Although the percentage of people against the mission's extension has gone down a few percentage points since March there are still a majority opposed to it. This is significant given all the propaganda around the Manley report and the Liberals rhetorical flights of fancy about just being concerned with reconstruction.
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Canadians Still Oppose Afghan Mission Extension
May 13, 2008
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Canada believe the House of Commons should not have extended the country’s military mandate in Afghanistan until the end of 2011, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 54 per cent of respondents disagree with the decision.
When asked if the Canadian government should actively negotiate with the Taliban if this helps the peace efforts led by the elected Afghan government, 48 per cent of respondents reject the idea, while 37 per cent are open to it.
Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
At least 800 soldiers—including 82 Canadians—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper leads a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
In May 2006, the House of Commons extended Canada’s mission in Afghanistan until February 2009. In March 2008, the House of Commons voted 198-77 to prolong the military deployment until the end of 2011. The Conservative and Liberal parties supported the motion, while the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois opposed it.
Yesterday, Harper unveiled a 20-year, $30 billion U.S. program to renew the Canadian Forces, declaring, "If a country wants to be taken seriously by the rest of the world, it needs to have the capacity to act. It’s just that simple. (...) By investing in new military equipment and technologies, the Strategy will benefit Canada’s knowledge and technology industries, which will produce lucrative civilian commercial spin-offs."
Polling Data
As you may know, the House of Commons has authorized an extension of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan until the end of 2011, which is conditional on Canada coming up with unmanned aerial vehicles and transport helicopters, and NATO providing an additional 1,000 troops in the south. Do you agree or disagree with the decision to extend Canada’s mission in Afghanistan until the end of 2011?
May 2008
Mar. 2008
Agree
41%
37%
Disagree
54%
58%
Not sure
6%
5%
Some people have stated that officials from foreign nations should reach out to the Taliban if this helps the peace efforts led by the elected Afghan government. Would you agree or disagree with the Canadian government actively negotiating with the Taliban?
Agree
37%
Disagree
48%
Not sure
15%
Showing posts with label Extension of Afghan mission.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Extension of Afghan mission.. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Canada demands 'one partner' in Kandahar
It is hard to see who the one partner would be unless the United States. If no other partner can be found the U.S. would step up to ensure that Canada stays in Kandahar. Besides the U.S. may need practice at avoiding friendly fire incidents!
Many NATO countries may just tell the U.S. Canada et al. to go fly a kite, now permitted in Afghanistan.
THE AFGHAN MISSION: REINFORCEMENTS FOR THE SOUTH
Canada demands 'one partner' in Kandahar
CAMPBELL CLARK
March 13, 2008
OTTAWA -- Canada wants one country to provide the entire 1,000-soldier contingent it needs as reinforcements in Afghanistan, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier says, but it has not yet had a definitive answer from the three nations that could supply them: the United States, France and Britain.
Mr. Bernier's comments made clear that Canada will not accept a patchwork of smaller contingents from various countries - the sort of aid that the Netherlands was forced to accept when it set its own demand for help before it extended its mission in Afghanistan.
He also indicated none of the three countries that could come to Canada's aid has yet promised to do so.
"Concerning the position of the U.S. government or the French government or the U.K. government, I cannot tell you what will be their position," he said. "But what I can tell you is that we need one partner, and a partner that's going to be able to work with us in the south [of Afghanistan]."
He said it is very important that Canada find a single partner for its mission in Kandahar that will not be limited by "caveats" - the term used for restrictions that prevent a country's forces from engaging in serious fighting.
Few countries would be able to provide 1,000 well-equipped soldiers, and many of those that could have placed caveats on their troops in Afghanistan.
Mr. Bernier said he has had good talks with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who have all agreed that Canada's call for reinforcements is crucial to NATO.
"Who's going to be our partner? I don't know that," he said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government had focused its early hopes for a partner in Kandahar on France, which had indicated some willingness to help. But some Canadian officials say those hopes have been fading, and it is now more likely that President Nicolas Sarkozy will send troops to Afghanistan's east.
