MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 07, 2006

Council of Canadians demands vote on Afghanistan

The Council of Canadians is demanding that Stephen Harper hold a vote in Parliament examining Canada’s role in Afghanistan.

A Globe and Mail/CTV poll conducted on February 24, 2006 reported that 73 per cent of Canadians wanted a vote in the House of Commons on this issue. “With the casualty rate of Canadian soldiers mounting and very little public support for the extension of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, the Conservatives cannot make this decision unilaterally,” says Brent Patterson, director of organizing at the Council of Canadians.

A "take-note debate" has already been held in the House of Commons in November 2005. At that time, opposition defence critic Gordon O'Connor (now the Minister of Defence) said, "The government unwisely meandered into this commitment without having a clear idea of what was involved."

Now in power, the Conservative party’s foreign policy seems to solely reflect its commitment to improve relations with the United States. While Stephen Harper’s Throne Speech refers to the U.S. as Canada’s best friend, a mere 11% of Canadians agree with this statement according to another Globe and Mail/CTV poll conducted last week.

“The Conservative government is disregarding the will of the Canadian public in order to cozy up to its so-called best friend,” says Patterson. It has gone as far as promoting Canada’s belligerent role in the “war on terror” through an $18 000 ad campaign to have banners and posters in U.S. subway stations depicting Canadian soldiers in combat in Afghanistan. This despite the fact that 57 per cent of Canadians want the Canadian military involved in "traditional peacekeeping" according to a 2005 Ekos Research poll.

“Stephen Harper talks about promoting democracy in Afghanistan, yet his minority government’s failure to hold a vote on this crucial issue despite widespread public opposition shows contempt for our own democratic processes.”

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For more information, contact:
Dylan Penner, Media Officer, Council of Canadians: (613) 233-4487, ext. 249; 1-800-387-7177, ext. 249; .