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Prime Minister Stephen Harper and former Liberal Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley have concocted a scheme to side track a Parliamentary debate on Afghanistan to January 2008 in a crude attempt to deny M.P.’s the right to decide to withdraw Canadian troops from Afghanistan now.
The Harper-Manley scheme is an open challenge to the supremacy of Parliament. It is a continuation of the attempt of Prime Minister Harper to subvert democracy and impose on the Canadian people dictatorial rule by non-elected corporate and military power elites. John Manley, an architect of the Canadian armed forces combat role in the NATO-US War in Afghanistan can be counted on to assist Harper to remain in power and perpetuate the war indefinitely.
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion has turned his back on all Canadians, including those in his own party, who oppose the war and has given his blessing to the Harper-Manley scheme. Dion’s volte face was on the same day he assured Bay Street that he would reduce corporate taxes from 28 to 19%. Dion has capitulated to his right-wing advisors and agreed to compete with Harper for corporate backing to win the next federal election, the people be damned.
All members of Parliament confront a choice. They can meekly accept the role assigned to them by Prime Minister Harper as token representatives of the people of Canada or they can reject the Harper-Manley-Dion scheme and demand that all matters of foreign and domestic policy be decided in Parliament not in the board rooms of corporate and military power.
Now is the time for the labour, peace, national democratic and patriotic forces everywhere in Canada to unite and demand that the members of all opposition parties reject rule by blue ribbon committees and uphold parliamentary democracy. The Canadian people want the matter of Afghanistan decided in Parliament, not in NATO and corporate board rooms. |