Canadian Govt Close To Achieving Two Year Afghanistan Extension Over Leftist Oppo
TORONTO (AP) - Canada’s prime minister unveiled a proposal on Thursday to withdraw his country’s forces from volatile southern Afghanistan in 2011, a move that slightly accedes to opposition demands amid threats of an early election.
Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government is trying to extend past February 2009 the military operation in Kandahar province, a region that was once the Taliban’s stronghold.
“It seems clear that we have moved significantly toward the kind of bipartisan consensus that can be presented to Parliament for ratification,” Harper said.
Harper’s government has been under growing pressure to withdraw Canada’s troops as the death toll increases, now at 78 soldiers and a diplomat.
Thursday’s proposal resulted from a compromise with opposition Liberals, who were against extending the mission and had threatened to force a vote aimed at toppling the government.
Parliament will vote on extending the mission next month—a confidence vote that would trigger early elections if rejected. An agreement would avoid an early election over the issue.
The motion makes the two-year extension conditional on NATO providing more troops and equipment to back up Canadian forces in southern Kandahar. It also sets the withdrawal date at December 2011.
The motion stresses that more emphasis will be placed on training the Afghan army and police to eventually take over.
The Liberal Party had initially pushed for an end to the combat phase by next February, but last week backed off that position. They insisted, however, that the forces in Afghanistan be relegated to reconstruction roles in the war-ravaged country.
The refusal by some major European allies to send a significant number of troops to the southern front lines has opened a rift within NATO. Troops from Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and the United States have borne the brunt of a resurgence of Taliban violence in the region, with support from Denmark, Romania, Estonia and non-NATO Australia.
Harper has reached out to several key NATO allies, stressing the need for greater support for his country’s troops in that area.
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Go Canada! *Cough* Why can’t we do that?
February 21st, 2008 at 7:09 pmYeah Canada
February 21st, 2008 at 7:13 pm[[the death toll increases, now at 78 soldiers and a diplomat.]]
Come on … I’m not discounting Canada’s losses, but geez! Hell, no matter the party or the idiocy therein, WE nearly lost three Senators today over there, for cripes sakes! Reach down and find your balls, Canadians!
Their libs sound a hell of a lot like our libs … Fucking nuts and deaf, dumb and blind to the threat.
I’m really having a hard time resolving myself to the fact the rest of the “Western/civilized” world just believes this is just OUR problem, and that we are to be completely responsible for taking care of it.
I knew the Canucks were in a downward spiral when they started folding their pro-hockey teams …
February 21st, 2008 at 7:25 pm“Their libs sound a hell of a lot like our libs … Fucking nuts and deaf, dumb and blind to the threat.”
You got that right!! Being a citizen of Eastern Canada (Ontario) is like living in Lib wacko hell - I think it is a national pastime to look down their noses at Americans, and treat terrorism as if it is a figment of Bush’s imagination. One of these days I am going to get fed up and move out west to Alberta, where all the real Conservatives live!!
February 21st, 2008 at 7:58 pmA Canadian terrorism expert recently published a book in which he states that the highest concentration of terrorists outside of the Middle East is in Ontario, Canada…
Recently, Muslims here tried to have Canada recognize Sharia law within the Canadian justice system… sound familiar? Soon, we will go the way of Europe, as our wretched multiculturalism crushes out the traditional Canadian culture, what little is left of it.
I am damn proud of our troops in Afghanistan - they are doing good work, and to hell with our Libtard politicians who want to bring them home and leave Afghanistan to return to Taliban madness - talk about honoring the work of your troops!!
A friend recently went to Afghanistan to do missionary work, and I suspect he had the typical Canadian liberal anti-war outlook when he left… until most Afghans he met there begged on their knees for Canada and the US to keep their troops in country, because they knew that the Taliban would be back with a vengeance the day after the troops pulled out. That is the kind of on-the-scene honesty that many western liberals (who supposedly love mankind so much) need to experience, to understand what this war is really about!!
39,000 Canadian soldiers gave their lives in WWII and we now have moonbat leftists pretending 78 is too great a sacrifice. If Canada actually had support from other NATO allies (Europe, I’m talking about you!) and a more informed left (oxymoron, I admit), Afghanistan would be doing a lot better than it is today. You’re right. Our guys do have balls. It’s the politicians who need to grow some.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pmOutstanding. Canada has some excellent troops. Too bad they have such a piss-poor Parliment.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:19 pmGood news! hope Canada can stay in the fight with us. Afterall if we cant depend on our brothers and sisters to the north who can we depend on.
As far as the government goes. Libs are Libs no matter where you go. we feel your pain
February 21st, 2008 at 9:36 pmCanada is obligated to Afghanistan regardless of the liberals position. The liberals talk about withdrawing but they never would. As far as I’m concerned PMSH knows what hes doing. Tho im not sure why hes pandering to the Liberals , I believe it wouldnt be difficult for him to win a majority government. Perhaps there is strategy in this as well … by at least pandering to the liberal voters he gains their approval and makes it all the more difficult for the Liberals to gain a tight minority? Who can say
February 21st, 2008 at 9:48 pmHey Lock and Load, are you talking about the book “Cold Terror”? I remember when I read it, I thought to myself, why don’t I already know all of this???
Some in the Liberal party are less moon-batty over this issue than Dion (like Michael Ignatieff, who wasn’t happy at all over Dion’s initial position).
PS I’m also in Ontario.
February 22nd, 2008 at 8:10 am