Harper prepared to draw the line on Afghanistan

[daleo]

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is prepared to put his minority government on the line over the future of the Afghanistan mission after he warned Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion that the Tories are preparing a confidence motion that could be voted on as early as next week.

A source told The Globe and Mail that the government is prepared to give notice Thursday of the motion that Canada's role be extended. If the government were to lose, it could plunge the country into an election.

Mr. Harper issued the warning during a 25-minute meeting between the two men yesterday to discuss the future of the Afghan mission and a possible compromise over Canada's presence in the strife-torn province of Kandahar.

The Liberals are divided on the issue, but Mr. Dion has said that he will whip the vote, meaning the party must vote as one. The NDP and the Bloc Quebecois are already against the mission, demanding that it end by 2009. The Liberals, however, have said there may be room for some compromise.
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080205.wafghan-canada0205/BNStory/National/home
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I think Harper wants an early election. With a deteriorating economy and an increasingly weak performance from his front bench (e.g. Isotope-gate), he probably feels it is best off to go now. I think he figures that Afghanistan is his best issue, as there is the possibility of peeling off some Liberal voters, and splitting the centre-left vote.

[CHIMO]

1. Looks That Way

To me.

AFGHAN VOTE Duration: 00:07:11

A showdown is shaping up on Parliament Hill over the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. And if the government and the Opposition can't compromise on the future of the mission, there could be an election this spring.

The Conservatives announced today they will put forward a motion to extend the mission past the current end date of 2009. The Prime Minister has made it clear that there will be a continued combat role for the troops. But the Liberals say that's something they cannot accept.

Bob Rae is the Liberal Party's foreign affairs critic. We reached him in Toronto.


http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/latestshow.html
http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/asithappens/20080206-aih-2.wmv
Starts at 0:49 into the part.

Tories threaten confidence vote on crime bill

OTTAWA–Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has warned the Liberal-dominated Senate to pass the Tory government's violent crime bill by the end of the month or face a possible early election.

But Liberal members of the chamber of sober second thought bristled at the deadline, and it's unclear if the Conservatives can force an election over the matter.

Nicholson told the Senate committee on legal and constitutional affairs Wednesday to do "whatever it takes" to pass Bill C-2, the Tackling Violent Crime Act.

It comes amid speculation the Liberals might bring down the minority government over the coming federal budget or the Afghanistan combat mission – both of which are less attractive campaign issues for the Tories than a law-and-order focus.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/301129

Listening to Rae it seems to me that Dion has gotten his people lined up. Either you are with the party or not!

So we can expect more threats from our New Head of The Conservatives.

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. I say get our asses out of Bush's war, and Harper out of our Government

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That would be 2 big pluses for Canada methinks.

Hope our Liberals got more spine than the USA's Democratic Senate.

[ClusterFreak]

3. Shows to go ya.

The whole Manley Commission thing was a sham.

[Spazito]

4. Yep, Manley was deliberately chosen because....

of his position on Canada remaining in Afghanistan has been consistently supportive. He is a key player, too, on the Security/Prosperity Plan to sell out Canada to the US by watering down our health, etc, regulations.

His report on Afghanistan was simply a cut and paste from his previous writings. He is a POS, imo, and belongs with Harper, same shit, different day.