Canada Liberals Conservatives Afghanistan

To their credit, the Liberal party finally seems to have gotten over its reluctance to discuss a renewed role for Canada in Afghanistan post-2011. But are Bob Rae's brave words in vain?

It seems our Prime Minister still isn't willing to give Canada's most important foreign policy engagement in recent memory any words other than a dishonest point about "respecting the will of parliament." But parliament didn't vote to end our involvement in Afghanistan after 2011. They voted to end the military mission in Kandahar. So there's actually quite a bit that Canada can do -- training of soldiers, development aid, electoral reform, education supports, institution building -- there is much that can be done. Indeed, to pull up stakes at this point, just as the international efforts are gaining momentum, would raise an even darker question of what our sacrifices were for.

Will the PM show leadership now and take up discussion of our role in Afghanistan for the future in a pragmatic approach with his fellow MPs? Or will political partisanship continue to throw a cloak of silence upon this critical issue?