No Turning Back

After a press leak delayed an earlier plan by Prime Minister Harper to make a surprise visit to Canadian troops in Afghanistan, today the PM finally made his first foreign trip, landing in a Hercules transport aircraft in the middle of a Kandahari sandstorm. Back home, NDP leader Jack Layton responded to the news by renewing his call for a parliamentary debate on Canada's role in Afghanistan. Harper would do well to ignore him. His trip demonstrates that that is exactly his plan.

In all likelihood, a parliamentary referendum on Canada's role would pass easily with the support of both the ruling Conservatives and opposition Liberals, who made the commitment while they were the government. But the time for debate has passed. It could be argued that a debate should have been held when the Liberals first made the decision, but that does not change two fundamental facts. First, Canada has made a firm commitment to the international community. Second, Canadian soldiers have already been placed in harm's way, so they deserve the full support of the Canadian people as they carry out their duties. As such, I applaud Mr. Harper for his visit to Afghanistan to support the troops. Upon his return, he should continue to ignore Mr. Layton, but should also remind Canadians what the rationale behind the mission is and why it is important to stay the course.

While I do think that Layton's position on this particular issue is completely amiss, he does have a point about how future military engagements should be handled. A parliamentary debate before deployments are set in stone would be beneficial in determining whether a mission has popular backing. Furthermore, if a mission is democratically decided upon, the debate will be over by the time the soldiers ship out, and they will be able to do so with full confidence.

But I do not go as far as Mr. Layton. Such parliamentary debates should only be held at the Prime Minister's discretion, not required by law. After all, the government may sometimes be called upon to react quickly to events. This was definitely the case after Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown in Haiti. Had Canada and its allies dragged their feet for too long before deciding to intervene, Haiti may have descended into the dire straits of anarchy and it would have been too late. Afghanistan is not quite the same, as I am sure that the Taliban would continue to roam unabated (as per usual) in the Afghani countryside if Canada were to delay its mission to help the Afghani government extend its region of control.

Once Canada's current international commitment expires, Jack Layton and the other 307 MPs should be given the opportunity to debate a renewal. Until then, Layton should chew on his moustache and keep quiet.