Layton demands debate over Afghanistan mission

[CHIMO]

Layton demands debate over Afghanistan mission
Updated Sun. Mar. 26 2006 4:16 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

New Democrat Leader Jack Layton demands an emergency debate in the House of Commons on April 5 on the Canadian mission in Afghanistan over concerns about the changing nature of the mission and the treatment of detainees.

"When the decision was made, actually in the middle of the election, that through NATO there would be a new deployment and Canadian soldiers would be sent to the south of Afghanistan, we suggested at that time it would be important to have a debate as soon as Parliament could convene," Layton told CTV's Question Period on Sunday.

"We need to support our troops by making sure that we're very, very clear as Canadians what the mission is and, of course, it originally was supposed to be a NATO mission, but NATO has not taken charge yet."

Layton said Canadians need to know how long troops would be in Afghanistan and what the exit strategy is.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060326/layton060226/20060326?hub=TopStories

Debatable decision

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's timely trip to Afghanistan has been an unqualified hit with the troops in theatre and the Canadian public back home.

Notwithstanding the critics, who groused about the lack of advance notice, Harper struck all the right notes. Firm but not bellicose, Harper managed to send a message of long-term support without impossible political promises. His stickhandling of the issue stands in stark contrast to his insensitive treatment of the David Emerson problem.

Harper's party is united and his message is popular, which makes his veto of a parliamentary debate all the more confusing. He is right in saying that our resolve in Kandahar cannot waver while the government has sent thousands of men and women into harm's way. On the other hand, taking over the U.S. mission in Kandahar represents new risks that were not present when the original mission was approved by the previous Liberal cabinet.

The move to Kandahar represents a specific and dangerous shift in a mission which has already produced some unfortunate casualties. No Canadian wants to see our brave military men and women coming home in body bags. The number of casualties will naturally weigh into any future any future cabinet review. Such review cannot happen in a vacuum. Parliamentarians need to air all the facts.

http://torontosun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Copps_Sheila/2006/03/15/1488507.html

Meanwhile Harper seems to be just itching to have it made an issue.

Afghanistan is ‘our war' too, Harper says
BRIAN LAGHI

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Ottawa — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he has trouble understanding Canadians who feel ardently that their country's soldiers should not be involved in Afghanistan.

Mr. Harper, who made the comments in a television interview in Saint John yesterday, said he doesn't see what strong arguments have emerged against Canadian military involvement in rebuilding Afghanistan and in preventing a return of the Taliban.

“In a way I don't,” Mr. Harper said when asked whether he understands those Canadians who feel passionately that the military should not be there. “In this case, I'm not sure what the case would be for not being there.”

“The entire world signed on to this mission when, because of the former regime in Afghanistan, thousands of people were killed in New York City, including a couple of dozen Canadian citizens,” he told ATV's Steve Murphy. “They brought home to us how real the threat of terror is to our own country.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060325.wxharper0325/BNStory/National/home