Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday that medical supplies soon to be sent to Afghanistan will help the overall mission despite new insurgent threats.
Harper was in Toronto Friday attending the opening of the Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) distribution centre which plans to send up to $4 million worth of supplies to Afghanistan by the end of 2007.
"This place is far more than a state-of-the-art warehouse," said Harper. "These pallets, stacked with pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, represent better health and hope for tens of thousands of people in the developing world."
Harper said providing basic health services to the Afghan people will help to gain their support.
"Our soldiers made great progress last year in securing large sections of Kandahar province," said Harper. "This year to consolidate those gains we'll need to move ahead with reconstruction, humanitarian assistance and development in those areas."
Canadian Forces, diplomats and development officers are currently involved in more than 100 rebuilding projects in the Kandahar region, said Harper.
Harper also reaffirmed Canada's commitment to success in Afghanistan as military brass anticipate a renewed spring and summer offensive in Kandahar.
Serving as a reminder of the danger, a new al Qaeda video surfaced Friday on the Internet, claiming to show an insurgent offensive on U.S. and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan.
The video, which begins with the deputy leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, claims the people of Afghanistan support the insurgents.
"Our plan for Afghanistan is to be successful," said Harper. "We know it will not be easy. We know it will involve casualties, but Canada has not shrunk from these kinds of responsibilities before."
The HPIC
The HPIC helps deliver medical aid to people in 116 countries.
The Canadian humanitarian organization sent its first shipment of medical aid in 1990 and has provided more than $210 million (wholesale value) in donated medicines, vaccines, medical supplies and devices.
The organization partners with Canadian companies and individuals from across the country to provide medical aid.
"(The) smaller donors, the small businesses, church congregations, community groups and individuals. They may not have as much to give, but the ocean of suffering in the developing world has touched their hearts, so they give what they can," Harper said of the effort.
Harper will remain in Toronto and will attend a Chinese New Year festival later this evening.
