Opposition Calls For Withdrawal Timetable For Afghanistan
Posted August 23, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
On the heels of the deaths of two more Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan on Wednesday, Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe says he’s ready to bring down the federal government this fall if there’s no firm commitment to withdraw our troops from the embattled country by February of 2009.
Duceppe also wants an emergency debate on our military role in Afghanistan when parliament resumes next month.
Liberal leader Stephane Dion isn’t prepared to wait even that long, however, and is demanding a commitment from the government now on a firm end date for the mission.
“We are requesting the prime minister to notify to NATO, the government of Afghanistan , that the combat mission in Kandahar will end in February 2009,” says the Liberal leader during a press conference. “We had a motion last April that the Bloc, to their credit, supported, but not the NDP. It must be notified now, not wait until October.”
Dion also says that waiting for a debate in the house, which may not happen until the winter or next spring, is far too late.
“Why wait?” asks Dion. “We need to be good partners with our NATO allies and the government of Afghanistan. We need to give them the time for the replacement. It should be said now.”
Dion stopped short of saying the Liberals would use this issue to bring down Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government.
