In 2008 The House of Commons resolved....

To withdraw all Canadian troops from Afghanistan by July 2011. Right?

Wrong!

The motion adopted by the House of Commons on 13 March, 2008 says no such thing.

Having heard all the push-pull politics going on it is interesting to watch Harper yap on that there will be no turning back on the decision to withdraw since that was the decision of parliament.

He's playing a game. This is now the oft repeated line:

“we are working according to the parliamentary resolution that was adopted in 2008 by which Canada's military mission will end and will transition to a civilian and development mission at the end of 2011.”

Except that's not what the resolution says. The wind-down of the combat mission in the parliamentary resolution reads as follows: (my emphasis)

(c) the government of Canada notify NATO that Canada will end its presence in Kandahar as of July 2011, and, as of that date, the redeployment of Canadian Forces troops out of Kandahar and their replacement by Afghan forces start as soon as possible, so that it will have been completed by December 2011;

That's reasonably clear.

So, why is Harper peddling a line which is so obviously inconsistent with his own past war-drumming and a resolution which, without having to stretch, allows the government to maintain a military presence in Afghanistan anywhere but Kandahar?

Comments?