Harper says Yes to release of Afghan war cost report.

Harper probably did the right thing. If he had refused the opposition would have been all over him and would have suggested that he was hiding the facts from the people because the numbers were so bad. This way even if the numbers are not that great the opposition cannot round on him for being secretive and hiding unpleasant facts. Even if the figures are close to the 8 billion that the Conservatives claim that money could have been used here in Canada for repairing our decaying infrastructure to provide more funds to trains health care professionals and so on. The Afghan mission is mostly a waste of money and lives all in the interests of supporting our hegemonic neighbour to the South.

Harper says Yes to release of Afghan war cost report
10 minutes ago
OTTAWA — Stephen Harper has given his blessing to the release of a report on the cost of the Afghan war - news that could dash his hopes for a vital breakthrough in Quebec.
Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page has tallied the full cost of the mission - past and future - and said he would like to release it. But he was worried about interfering with the federal election and asked for all-party consent.
All opposition parties gave their blessing Tuesday, and the prime minister agreed Wednesday.
The minority Conservative government has estimated the cost of the six-year mission at under $8 billion. If the new figures are much higher, it could be bad news for Harper.
Polls have repeatedly shown that Canadians are lukewarm to the mission, especially in the key electoral battleground of Quebec, where Harper must make gains to have any chance of winning his coveted majority.
And critics suggest cost overruns in the Afghan mission could erase the government's shrinking surplus and put the country into deficit, especially given the economic slowdown.
The Afghan mission has been a heavy burden for Canada with 97 soldiers and one diplomat killed. Canada has more than 2,000 personnel based in the dangerous Kandahar region.
The awkward timing of the Afghan report came as Harper made his most direct pitch yet for a majority government. He said Tuesday that he needs a "strong mandate" to fight crime and preserve law and order.
He also said the country will need a forceful government to weather economic uncertainty.
Poll results in the first week of the election campaign suggested the Tories were in majority territory. But they have since slipped, as some voters leery of a Conservative majority apparently had second thoughts.
The latest Canadian Press Harris-Decima poll suggests the Liberals are gaining on the Conservatives, whose lead has shrunk to 10 points from 15 last week. The survey put the Conservatives at 38 per cent support and the Liberals at 28.
All the party leaders were out on the hustings again Wednesday.
Dion was first out of the campaign blocks with a $600-million promise to boost support for students and research.
In a speech at the University of Western Ontario, Dion said Canada's productivity and economic success depend on investments in research and development.
He said a Liberal government would increase education grants and bursaries, and guarantee low-interest loans.
Layton was next with a multibillion-dollar national child-care plan. He promised to create 150,000 daycare spaces in the first year of an NDP government, at a cost of $1.4 billion - on top of current programs.
More money and spaces would be created in future years as funding permits, he said in Toronto.
Harper was in Welland, Ont., promising tough new measures aimed at discouraging access to tobacco and marketing to children.
He said his government would ban the use of flavours and additives, like bubble gum and cotton candy flavouring. He would also prohibit tobacco advertising on Internet sites and in publications that appeal to youth.