Duceppe threatens to topple Harper government over Afghanistan

[youravatar]

Gilles gone low but never like this. Shame on him.

 

[schart28]

Gille's position has always been the same. Everyone is blaming each other in politics.

 

[Brad Sallows]

>c. He claimed that success would only lead to defeat as the Taliban would be inspired to continue to resist.

IOW, if we lose, the Taliban wins; if we win, the Taliban eventually wins.  I hope your characterisation of his remarks is incorrect, otherwise I must conclude him to be a fool.

 

[CrazyCanuck]

Well he is NDP afterall

 

[Kirkhill]

Well he is NDP afterall

Actually that may be closer to the mark - for the socialist isn't it all about the revolution without end? There is never an acknowledgement of defeat. Just pauses.  "A la prochaine fois".

 

[Baloo]

Duceppe threatens to topple Tories
Bloc leader warns he may trigger early election over handling of Afghan mission
Dec. 12, 2006. 01:00 AM
SUSAN DELACOURT
OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF

OTTAWA—The prospect of a federal election early in 2007 looms a little larger now that the Bloc Québécois and other opposition parties are talking about toppling Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government over Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe issued the threat yesterday in a speech in Quebec City and other opposition leaders weren't ruling out the idea of helping to defeat the minority government as soon as February. The last federal election was Jan. 23.

"If Mr. Harper refuses to make changes or proves incapable of obtaining better collaboration from our allies, we won't hesitate to withdraw our support, and, if necessary, defeat the government on the Afghan question," Duceppe said in a speech to the Chamber of Commerce.

New Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said yesterday he'll "consider" voting the government down on Afghanistan, though he said he wanted to see any motion the Bloc would put forward. "But I know that this government could fall at any time," he said outside the Commons. "And my duty is to help my party be ready (for an election) at any time."

Liberals are viewed as increasingly anxious to pull the plug on Harper's government now that a new leader is in place and their fortunes are climbing in the polls. An EKOS poll for the Star and La Presse on the weekend put the Liberals at 40.1 per cent in public support, compared with 33.5 for the Conservatives, 10.2 per cent for the NDP and 8.6 per cent for the Bloc.

Those kind of numbers have Liberals dreaming about a return to power — having the Bloc provoke the Tories' defeat, rather than the Liberals doing it themselves, could prove strategically convenient.

NDP Leader Jack Layton, whose party has called for an immediate troop pullout from Afghanistan, appeared to indicate he too would be an ally in defeating the Tories' on this score.

"Look, we have never had confidence in Mr. Harper's approach to this foreign policy matter," he said. "We believe that change is needed here."

The Bloc didn't say precisely when it might unleash a vote of no-confidence, or if it would be limited to the Afghan question.

Bloc House Leader Michel Gauthier even mused about toppling the government over a combination of issues of disappointment to Quebec: failure to live up to the Kyoto accord or to fix the fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and the provinces.

Canada's role in Afghanistan is going to become an even more pointed topic for the Bloc in the new year, Duceppe said, because increasingly it is composed of personnel from the military base of Valcartier, Que.

The House of Commons adjourns for a long Christmas break later this week and won't be back to business until Jan. 29. There has been much speculation that an election is almost inevitable after a budget is brought down — likely late February or in March — but a vote of no-confidence on Afghanistan could mean an even earlier defeat of the Harper government.

If all opposition parties banded together and voted against the Tories — most likely on a so-called "opposition day" when the Bloc, Liberals or NDP set the Commons agenda — Harper's government would collapse.

The Conservatives hold 124 seats in the Commons while the Liberals hold 102 seats, the Bloc, 51 and the NDP have 29. There are two independent MPs.

Dion said he might support a non-confidence vote on Afghanistan, even though it was a former Liberal government that first sent Canadian troops there.

"It's not the same mission at all now ... We went in Kandahar to help a U.S. mission to become a NATO mission. And it's done.

"Mr. Harper requested a two-year extension without a clear mandate, without commitment from the other nations. ... We are in another world now."

Canada has 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan, mainly in the volatile Kandahar region. Forty-four Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed there since 2002. Thirty-six of them died this year.

With files from Les Whittington

and Sean Gordon

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1165877416022&call_pageid=968332188774&col=968350116467

Highlighted in yellow, I was reading this article in the Star this morning, and was overwhelmed by the opportunistic attitude taken by Mr. Dion. I realize that he is the new leader of a major political party, however in spite of this, his duty is to the Canadian public and citizenry, not a partisan power struggle. Maybe one day he can make a true decision based on the merits and betterment of Canadian society as a whole, rather than simply pandering to the lowest common denominator.

 

[Juvat]

Here is a caricature fitting for this topic

 

[North Star]

Dion is a typical academic - talking about a "Marshall Plan II" is absolutely great as it will provide an endless forum for debate and fuzzy-feelings, and does not have any of the risk action usually entails.

However, right now I think he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. While the Liberals (according to Decima) are tied with the Cons in the 3-week trailing poll, that's probably not enough to tackle a government that will blitz the public with tax cuts if an election is triggered. So, he's waffling. He's waiting to see where the polls lead him, despite his very strong support for the mission in the past.

If the Liberals come back, I bet you dollars to doughnuts there will be a sequel to the book "While Canada Slept" as the Libs make a deal with the NDP to caveat our participation in Afghanistan to the point we'll be the laughing-stock of NATO and the UN again. When that happens, expect us to later be committed to a hair-brained UN mission to make up for this loss of face. It happened to the Dutch after their Srebenitza experience...

 

[nowhere_man]

If the Liberals come back, I bet you dollars to doughnuts there will be a sequel to the book "While Canada Slept" as the Libs make a deal with the NDP to caveat our participation in Afghanistan to the point we'll be the laughing-stock of NATO and the UN again. When that happens, expect us to later be committed to a hair-brained UN mission to make up for this loss of face. It happened to the Dutch after their Srebenitza experience...