British officials have said they are unlikely to send troops to Kandahar, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has indicated his country will likely keep the same number of troops - just under 8,000 - in Afghanistan. The British military carries the heaviest load in Helmand province, just west of Kandahar province.
Canadian officials have always believed that the United States would probably send the additional 1,000 troops if no other country did. And some believe that if France sent troops to eastern Afghanistan, that would allow 1,000 Americans to be redeployed to Kandahar.
But the U.S. has not made commitments to do so, and has instead used the Canadian demand as an opportunity to press its NATO allies to carry a greater share of the burden in Afghanistan.
About 20,000 of the 42,000 international troops in Afghanistan are American.
Many NATO countries may just tell the U.S. Canada et al. to go fly a kite, now permitted in Afghanistan.
THE AFGHAN MISSION: REINFORCEMENTS FOR THE SOUTH
Canada demands 'one partner' in Kandahar
CAMPBELL CLARK
March 13, 2008
OTTAWA -- Canada wants one country to provide the entire 1,000-soldier contingent it needs as reinforcements in Afghanistan, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier says, but it has not yet had a definitive answer from the three nations that could supply them: the United States, France and Britain.
Mr. Bernier's comments made clear that Canada will not accept a patchwork of smaller contingents from various countries - the sort of aid that the Netherlands was forced to accept when it set its own demand for help before it extended its mission in Afghanistan.
He also indicated none of the three countries that could come to Canada's aid has yet promised to do so.
"Concerning the position of the U.S. government or the French government or the U.K. government, I cannot tell you what will be their position," he said. "But what I can tell you is that we need one partner, and a partner that's going to be able to work with us in the south [of Afghanistan]."
He said it is very important that Canada find a single partner for its mission in Kandahar that will not be limited by "caveats" - the term used for restrictions that prevent a country's forces from engaging in serious fighting.
Few countries would be able to provide 1,000 well-equipped soldiers, and many of those that could have placed caveats on their troops in Afghanistan.
Mr. Bernier said he has had good talks with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who have all agreed that Canada's call for reinforcements is crucial to NATO.
"Who's going to be our partner? I don't know that," he said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government had focused its early hopes for a partner in Kandahar on France, which had indicated some willingness to help. But some Canadian officials say those hopes have been fading, and it is now more likely that President Nicolas Sarkozy will send troops to Afghanistan's east.
British officials have said they are unlikely to send troops to Kandahar, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has indicated his country will likely keep the same number of troops - just under 8,000 - in Afghanistan. The British military carries the heaviest load in Helmand province, just west of Kandahar province.
Canadian officials have always believed that the United States would probably send the additional 1,000 troops if no other country did. And some believe that if France sent troops to eastern Afghanistan, that would allow 1,000 Americans to be redeployed to Kandahar.
But the U.S. has not made commitments to do so, and has instead used the Canadian demand as an opportunity to press its NATO allies to carry a greater share of the burden in Afghanistan.
About 20,000 of the 42,000 international troops in Afghanistan are American.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
NATO asks Canada to extend Afghan mission
Canada is in Afghanistan defending basic values such as the rule of law. Of course the rule of law in Afghanistan is Sharia law and among its provisions are that if you convert from being a Muslim to Christianity you are to be sentenced to death. This happened a while ago as this article illustrates.Fortunately the person sentenced was able to escape out of Afghanistan and this avoided an embarassing spectacle.
Recently the democratic legislature suspended a woman legislator for comparing the legislature to a stable and complaining about the number of warlords accused of human rights violation who were members of that body. See the following article. I have reprinted the article in the next post.
So we are defending a government whose idea of freedom of religion is to condemn converts from Islam to other religions to death. Whose idea of freedom is to suspend a member for crticising the legislature.
It the West's intervention in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq that is fueling the global jihadists project. It has less to do with the Taliban as a global terrorist threat than with the US project using NATO as its helper to establish global hegemony.
Canada should stay in Afghanistan past 2009, NATO chief says
Last Updated: Thursday, June 21, 2007 | 8:32 PM ET
CBC News
Despite mounting Canadian casualties, NATO's secretary general urged Canada to continue its military mission in Afghanistan past its 2009 withdrawal deadline.
