Harper prepared to draw the line on Afghanistan
Are we heading to the polls? [Globe and Mail, Wednesday, February 6]How fierce are your convictions on the mission in Afghanistan?
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.
I support the mission, I support the troops, and I support the government on this issue. I wish we didn't have to be there, but Canada's role in the War on Terror is starkly different than the American mission in the same region as well as in Iraq. We are doing what Canadians have always done, and providing peace-keeping, aide, and nation-building. Canadians should be proud of the mission.
But I ain't never crossed a man that didn't deserve it, he be treated like a punk, you know that's unheard of. You better watch how you talking, and where you walking or you and your homies might be lined in chalk.
“The Prime Minister reiterated the government's position - that we are adopting the bi-partisan recommendations of the Manley panel - and that if we are unable to secure extra combat troops and equipment, Canada will not be extending the mission in Afghanistan,” said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
A source said last night that the two sides seemed fairly entrenched in their positions.
Meanwhile, Mr. Harper yesterday continued his diplomatic efforts to get the necessary soldiers and materiel with a phone call to French President Nickolas Sarkozy. The Prime Minister's spokeswoman, Sandra Buckler, said Mr. Harper and Mr. Sarkozy reviewed the recommendations of the Manley panel, “including the recommendation that Canada remain in Afghanistan, in Kandahar, but only if we can secure additional troops from NATO allies and additional equipment for the Canadian Forces.”
How willing are you personally, and Canadians generally, ready to go to the polls over the nation-building mission in Afghanistan? Is Dion ready for an election? Will there be gains for the Liberals, the Bloc, the NDP, or will Harper end up the victor in this? My bet is on Canadians siding with the Prime Minister simply because he hasn't done anything terribly wrong, and the country is doing reasonably well since he moved into Sussex Drive.
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.
I support the mission, I support the troops, and I support the government on this issue. I wish we didn't have to be there, but Canada's role in the War on Terror is starkly different than the American mission in the same region as well as in Iraq. We are doing what Canadians have always done, and providing peace-keeping, aide, and nation-building. Canadians should be proud of the mission.
But I ain't never crossed a man that didn't deserve it, he be treated like a punk, you know that's unheard of. You better watch how you talking, and where you walking or you and your homies might be lined in chalk.
“The Prime Minister reiterated the government's position - that we are adopting the bi-partisan recommendations of the Manley panel - and that if we are unable to secure extra combat troops and equipment, Canada will not be extending the mission in Afghanistan,” said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
A source said last night that the two sides seemed fairly entrenched in their positions.
Meanwhile, Mr. Harper yesterday continued his diplomatic efforts to get the necessary soldiers and materiel with a phone call to French President Nickolas Sarkozy. The Prime Minister's spokeswoman, Sandra Buckler, said Mr. Harper and Mr. Sarkozy reviewed the recommendations of the Manley panel, “including the recommendation that Canada remain in Afghanistan, in Kandahar, but only if we can secure additional troops from NATO allies and additional equipment for the Canadian Forces.”
How willing are you personally, and Canadians generally, ready to go to the polls over the nation-building mission in Afghanistan? Is Dion ready for an election? Will there be gains for the Liberals, the Bloc, the NDP, or will Harper end up the victor in this? My bet is on Canadians siding with the Prime Minister simply because he hasn't done anything terribly wrong, and the country is doing reasonably well since he moved into Sussex Drive.