April 12, 2007
Dear activists,
Over the past 14 months of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, 45 Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and many others have been severely wounded. On average that means one Canadian soldier has been killed every 10 days in this war under this prime minister's leadership.
This is a dramatic increase in casualties given the 8 Canadian soldiers that were killed in Afghanistan in the 44 months between April 2002 and November 2005.
The Globe and Mail reported on January 18, 2007 that, "...many analysts say NATO will likely face a spring offensive by insurgents...(and)...the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan (Lieutenant-General Karl Eikenberry) told reporters...that he's worried the coming season will be particularly violent."
On February 16, 2007, Prime Minister Harper acknowledged that an expected spring offensive by the Taliban will mean more Canadian casualties. He said, "Our soldiers, men and women who go over there, know full well when they go over there that not all of them will return...We know it will not be easy...We know it will involve casualties, but Canada has not shrunk from these kinds of responsibilities before."
However, it has been suggested by a former government minister and a high-level ministry official that Canada is in Kandahar not strictly for noble "responsiblities", but rather to repair relations with the Bush administration because the U.S. was angry over Canada's refusal to join in its invasion of Iraq and the controversial missile defence system and in an effort to keep our trade relations open, given the United States consumes nearly 80 percent of Canadian exports and provides nearly 65 percent of our foreign direct investment.
The Council of Canadians has taken the position that as the number of Canadian soldiers and civilians killed or wounded in Afghanistan grows, as humanitarian crises in other parts of the world (including Darfur and the Middle East) worsen, and as Canada’s international reputation for independence and the promotion of peace suffers, the need for the Canadian government to revise its foreign and military policies becomes more urgent each day.
The Council of Canadians believes that Canada must move away from its increasingly uncritical support for and integration with U.S. foreign and military policies and reclaim the more enlightened, valued role of an independent, middle power committed to UN-sanctioned peacekeeping. The more Canadian military policies mirror the policies of the United States, the less they will serve the best interests of both Canadians and the world.
The Council of Canadians is therefore calling for the immediate, safe and orderly withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan and a return to Canada fulfilling its traditional international role of peacekeeper. Only as a promoter of peace and an upholder of peacekeeping can we hope to perform the constructive, independent role required of us in the world.
THE DEMAND
Use the sample letter below to send a message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper at pm@pm.gc.ca:
Prime Minister Harper,
I am deeply saddened by the recent deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. As a member of the Council of Canadians, I am calling on you to begin the immediate, safe and orderly withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan. With 53 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan - 45 in just the past 14 months - your government needs to revise its foreign and military policy. This includes prioritizing a negotiated solution to the war in Afghanistan that fosters democracy and improved living conditions there, as well as returning Canada to its traditional international role of peacekeeper. I await your reply.
Sincerely,
<your name>
Notes:
1. David Pugliese wrote in the Ottawa Citizen on March 25, 2006 that, "In a July 2005 interview...(then Defence Minister Bill) Graham also acknowledged that mending fences with the Bush administration played a role in the government's decision to take on the Kandahar mission. The U.S. was still angry over Canada's refusal to join its invasion of Iraq and it didn't help that the Martin government had declined to participate in the Pentagon's controversial missile defence system."
2. Lawrence Martin wrote in the Globe and Mail on April 6, 2006 that, "A former, highly placed Defence Department official, whose hands were all over the Afghan file...tells me the reason the Liberals took up the mission was not out of any great noble purpose. It was principally because they had no choice. They had to appease Washington for not having joined the invasion of Iraq."
3. The "Soldiers, Not Peacekeepers" article in the March 2006 issue of The Walrus political affairs magazine noted, "Those who see a link between trade and foreign affairs believe Canada has good reason for...(sending troops to Afghanistan). The American security agenda extends overseas and across North America, and, as the United States consumes nearly 80 percent of Canadian exports and provides nearly 65 percent of our foreign direct investment, its demands for beefed-up Canadian military support...can be rebuffed for only so long...In the entwined corridors between (the ministries of) Defence, Foreign Affairs, and International Trade, and through shuttle diplomacy between Ottawa and Washington, the thinking may be that we will finally resolve the softwood-lumber issue and keep our border open to trade by lessening America's burden in Afghanistan."
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