Manley Panel Recommendations

Government Action to Date

Canada’s efforts should be supported by a special cabinet committee on Afghanistan.

• Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan formed in February 2008

There should be a single task force to direct the activities of all departments and agencies.

• Central Task Force formed in February 2008

Canada should assert a stronger and more disciplined diplomatic position regarding Afghanistan and the regional players.

• A more robust diplomatic strategy is being developed
• Canada is engaging key allies and the newly appointed UN Special Representative
• Canada’s interests have been more forcefully represented at the Bucharest summit and the run-up to the Paris summit

Canada should continue with its responsibility for security in Kandahar beyond February 2009, with increasing emphasis on training the ANSF.

• Government motion on Afghanistan extending Canadian engagement to 2011 passed
• New priorities emphasize training to allow ANSF to take responsibility for security in Kandahar and nationally
• An additional battle group has been assigned to Kandahar byNATO

Canada’s contribution to the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan should be revamped to give higher priority of direct bilateral project assistance addressing immediate and practical needs, especially in Kandahar province.

• Programming realignment reflects a higher priority of direct bilateral project assistance that addresses the immediate, practical needs of the Afghan people
• An enhanced civilian presence will be rolling out over the summer, to include more senior civilian positions in Kabul and Kandahar

There should be an assessment of the effectiveness of Canadian contributions and the extent to which the benchmarks and timelines of the Afghanistan Compact have been met.

• Cabinet Committee is establishing benchmarks and indicators to measure the practical effects of Canadian policy and changing realities on the ground, and to evaluate Canadian performance

The Government should provide the public with franker and more frequent reporting on events in Afghanistan.

• March 2008 Parliamentary motion passed to ensure greater oversight by the House of Commons
• Government providing regular technical briefings to the media, including involvement of ministers that sit on the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan
• Government committed to providing quarterly reports
• Benchmarking framework being developed to allow for more regular assessments of success against policy priorities