(08/11/10) -

Half of Canadians Oppose Mission in Afghanistan

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A majority of people in Canada reject their country’s participation in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 53 per cent of respondents oppose the military operation involving Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – A majority of people in Canada reject their country’s participation in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 53 per cent of respondents oppose the military operation involving Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden without evidence of his participation in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.

At least 1,991 soldiers—including 151 Canadians—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. The Conservative Party—led by Stephen Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper formed a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.

In May 2006, the House of Commons extended Canada’s mission in Afghanistan until February 2009. In March 2008, the House of Commons voted 198-77 to prolong the military deployment until the end of 2011. The Conservative and Liberal parties supported the motion, while the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois opposed it. In September 2008, Harper assured that there would be no new extension of the mission.

In November 2009, Canadian intelligence officer and diplomat Richard Colvin testified to a parliamentary committee about a series of memos he wrote between May 2006 and October 2007 warning that Afghan detainees captured by Canadians and turned over to Afghan authorities were being tortured in Afghani prisons. Colvin testified that those memos were ignored until newspaper reports brought the matter into the public eye. Canadian government ministers have dismissed Colvin’s claims as "not credible" and "entirely suspect."

Yesterday, Canadian defence minister Peter MacKay discussed the future of the mission, saying, "There’s not a lot of flex as to what we can do, within the context of the [March 2008] parliamentary motion. (…) We’ll respect the letter of the motion."

Polling Data

Overall, do you support or oppose the military operation involving Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan?

Complete Poll (PDF)