Liberal Leader Stephane Dion told a House of Commons debate that his party is prepared to vote to extend the Afghanistan mission until 2011, with some minor conditions.
"If the government provides us with reasonable responses to our questions, and if they indicate they are committed to the letter and spirit of this motion, then the official opposition will support this motion," Dion said Monday.
Dion's questions include:
- Why the government wants to leave in July 2011, not February 2011 as the Liberals suggest;
- Why the government wants the 1,000 additional troops to serve as reinforcements rather than replacing Canadians in a combat role; and
- Why the government even thinks 1,000 extra troops are enough, considering some military commanders suggest as many as 5,000 more are required in Kandahar province.
Extension of the mission has been contingent on more help for Canada's 2,500 troops in Kandahar province. The recent Manley panel called for an additional 1,000-soldier battle group from NATO and more resources like medium-lift helicopters and aerial drones. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has accepted that recommendation.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay kicked off the debate that will help determine the length of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.
He described the mission to the MPs as "the right thing to do" and praised those within Liberal ranks who tried to find common ground with the government in making the mission a truly Canadian one.
"By putting aside our political differences and our party lines on an issue such as this, we demonstrate to our fellow Canadians ... that we can see the bigger picture," he said Monday.
This also shows others, "including the Taliban," that Canada is united, MacKay said.
In recent days, the governing Conservatives appear to have moved closer to the opposition Liberals' position on Afghanistan.
"I applaud the government for having taken reasonable steps is has to find the common ground between our two positions," Dion said.
Under the complex wording of the new government motion released Friday, Canada's military role in Kandahar province would end in July 2011. Dion said the motion recognized some key Liberal positions:
- A change in the mission;
- An end date to the mission; and
- A greater commitment to development and diplomacy
The two parties combined can pass the motion, which the Tories have deemed to be a matter of confidence in the government. The NDP wants the combat mission to end immediately and the Bloc Quebecois wants to see Canadian troops out by February 2009.
Dion also emphasized there was no exclusively military solution to the situation in Afghanistan or the overall war on terror.
Robert Fife, CTV's Ottawa bureau chief, told Newsnet that a final decision from NATO on more troops likely won't come before an April 2 meeting in Bucharest, Romania. The Afghan extension is to be voted on before that meeting. This part of the debate will last into Tuesday, he said.
Military analysis
Adm. William Fallon -- who heads U.S. Central Command, which has responsibility for Afghanistan and Iraq -- told CTV's Question Period on Sunday: "We're looking to try to get this mission done as quickly as we can, but to do it right, be effective in providing security and stability. And again, I'm not looking for a 30-year commitment here."
The U.S. will be sending 3,200 Marines to southern Afghanistan in April, but only for seven months.
As to the need for combat, Fallon said: "You can't forget that. You have to do a number of things, and the idea that you can just focus on one area I think is one of the challenges that I see in Afghanistan."
Retired Maj. Gen. Lewis MacKenzie told Newsnet on Monday that one has to establish and expand zones of security for development to take place.
"Some people would call that 'non-combat.' You might have a different view of that if you were being shot at," he said.
"Other people would call it 'security for reconstruction'. And that's the type of dancing on the head of a pin that seems to be going on."
MacKenzie said it sounds like at the end of this debate process, the status quo will remain and military commanders in Afghanistan will still make decisions on how to run the mission.
MacKenzie, who once ran for the Progressive Conservatives, opposed the notion of a fixed end date. He said counter-insurgency fights don't work that way.
Some Canadians feel there's not much measurable progress after more than six years in Afghanistan and two years in Kandahar province.
"I don't know how you get across the detail," MacKenzie said, saying there's been "phenomenal progress" in 31 of 34 Afghan provinces.
In Kandahar, the Taliban isn't threatening to take over Kandahar city the way it was two years ago, he said.
MacKenzie did think NATO should supply 5,000 more troops for Kandahar -- one of the most violent regions of Afghanistan -- and a total of 10,000 more for other trouble spots in the south.
