Layton Calls For Halt To Troop Buildup In Afghanistan

‘‘Canadians need to have a debate on whether they want Canadian service personnel to become deeply involved in an initiative that’s pressed forward by (U.S. President) George Bush,’’ said Layton at a campaign stop in St. John’s, N.L. He said he doesn’t want the country to drift into a war blindly or secretly and called for an immediate halt to the troop buildup in southern Afghanistan. The deployment of Canadian troops to that war-torn region earlier this year was mostly a humanitarian mission under the umbrella of the United Nations, but Layton said the nature of the mission has changed. Troops are expected to take part in combat patrols in the mountainous country surrounding Kandahar and Defence Minister Bill Graham has been warning the public for months to expect casualties. ‘‘We believe the prime minister owes Canadians an explanation of the goals of this mission, of the commitments we would be making and of what the withdrawal plan there would be and then there should be a discussion in Parliament,’’ he said. http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=12929 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on December 11, 2005]

Note: http://www.brandonsun.c...