Afghan Mission In Canada's Interest: O'Connor

The debate, which opposition parties demanded, will be a largely symbolic exercise as there will be no vote on whether Canada's military role in the war-ravaged country should continue. The debate is sparsely attended by MPs. Here is CTV's count, out of 308 MPs: * 58 Conservative MPs (44 left after O'Connor finished speaking) * 21 Liberals (dropped to 10 at one point) * 2 Bloc Quebecois * 8 NDP (may have been up to 20 at one point) The new Conservative government has expressed its reluctance to hold the debate because of its potential impact on the morale of the country's 2,200 troops deployed in southern Afghanistan. "We on our side do not consider this a debate," said interim Liberal Leader Bill Graham. "We believe this is an opportunity for the Canadian public to better understand this mission." http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060410/afghanistan_debate_060410/20060411?hub=TopStories [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on April 11, 2006]

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