Harper on Afghanistan

Beatrice Politi, CHUM: The NATO Secretary General was here yesterday and made his position clear in terms of whether he wants Canadian troops to stay after February 2009. We are seeing protests in Quebec right now. We know that Parliament is divided on it as are Canadians. You have suggested repeatedly that [Canadian troops] will be there beyond February 2009. What role do you see them having there? Will it be a combat role?

Stephen Harper: Well, I think this government has been clear. The country through Parliament — and we are the first government to ask Parliament its opinion —  through Parliament, we committed to this military mission. We expanded this military mission to February 2009 and this mission will end in February 2009. Should Canada be involved militarily after that date? We have been clear that would have to be approved by the Canadian Parliament. For my personal perspective, I would want to see some degree of consensus around that. I don't want to send people into a mission if the Opposition is going to at home undercut the work, the dangerous that they are doing in the field.

My own sense, listening to the comments of some leaders of the Opposition, of the Liberal leader, the Bloc leader is that I don't think they are suggesting, based on recent comments, that we would simply abandon Afghanistan in 2009. So I hope that sometime in the next few months, we will be able to get a meeting of the minds on what the appropriate next steps are.

…

David Batastelli, Omni: Prime Minister, is there any room to pursue diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan or is the strategy to just beat back the Taliban into submission?

Harper: No, … the strategy is threefold. It is what we call the three D strategy. It is about defence, development and diplomacy. In fact, as you recall the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr. Balkenende, when he was here said that that strategy was actually developed by Canadians. Defence is obviously a pretty core part of it, because frankly in large parts of Afghanistan today, including Kandahar, there is limits to what you can do unless you have security, but we believe you have to get development projects so that – and we are getting development projects in various parts of the country so the people can see the benefits of continuing to support the democratic regime and there also does have to be diplomacy with Pakistan and others to continue the international coalition that is working to rebuild Afghanistan and obviously to fight the Taliban. Those efforts have to continue on all fronts and our defence personnel, diplomats and development and air workers are doing a great job trying to pursue all of that, under very difficult circumstances.

I mean we do have to remember that this is a – when we went in there five years ago, the poorest country in the world, with 30 years of civil war without – without end, civil war that drove all the educated people of the country out of the country, that destroyed virtually all of the economy and that ended up with a regime that was just cruelly barbaric to its own citizens. So you know, we are rebuilding, the international community is working to rebuild Afghanistan from about as low as any place can possibly go and a country that never was a wealthy and prosperous country even before that. So it is a challenging – it is a challenging mission, but it has to proceed on all fronts.

…

Roger Smith, CTV: Prime Minister, officials in Kandahar announced today that the use of the M-gator all terrain vehicle has been suspended because the area where they were being used is not as safe as the military thought it was. Is that not a serious miscalculation of risk by the military and what do you say to the families whose sons died because of it?

Harper: Well, you know, first of all, Roger, .. you know what I said the other day in the House of Commons. We – I think we always mourn, we all mourn and I tell families when I talk to them, I think when a Canadian soldier is killed in action, when these men and women put on the uniform and are prepared to take on these incredible risks to defend us, to defend other people in the world less fortunate than us, I think we all feel tremendous sadness when they lose their lives under any circumstances.
 
    I think we are all aware that this particular – these particular deaths have raised some questions of some operational matters. All I can tell you is that the military will have to look into those. The government has provided the military with a range of vehicles from the simplest unarmored vehicle up to an including tanks, but ultimately, we can't stand here in judgment of operations in the field. Commanders have to make those decisions and they are going to have to review decisions that have been made.

Mike Blanchfield, CanWest: Prime Minister, … we are going to move forward with a discussion in this country on the future of the mission in Afghanistan. Your government will obviously try to lead that discussion. You have got a Defence Minister who has been under a barrage politically in the House of Commons now for several months. He is still standing, but you do rotate troops from time to time.  Are you going to give thought over this summer … and perhaps weigh whether or not you make a change in that cabinet post?

Harper: You know, I'm not going to answer that. I think I have been clear on the mission. As I say, the mission that we have extended ends in February 2009. I will want to see some degree of consensus among Canadians about how we move forward after that. I would hope that the view, that the view of Canadians is not to simply abandon Afghanistan. I think there is some expectations that there would be a new role after February 2009 but obviously those decisions have yet to be taken.