NDP delgates back Afghan pullout

This article is courtesy of the Toronto Star.

The New Democratic Party has officially become Canada’s first major political party to call for a withdrawal of the country’s troops from Afghanistan.

A party convention voted massively today in favour of leader Jack Layton’s call for a pullout, giving his proposal an endorsement from grassroot members and making it formal NDP policy.
More than 1,500 delegates to a party convention voted overwhelmingly — about 90 per cent — in favour of a “safe and immediate” withdrawal. A long ovation swept over the convention floor as the vote results were announced.

“We have a really strong show of support from our members here today,” Layton told reporters after the vote.

“Now we’re calling on Canadians to join with us in calling on the Harper government to change the track he’s currently on with (U.S. President) George Bush.”

New Democrats will now discuss ways to pressure the government on Afghanistan during a strategy session at a caucus retreat next week.

They may choose to table a private member’s bill or hold a vote on a non-binding motion in Parliament.

However, it’s likely that such an attempt would create more headaches for the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois, and not the Tory government.

The Liberals and Bloc would be left grappling with divisions in their own ranks on the Afghan issue, while the Tories and NDP have clearly taken sides.

Layton wants all 2,000 Canadian troops removed from the violent Kandahar region by February.

He does, however, favour keeping the few dozen Canadian soldiers currently working on reconstruction efforts in safer northern areas.

Layton’s push comes amid a spate of Canadian casualties, and following poll numbers that suggest the mission is becoming increasingly unpopular with Canadians.

But his position is not unanimously supported within the party.

Nova Scotia MP Peter Stoffer, whose riding holds a large military constituency, spoke out against the motion.

“What (the troops) are doing is right,” he said to clusters of polite applause.

“We need to send the message that we love them, we care about them, and that we hope for their speedy return.

“But this motion is premature.”

Stoffer said the NDP position fails to address one key question: “What happens (to Afghanistan) on March 1st?”

The wife of a Canadian Forces member also rose to speak out against the motion, calling it irresponsible and saying that soldiers need to know that Canadians appreciate their good work.
But such opinions were decidedly in the minority.

Toronto delegate Barry Weisleder said there’s been enough debate on the issue and the time has arrived for a withdrawal.

“We don’t need more consultation,” he said to loud applause.

“We need to curtail expenditures which are aiding the war contractors and which are supporting a government of warlords and druglords in Afghanistan, a government orchestrated and hand-picked by the U.S. empire. . .

“We need to get out of that dirty war.”

Former NDP leader Alexa McDonough described the military mission as a flawed means for achieving stability in Afghanistan.

“We know there is no military solution,” she said.

“The Canadian people know there is no military solution. The Canadian people know that only through a comprehensive peace process will it be possible to bring the state and non-state actors together to begin building a democratic Afghanistan.”

Now, call me a Conservative if you must. Quite frankly, I've heard enough of it as of late that it ceases to shock me. But the NDP are wrong here. I applaud NDP MP Peter Stoffer for knowing that Canadians were sent into Afghanistan with the purpose of bringing down a theocracy. Just walking away at this point will not do that. If troops are to be pulled out the risk of a rising (and quite frankly, pissed off) Taliban is put in place. We have done nothing except allowed Canadian men and women to die for no reason at all. Canada has to make sure these deaths mean something. We need to make sure that the people of Afghanistan do not live through another theocratic era. Pulling out now is incredibly premature and we (meaning Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats, or otherwise) cannot allow the world to be exposed to more theocratic governments. More importantly, this is about people. And we cannot allow the Afghani people to be exposed to the theocratic government that would undoubtedly arise.