A Canadian soldier sits in an armored vechicle on the way to forward operating base Wilson in the southern province of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, June 28, 2006. Canada’s Conservative government will spend about C$5 billion ($4.5 billion) on 21 transport airplanes for the country’s armed forces, fulfilling a campaign promise to improve the military’s aging equipment. Prime Minister Stephen Harper extended the Canadian forces’ mission in Afghanistan last month. Photographer: Danfung Dennis/Bloomberg News