Military Should "Remain Engaged" In Afghanistan -- Stephane Dion

While it was a Liberal government that first sent the troops to Kandahar in August, 2005, the submission said it was "never intended to be a life-long effort or even a 10-year commitment." Since he was chosen Liberal leader 14 months ago, Stéphane Dion has unsuccessfully pressed Prime Minister Stephen Harper to give formal notice to the NATO alliance that the Canadian mission will not be extended past February, 2009 -- already a two-year extension that was approved by Parliament in 2006. The Liberals say Canada's "enormous sacrifice" in Afghanistan must be brought to a close by ending the combat mission in Kandahar, reducing troop deployments and shifting them to training, civilian protection and reconstruction in safer zones. Expressing suspicion about the minority Conservative government's plans, the Liberals said it would be "a travesty" to simply rename the combat mission a training mission and carry on with the perilous counter-insurgency work in which 76 Canadian military personnel and one diplomat have died since 2002. His party's submission emphasized the importance of serving formal notice to NATO, which controls the multinational security assistance force in Afghanistan, that Canada's combat role will end as scheduled. ... http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=223933

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