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NDP Pledged to Push for Debate & Vote on Canada's Military Role in Afghanistan

The NDP pledged to push for a debate and vote in Parliament on Canada’s military role in Afghanistan.

This is a very significant development and begins a much-needed discussion about the Americanization of the Canadian military. Hundreds of Canadian soldiers, including secret commandos, are currently fighting Taliban "insurgents" alongside U.S. forces and under U.S. command. Canada’s military commitment will grow to more than 2,000 troops in the coming weeks under an expanded NATO mission, relieving thousands of U.S. troops headed for Iraq.

On Tuesday, NDP leader Jack Layton described the Afghan mission as "warlike" and told reporters, "Our view is that Canadians support the peacekeeping role…But what Canadians do not support, in my view, is a warlike offensive role in the context of Afghanistan."

Later, on CBC’s The National, Layton said, "Certainly there should be a hearing in front of the [Parliamentary] Standing Committee that deals with these matters so all Canadians can find out precisely what’s going on, and public opinion can have its expression on this before the [Parliamentary] vote as well."

While the statement comes late in the campaign, the NDP is drawing attention to this issue and is setting up the debate for the next Parliament. No doubt many Canadians were very concerned about the tragic death of a Canadian diplomat in a suicide bomber attack in Kandahar. We deserve to know why the government is putting so many Canadian soldiers' and diplomats' lives at risk.

As the election winds down, Ceasefire.ca has posted on the web site all of the party responses to our "Put it to the Politicians" questionnaire (only the Liberals did not reply).

You can also find a useful comparison of the party positions and platforms on The Globe and Mail’s website.

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posted by Annamarie at 6:41 PM