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Open Letter To Jack and Mrs. Black

Here is my letter to the relevant NDP MPs right before the vote in parliament (rushed as it was).

Dear Jack and Mrs. Black,

I'm writing you both as Jack is my MP (and the party leader of course), and Mrs. Black as the Defense and Peace Advocacy critic. I am writing briefly to request that all NDP MPs begin to represent the strong and currently orphaned anti-war movement. I recognize the NDP have attempted to take a constructive, propose-not-oppose standpoint on these issues, and I admit there is value there (particularly asking questions such as what is the objective and so on). However, there has been no clear oppositional strategy to the imperialist foreign policy of Martin and Harper, at least not one that parallels the strong movement at protests, in communities, and in households across Canada. Canadians are now more than ever exceptionally critical of the causes for this war, and certainly I have no doubt that our involvement has compromised our status as a sovereign and secure country. Canada must now begin to repair our seriously violated reputation of a peace-keeping country, restore full funding of peace-keeping operations to our military (80¢ of every $1), and establish new protocols and means of controlling economic motives for military action.

Please oppose our involvement in Afghanistan and other invasions outright, and certainly oppose our involvement in Afghanistan in the next two years.

In Peace (while others aren't)

+Ravi Joshi

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Jack's Response

Submitted by ravijo on May 26, 2006 - 00:01.

Thank you for informing me of your concerns regarding Canada's role in Afghanistan after February 2007.
The NDP voted against this motion because we believe it is the wrong mission for Canada. It does not reflect the peace-making values that Canadians want to see our forces undertake on the world stage. This motion that is being forced on our country ties aid and development to war-making, and we cannot support that. If you would like to read my speech in Parliament, please visit: http://www.ndp.ca/page/3757. You may also find comments from other NDP MP's by visiting: http://www.parl.gc.ca/.

It is quite clear that Harper's Conservatives aren't interested in due diligence. They're interested in dragging us further into a US
-style combat role and away from our traditional peace keeping role. Much like the Liberals before them, the Conservatives have failed to tell Canadians:

- What the chain of command and control will be for this mission.
- What the definition of success will be for our troops.
- What our exit strategy will be.

Many Canadians have written me wanting answers and it is our duty as representatives of our constituents, to get answers before committing to any new missions overseas. As any soldier knows, time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted.

New Democrats recognize that Canada does have a role in assisting Afghanis in rebuilding their country. Afghanistan is the largest recipient of Canadian overseas development aid and we fully support the continuation of that funding - outside of this mission.
Again, I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
Sincerely,

Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth) Leader, New Democratic Party of Canada

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Mrs. Black's Response

Submitted by ravijo on May 26, 2006 - 00:08.

Dear Mr Joshi,

Thank you very much for your email regarding Canada's role in Afghanistan. It is always great to hear people's take on the issue. I'd also like to apologise for the delay in my response. I have been very busy lately with the debate and vote in the House on Afghanistan and I wanted to wait until they had taken place before updating you.

I share your concerns about Afghanistan, and I and my party have continuously raised our concerns about Canada's mission there with the Government. The NDP voted against the motion in the House to extend Canadian military involvement in the area because we believe it is the wrong mission for Canada. It does not reflect the peace-making values that Canadians want to see our forces undertake on the world stage. This motion that is being forced on our country ties aid and development to war-making, and we cannot support that.

It is quite clear that Harper's Conservatives aren't interested in due diligence. They're interested in dragging us further into a US-style combat role and away from our traditional peace keeping role. Much like the Liberals before them, the Conservatives have failed to tell Canadians:

- What the chain of command and control will be for this mission.
- What the definition of success will be for our troops.
- What our exit strategy will be.

Many Canadians have written me wanting answers and it is our duty as representatives of our constituents, to get answers before committing to any new missions overseas. As any soldier knows, time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted.

New Democrats recognize that Canada does have a role in assisting Afghans in rebuilding their country. Afghanistan is the largest recipient of Canadian overseas development aid and we fully support the continuation of that funding - outside of this mission.

Again, I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

Best Wishes

Dawn Black, MP
NDP Critic for Defence and Peace Advocacy
New Westminster-Coquitlam

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