities. 
 
Benchmark 6 -- Political Reconciliation 
 
¶17.  (U)  The Political Reconciliation Goal is to facilitate 
Afghan-led efforts towards political reconciliation. 
 
¶18.  (U)  The report once again admitted little evidence of 
any progress toward national reconciliation during the 
quarter, and noted that persistent insecurity and Afghan 
preoccupation with the upcoming elections would make progress 
on this front unlikely during the next two quarters. 
 
¶19.  (SBU) Comment:  Again, the almost total lack of media, 
parliamentary, or public interest in the report's assessment 
of the Afghan mission was remarkable, especially compared to 
early 2008, when the minority Conservative government risked 
falling over its handling of Canada's role in Afghanistan. 
The Canadian public, along with the ruling Conservative Party 
and the Official Oppositio2tYrB