Focus our study

Hi all:

I think the first two questions are a great way to get people into the topic and get into more detailed questions like later on. Jacqueline, I like your approach but it's important to note that this survey ties in with Canada's defense policy in general and I think most people will agree that Canada is playing a peacekeeping role in Afghanistan - to try and create stability there after the war - so far it has been a failure. An example, “Rampant corruption, absence of the rule of law, and failure of the government to provide equitable social services are rapidly undermining Afghan popular support for democratic governance model and possibly foreign military presence,” (comments from a Canadian official overseeing the Afghanistan mission - source: wiki leaks). Also, it is important to note that Canada's mission in Afghanistan was funded separately, not taken from the Defense budget. One question that came to my mind - Is Harper's decision to purchase the F35 jets down to the fact that the current fleet of aircraft has been overworked and overused as a result of the mission in Afghanistan notwithstanding the fact that they are extremely old - last purchased in 1970. Please comment and provide some feedback guys, thanks.