Canada has a new representative in one of its most challenging diplomatic posts anywhere in the world -- the role of top civilian leader in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Earlier this month Ken Lewis was sworn into his new job as Representative of Canada in Kandahar, commonly called "the RoCK."
He assumes the new job in a year that Defence Minister Peter MacKay predicted will see a rise in violence, that will make it more and more difficult to carry out development work in the volatile province.
But Lewis told CTV's Canada AM he's excited about the challenge that lies ahead.
"As the representative of Canada in Kandahar I'm going to be representing the whole government and supervising civilians from the diplomatic core, of course, but also development officers, civilian police officers and also corrections officers and maybe more to come," Lewis told Canada AM from Kandahar.
Lewis was sworn into his new role on Jan. 10, taking over from Elissa Golberg who had held the role for the past 11 months.
The RoCK is in charge of diplomatic and reconstruction efforts in southern Afghanistan, which are carried out in concert with the Canadian Forces.
The responsibilities of the role have grown in recent years, with Canada's civilian presence going from 16 people just one year ago, to what will be 100 by next year.
Canada has established the following six priorities for Afghanistan: security, basic services, humanitarian aid, border, national institutions, and reconciliation.
Three signature projects are also underway -- the Dahla Dam and irrigation project, education, and polio eradication.
Progress is being made on all three, he said.
"Minister Bev Oda was here on the weekend and made the announcement for the contract of the Dhala Dam. We've already started some of the approach roads and bridge construction for that dam," he said.
"We've finished six schools in the last six months, we've got 22 under construction and we've got more in the planning process.
"And on polio eradication, we're working with UN agencies and we've vaccinated hundreds of thousands of children in the past year."
This is Lewis' sixth posting in Asia in 20 years of diplomatic experience. His previous role was as minister (commercial) at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, China, where he had carriage of the Commercial and Economic Program.
Prior to that he was director of Foreign Affairs' China and Mongolia Division.
"I'm very much an officer with a whole of government mandate and that's also how we're engaging the Afghans," he said.
"We're engaging all aspects of government, up in Kabul through the ambassador, but also down here in Kandahar, we're engaging the governor, the various levels of government, the police and of course our Canadian Forces colleagues engaging the military."
As Canada's senior civilian representative in the region, Lewis will be the point of contact between provincial officials within the Afghan government, international institutions, NGOs and militaries in the region.
"The role of the RoCK is one that is helping build a lasting relationship between the people of Canada and the people of Afghanistan - one that works hand in hand with the Afghan government to build a secure Kandahar in a viable Afghanistan," Oda said during Lewis' swearing-in ceremony.
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announced Lewis' appointment on Jan. 10, calling the transfer from Golberg "an important first in the transformation of Canada's engagement in Afghanistan."
Cannon added that the "creation of this position has been vital to our contribution to this UN-mandated mission, as Canada has an unprecedented number of civilians working on the ground alongside their military colleagues."