And the lesson boys and girls is simple.... Dont vote Liberal 

 

[old fart]

And the lesson boys and girls is simple.... Dont vote Liberal 

I will echo that, never in a million years..................AIRBORNE..............

 

[antique]

Mr.Duceppe and his cohort of Mp's in Ottawa are only there for one reason,themselves.By ,making statemwnts of the likes he can go to Quebec and pound his stomach"See I'm defending you against bad Harper"Vote for me,vote for me...His friend in the Quebec legislature,you know the one with white powder around the nostrils(and it is NOT icing sugar)will probably face and election very very soon and the outcome is ...well...no so sure for him. SO Duceppe wants to help.
Mr.Duceppe in the event of a federal election will,no doubts,be reelected and that is the ULTIMATE goal for him....stay in Ottawa bacause the country that he so much wants to breakup will in the end pay him a fat pension and yes that's you and me

 

[a_majoor]

Mr.Duceppe, Mr Layton and Mr Dion all want to be seen as champions of human rights, yet are willing to throw the Afghan people to the wolves at the first sign of hardship or discomfort.

I think this bodes very ill for how they intend to run Canada in the event they can get their hands on the levers of power. If human rights are considered "situational" by these men and their supporters, how will they act to support Canadian's rights to free speech, free press, property ownership and so on?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Excuse me while I blow my own horn, they printed my letter!!  ;D ;D

Bloc wants to give the Taliban a free hand to kill

  Letter

Monday, December 18, 2006


Re: Bloc threatens to topple the Tories, Dec. 12

Two female teachers were recently murdered by the Taliban, along with their grandmother and two other family members. Their only crime was teaching children and girls.

Now the Bloc Quebecois wants to give a free hand to the Taliban so it can carry on killing more teachers and wiping out the hopes and dreams of yet another generation of Afghans. The Taliban know and understand that the real battle is in the classroom; if this generation of Afghans becomes educated, the Taliban is finished.

Bloc members are full of wonderful rhetoric about human rights and freedoms, but for them it's just words -- they don't want to get their hands dirty making anything happen. During the Second World War, many of the Quebec elite felt that Adolf Hitler wasn't their problem; now the Bloc (who see themselves as the new elite) repeats history by saying the Taliban isn't Canada's problem.

They were wrong on both counts. There is an old saying that is as relevant today as when it was first said: Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.

Colin Parkinson

North Vancouver




http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=a7b91a84-e1ec-4ea5-a1b6-c1d1106fff2d

 

[George Wallace]

Congratulations Colin.

I hope that it gets a lot of readers to think of what you have said.

 

[Kirkhill]

Here's a thought - let's assume that 50% of the Canadian Population is opposed to the mission.  The polls also seem to indicate that 50% support the mission.

With Layton, Duceppe and Dion splitting the opposed vote that leaves 50% available to support the Conservatives.

If the Opposition parties succeed in making Afghanistan THE issue in the next election which party is likely to benefit?

Keep in mind that 40% of the vote buys a majority in this country.

TV ads of Canadian Soldiers "Fighting Chaos", digging wells, putting smiling Afghan girls back to school.

It only works IF Afghanistan is the issue.  Therefore Afghanistan probably won't be the issue.



Quebec "Nationalism" is off the table as a Liberal/Conservative wedge.  It will always be a Separatist/Federalist wedge.


Hence the push on the Environment for the Liberals and the fear of resolving "THE FISCAL IMBALANCE" by the Bloc.

 

[Trinity]

Wow...

I like 2 reporters now

 

[xo31@711ret]

Great letter Colin (and excellent points). Now let's wait & see how (or if) a response is made...


There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy. - George Washington

 

[Haggis]

Stephane Doin has announced that he will not support the Bloc in their threat:

Posted with the usual Fair Dealings provisions foremost in my mind:  http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terror/2006/12/18/2859470-cp.html

Grits won't topple gov't over Afghanistan: Dion

QUEBEC (CP) - The new leader of the federal Liberals says he won't topple the Tory government over Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

Stephane Dion is refusing to back a Bloc Quebecois threat to introduce a motion of non-confidence if Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn't overhaul the Afghan effort. "I don't understand the Bloc's position, at all," Dion told reporters in Quebec City.

"It doesn't seem very useful to me to want to bring down the government on that in February as (Bloc Leader Gilles) Duceppe is proposing."

Duceppe has said he may try to topple the minority Conservative government with a non-confidence motion unless the Afghan operation is "rapidly and profoundly" revamped to focus on reconstruction instead of fighting.

A Bloc motion could not bring down the government without Liberal help.

The Bloc is looking for an excuse to provoke a quick election before Liberals can get organized, according to Dion.  "We'll prepare for an election, but it doesn't seem to me that Canadians want an election in the middle of winter," Dion said.

Harper has accused Duceppe of playing politics with soldiers. Jason Kenney, Harper's parliamentary secretary, said Duceppe would abandon Afghans to the "tender mercies" of the Taliban.

At a party meeting in Quebec City, Dion named former leadership rival Michael Ignatieff as deputy leader of the Liberal party.

Dion will hand out other jobs to former leadership contenders on Tuesday.

 

[Kirkhill]

And as the CF and NATO get the upper hand, and violence dies down and reconstruction picks up, the Liberals will claim credit for forcing the government to refocus on Canada's traditional roles.....

And thus politics.  :

 

[schart28]

yeah, that's how it seems to work...

And as the CF and NATO get the upper hand, and violence dies down and reconstruction picks up, the Liberals will claim credit for forcing the government to refocus on Canada's traditional roles.....

And thus politics.  :