Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

From zero to a thousand

by Aaron Wherry on Monday, November 8, 2010 3:36pm - 20 Comments

Whatever the Prime Minister said in January, and what the Foreign Affairs Minister dismissed in June, the government is now said to be thinking about leaving a thousand soldiers in Afghanistan—about a third of the size of our current deployment.

Up to 750 trainers and at least 200 support staff would work outside the combat zone at a training academy or large training facility for Afghan soldiers and police officers, the CBC’s James Cudmore reports. They would remain in Afghanistan until 2014 at the latest.

Susan Delacourt wonders where the Prime Minister is at this seemingly important moment.

Tags: Afghanistan, Canadian Forces, Kabul, Kanadahar, lawrence cannon, military, Stephen Harper

More by Aaron Wherry

Emily

I dunno…why IS the media putting up with Harper's silence on ANYthing?

Ignatieff is pro-trainers, Mackay is supposedly now 'reluctantly' pro-trainers…and all that previous talk about leaving is now out the window.

Meanwhile Israel is pushing the US to bomb Iran….which certainly means retaliation….and we've apparently said we'll regard any attack on Israel as an attack on ourselves.

What ARE we doing???

Jan

Mackay spent the weekend with McCain and Lindsay Graham – two of the hawkiest Americans. I wonder if they had their way with him.

Emily

Ahhh well if you want to look like 'a man among men', you have to out-studly the others.

sourstud

What do you mean by "out-studly"? Because, that really makes no sense to me.

Emily

Well you can be a stud…even a sour one…and you can be studly…and you can therefore out-studly others

Not hard to figure out.

no more non-partisan

It's surprising that the Prime Minister speaks to the PPG at all, about anything. The citizenry has a wide range of sources of information that they trust far more than the PPG. Half-right, torqued reports by unskilled journalists just don't sell to anyone any more. Even Wherry's moment-by-moment "blurt gun" shoots blanks most of the time.

Thwim

Half-right, torqued reports by unskilled journalists just don't sell to anyone any more.
Now if that were true, SDA'd be dead.

Be_rad

lol

Margaret

Whatever Israel wants us to do – that's what we'll do.

sourstud

Better Israel than Iran.

Emily

Same diff.

tobyornotoby

Let's all look for minor nuances in the respective positions to the Liberal-conservative coalition for perpetual war in Afgahnistan rather than noticing that they are making up another reason for Canada to commit troops.

Never mind that we didn't achieve the capture of Osama bin Laden or wipe out El Queada, or avenge 9/11, or a whole decade of mission creep objectives from liberating Afghanis, to implementing democracy, the right to education for girls, respect for human rights, the development of civil society, global security and so on that aren't finished. Let's just make troop training our new excuse for participating in the 10 Years War.

Emily

They're trying to make it the 30 Years War.

Amateur Hour

I agree. Afghanistan was an ill-conceived mission (we missed our targets by one country). Still, the Liberals have been consistent in saying we owe it to NATO to be responsible partners — because NATO is important. The Afghan mission isn't the only thing hanging by a thread these days.

Iggy has called for an open discussion and debate in the House about a post-combat mission in Afghanistan as part of our NATO commitment since Sept. 2008. Harper's refused to say anything other than "the mission ends in 2011." In June of this year, Iggy outlined in detail a proposed mission to set up a military and police training academy with NATO allies in Kabul. He called for a discussion in the House and with Canadians. Harper's said diddily. He's actually fled the room when questions were put to him about this very topic. Now he's scrambling and looks like a rank amateur.

sourstud

Agreed. It's really sad because this is one of the few very important issues this country is dealing with where I think the Liberals and Conservatives could actually find common ground, and actually do what's right (which I believe, would be leaving some troops behind in a "non-combat" role).

Sadly, our current political environment doesn't allow for common sense, only posturing. I don't think anybody really believes that as a country we should be invading, destroying and killing for 10 years, and then just jump ship when everything is as bad as it gets. I like to think that most Canadians believe we have a duty to protect those who can't protect themselves, but we also have to make things right before we cut loose.

Jan

Leaving if necessary, in 2014, but not necessarily leaving, in 2014. That ought to cover it.

D-R

I'm okay with this, just as long as they don't go OVER NINE THOUSAND!
Dot

How many of those reporters that were invited to tour Afghanistan and were told we were pulling out in 2011, feel that they were used?

Wells certainly seems angry on twitter, and today on CTV's Power Play.