[R-G] With Bush coming for a last visit, Harper signals new spin on war in Afghanistan

[Anthony Fenton]

With Bush coming for a last visit, Harper signals new spin on war in  
Afghanistan
by Derrick O’Keefe
	
August 17, 2007
Seven Oaks
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In late June, as parliamentarians were packing up for the summer,  
Stephen Harper seemed to suggest a potential shift in his minority  
government’s approach to the war in Afghanistan. In a departure from  
months of rhetoric by government and military leaders about an open- 
ended or even decades-long extension of the military role, the Prime  
Minister stated that extending Canada’s mission in Kandahar beyond  
February 2009 would require “consensus” from all four parties in the  
House of Commons.

Globe and Mail columnist Lawrence Martin was among those who  
interpreted Harper’s statement as a veiled admission that a major  
concession would be coming on this most important foreign policy  
file, and that Harper would not seek to extend the counter-insurgency  
operation beyond the current 2009 end date. “Make no mistake,” Martin  
wrote, “these were code words for the end of our war mission. He was  
essentially saying that in a year and a half, other North Atlantic  
Treaty Organization partners can take their turn at the combat  
role.” (1)



As Martin pointed out, such an about-face would be a concession to  
public opinion, and it would certainly seem difficult to imagine a  
“consensus” in the House that would please the Conservatives. But was  
Harper’s statement really a preview of a change in course, or merely  
a hint of a new PR campaign to prolong Canada’s involvement in the  
war in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister may well only be signaling a  
new strategy of co-opting the language of mushy “opposition” to the  
Afghan debacle coming from the bulk of his parliamentary opponents.



Both the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois have said that they want the  
current mission to end in 2009, though they have made it clear to  
varying degrees that they would continue to support the occupation of  
Afghanistan in other ways, perhaps with a deployment to a less  
volatile region. The Liberals, of course, are hypocrites of the  
highest order when they try to position themselves as being in favour  
of peace. It was under Paul Martin, in 2005, that Canadian troops  
were sent to Kandahar without any debate. And it was only with the  
help of the votes of high profile Liberal MPs like Michael Ignatieff  
that Harper was able to push the 2009 extension through parliament.  
(Almost five years too late, Ignatieff recently expressed regret for  
his support of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but there is no sign of  
such a mea culpa on the Afghanistan vote). The New Democratic Party’s  
policy, meanwhile, does call for an immediate withdrawal of all  
troops from Afghanistan.



A recent Strategic Counsel poll indicates that a clear majority is  
now opposed to Canada’s role in that Central Asian country (2).  
Conducted July 12-16, the results found 59% opposed to the mission  
compared to only 36% in favour. For those with intense feelings on  
the matter the margin was even wider, with 27% strongly opposed  
compared to a mere 7% strongly supporting.  In Quebec, a staggering  
75% said they were opposed. This sampling of public opinion, notably,  
comes on the heels of a sustained and costly publicity push by the  
government. It seems that all the military ads and boosterism – the  
Stanley Cup’s trip to Kandahar for a ball hockey game featuring Rick  
Hillier and Dave “Tiger” Williams stands out as a memorable example  
of this disturbing trend – have been unable to overcome the grim  
reality of the war.  Canadian troop fatalities now stand at 66, while  
Afghan civilian casualties (never reported as dramatically, when they  
are covered at all) are taken in the dozens by air strikes on a  
regular basis.



While we all ponder what strategy Harper will try to push when  
parliament reconvenes, a certain George W. Bush is coming to Canada  
next week, in what will surely be the last official visit by the  
deeply unpopular war president. Bush last visited in November 2004  
and, despite riding an election win high, sparked anti-war protests  
across Canada. (You might remember Bush’s joke about thanking those  
who waved at his motorcade with “all five fingers”). This time, Bush  
will meet with Harper and their Mexican partner Felipe Calderon. They  
will gather under a heavy police and military presence just outside  
of Ottawa in Montabello, Quebec, to discuss implementation of the  
Orwellian-named Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), a  
framework for initiating what has been called a ‘NAFTA   Homeland  
Security model’.



Bush’s fondness for “Steve” Harper is well established. White House  
spokesperson Tony Snow reported that a July 31 phone call between the  
two discussed the August summit, and that Bush thanked the Prime  
Minister for Canada’s ongoing role in Afghanistan. The war is bound  
to be a major topic of discussion behind the closed doors, security  
fences, and riot police at Montebello. Outside the perimetre, and in  
cities across the country, protesters will be condemning both the  
domestic implications of the SPP and the wars in Iraq and  
Afghanistan. In Vancouver, a Monday August 20 rally by No One Is  
Illegal gets underway at 3p.m outside Canada Place (Waterfront  
Station), meeting up later with a 5:30pm protest at the Vancouver Art  
Gallery organized by StopWar, the Council of Canadians and the  
Vancouver & District Labour Council.



The anti-war movement, for its part, won’t be changing course until  
the troops are brought home from Afghanistan. Harper, in the past,  
has said that he would not change course on the war even if that  
meant losing power in Ottawa. Bush’s visit can only further weaken  
support for the Prime Minister’s handling of the war. It’s a safe bet  
that Harper’s PR flacks and handlers are working overtime this summer  
in order to “nuance” the “messaging” of the Afghanistan operation,  
but not in order to really change the nature of Canada’s involvement  
in the occupation. Rather, the PM is looking for a new spin, in order  
to prolong the war and the better to overcome a population in Canada  
that now seems stubbornly averse to warmongering.



-Derrick O’Keefe is co-chair of the Vancouver StopWar Coalition, and  
a member of the Canadian Peace Alliance steering committee.



Notes



(1) “It’s about time Mr. Harper listened to the people,” Lawrence  
Martin, Globe and Mail, June 25, 2007.



(2) “Most Canadians oppose Afghanistan mission: poll,” CTV.ca, July  
18, 2007.