We Are At War

We are at war, and have been since the early winter months of 2002. We aided the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan, after they began the foreign invasion in 2001. In 2005, Canadian troops began to move into one of the most volatile regions, Kandahar province, after US troops handed command over to the Canadians for that region. In 2006, Canadians solidified their presence in Afghanistan, establishing a base of about 2,300 soldiers in Kandahar province.

At the time of the invasion, the Canadian government defined its reasons for participating in the war as: to defend Canada’s national interest, to ensure Canadian leadership in world affairs, and to help Afghanistan rebuild. Canadian commitment to the war was planned to last until October 2003. We are now into 2008, and Canada has still not withdrawn its troops. In a time of economic downfall, can we really afford to continue to finance the mission in Afghanistan?

Both leaders of the Liberal and Conservative party deem the mission in Afghanistan necessary. Other party leaders, such as Jack Layton, as well as many members of the public, determine the mission in to be unnecessary: lacking clear objectives, success, and undermining the reconstruction of the country. I agree with the general public – Canadian troops should be withdrawn as soon as possible. As a country, we don’t have the money to continue the mission; it’s outworn its purpose. We haven’t seen results in a while, only deaths; as over September 2008, 97 soldiers have died in Afghanistan. It’s time to end this mission – we need to bring our soldiers home.