March 4, 2009

Jean-Daniel Lafond and I were deeply saddened to learn that the explosion of an improvised explosive device, 10 km away from Kandahar, took the lives of three Canadian soldiers and seriously injured two of their comrades during their mission in Afghanistan.

Despite great personal risk, Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown, from The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, Corporal Dany Olivier Fortin, from 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron at 3 Wing Bagotville, and Corporal Kenneth Chad OQuinn, from 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron, joined forces with the Afghan people, who continue to be terrorized by a merciless violence. Our soldiers know better than anyone else that peace can never be taken for granted, that it must be built. With amazing courage, generosity and conviction they responded to the call of duty in an effort to bring peace to a country mired in conflict. It cost them their lives. They deserve our utmost respect.

To all those who are mourning today—their parents, their families, colleagues and friends—we offer our most sincere condolences. May they know they are not alone. May they know that Canadians, from across the country, share in their sadness and their loss.

Our thoughts are also with the injured soldiers who survived these attacks and with their loved ones, for whom the shock is equally deep. We are grateful for the vital role you play during this time of adversity, and send our hopes for a quick recovery.

Michaëlle Jean

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