"I think more time is necessary to create those conditions for reconstruction and development to go on," said Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who visited Montreal Thursday.
The visit by de Hoop Scheffer came a day after three Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan and the same day a poll was released suggesting 70 per cent of Quebecers oppose the Afghan mission.
"I know how dramatic it is if Canadian soldiers pay the highest price," de Hoop Scheffer said an economic conference in Montreal. "But I still say, you are there for a good cause."
De Hoop Scheffer said he wanted Quebecers to understand the importance of the Afghan mission.
"Please do realize in a nation like Canada, with such an enormous tradition of peacekeeping in the framework of the United Nations … [that] helping Afghanistan, participating in what is the threat of a global form of terrorism, making reconstruction possible — you are there for a good cause," he said.
Defending "basic values" such as democracy, the rule of law and independence of the media are paramount concerns, de Hoop Scheffer said, and Canadians should remember that NATO is "still supported by the large majority of the Afghan people."
Getting the alliance of 26 nations to stay the course in Afghanistan "is a message to the Canadians as much as it is to the Dutch or to the Danes or to the Norwegians," he said. "It's a message I have for all of my allied friends in the alliance and the partners alike."
De Hoop Scheffer's pitch comes as the federal government has been under pressure in the House of Commons to define the length of Canada's commitment to the mission and make its intentions in Afghanistan clear.
In a number of speeches and public comments, both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor have signalled Canada is willing to consider an extended commitment. But they have said no final decision has been made and Parliament will have an opportunity to debate an extension.
The Valcartier base is expected to send 2,000 soldiers to Afghanistan this summer. To date, 60 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.
De Hoop Scheffer later met with Harper in Ottawa.
With files from the Canadian
Recently the democratic legislature suspended a woman legislator for comparing the legislature to a stable and complaining about the number of warlords accused of human rights violation who were members of that body. See the following article. I have reprinted the article in the next post.
So we are defending a government whose idea of freedom of religion is to condemn converts from Islam to other religions to death. Whose idea of freedom is to suspend a member for crticising the legislature.
It the West's intervention in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq that is fueling the global jihadists project. It has less to do with the Taliban as a global terrorist threat than with the US project using NATO as its helper to establish global hegemony.
Canada should stay in Afghanistan past 2009, NATO chief says
Last Updated: Thursday, June 21, 2007 | 8:32 PM ET
CBC News
Despite mounting Canadian casualties, NATO's secretary general urged Canada to continue its military mission in Afghanistan past its 2009 withdrawal deadline.
"I think more time is necessary to create those conditions for reconstruction and development to go on," said Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who visited Montreal Thursday.
The visit by de Hoop Scheffer came a day after three Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan and the same day a poll was released suggesting 70 per cent of Quebecers oppose the Afghan mission.
"I know how dramatic it is if Canadian soldiers pay the highest price," de Hoop Scheffer said an economic conference in Montreal. "But I still say, you are there for a good cause."
De Hoop Scheffer said he wanted Quebecers to understand the importance of the Afghan mission.
"Please do realize in a nation like Canada, with such an enormous tradition of peacekeeping in the framework of the United Nations … [that] helping Afghanistan, participating in what is the threat of a global form of terrorism, making reconstruction possible — you are there for a good cause," he said.
Defending "basic values" such as democracy, the rule of law and independence of the media are paramount concerns, de Hoop Scheffer said, and Canadians should remember that NATO is "still supported by the large majority of the Afghan people."
Getting the alliance of 26 nations to stay the course in Afghanistan "is a message to the Canadians as much as it is to the Dutch or to the Danes or to the Norwegians," he said. "It's a message I have for all of my allied friends in the alliance and the partners alike."
De Hoop Scheffer's pitch comes as the federal government has been under pressure in the House of Commons to define the length of Canada's commitment to the mission and make its intentions in Afghanistan clear.
In a number of speeches and public comments, both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor have signalled Canada is willing to consider an extended commitment. But they have said no final decision has been made and Parliament will have an opportunity to debate an extension.
The Valcartier base is expected to send 2,000 soldiers to Afghanistan this summer. To date, 60 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.
De Hoop Scheffer later met with Harper in Ottawa.
With files from the Canadian
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