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For Immediate Release: February 21, 2008
Box 168 Slocan BC
V0G 2C0
Phone/fax: 1 250 355 2669
Prime Minister Harper Calls for More War In Afghanistan and Rules Out a Negotiated Settlement! The Manley-Ignatieff-Rae Team Agrees!
Prime Minister Harper has been emboldened by the respite given to his Government by the silver tongued Manley-Ignatieff-Rae (M.I.R.) Liberal brain trust. These “friends of the people” have helped Harper outwit and marginalize and mute the pro-peace voices in the Liberal Party. The (M.I.R.) Liberal brain trust provided the Prime Minister with the pretext for continuing the NATO war certain to kill more Canadian soldiers and Afghan civilians and witlessly set the stage for a possible Conservative victory in the next federal election.
Prime Minister Harper ran with the (M.I.R.) Liberal brain trust to assure the Conference of Defense Associations on February 21st that his Government will continue to spend an estimated $100 million per month for another three years to keep Canadian armed forces in combat in Southern Afghanistan to justify $120 million per year “development aid package” to a corrupt Afghan Government.
With the encouragement of the (M.I.R.) Liberal brain trust the Prime Minister poured scorn on the good common sense of the majority of Canadians who want an end to the war and wasteful expenditure on a non-winnable war. The Prime Minister confident he has the Liberals in his pocket side-steps the NDP, Bloc and pro-peace Liberal MP’s proposals for an international peace process to negotiate an end to the war and bring the troops home.
With agreement of the (M.I.R.) Liberal brain trust Prime Minister Harper flogs the outlandish suggestion that withdrawal of 2500 Canadian troops from the 45,000 ISAF NATO led combat force would “let down its NATO allies”. The only interest Harper would let down is the Bush US Government which has about 24,000 troops in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister, taking his cue from career General Hillier and the ISAF NATO Chiefs lends supports to US Defense Secretary Robert Gate’s schemes for a military victory in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Denying imperialist ambitions the Prime Minister outlined a more aggressive military stance in international relations “for the “foreseeable future” stating that Canada has an obligation to “impose peace” and confront “enemies” and ensure “security” without defining what that means.
The Prime Minister assured his militaristic audience that if re-elected he will increase the current $18 billion year defense budget by 2% per year beginning in 2011-12. The Prime Minister presented no justification for such steep increases in military expenditures.
The Auditor General must immediately undertake an inquiry into the actual total amount of Government expenditures on US-Canadian Border Security, the war in Afghanistan, Canada’s contributions to NATO, NORAD and NORTHCOM and recent major defense acquisitions.
Prime Minister Harper has changed his rhetoric but not the message. The Prime Minister is addicted to war and militarism and incapable of elaborating a foreign policy of peace. Constant reference to “support the troops” continues the canard that Canadians opposed to the Prime Minister’s ideology are unpatriotic.
The Prime Minister’s speech reveals once again that he is not the 21st Century visionary he claims to be. Quite the opposite, Prime Minister Harper is yesterday’s man, mired in the imperialist mind set of reliance on force over reason.
The Conservatives have had their day. They have failed repeatedly to stampede Canadians into an uncritical acceptance of a foreign policy of militarism and endless war. The Prime Minister and his government are on life support provided by the (M.I.R.) Liberal brain trust. It is time to defeat them and elect a centre-left coalition of peace and democratic MP’s pledge to return Canada to a policy of peace. |