Conservatives 

UPDATE: On September 10th, Conservative leader Stephen Harper announced that the Conservatives would pull Canada out of Afghanistan in 2011. Until the announcement, Conservatives had committed only to pulling Canada out of the dangerous province of Kandahar in 2011, but had left the door open for transferring troops to a safer region of the country.

In February of 2008, the Conservative government put forward and passed a motion to keep Canada in Afghanistan until 2011. Text of the Conservative government motion to extend the mission in Afghanistan.

Progress benchmarks for the mission include:

    → creation of 10,000 jobs through refurbishment of the Dalah irrigation dam on the Arghandab             River
    → building or repairing 50 schools
    → training up to 3,000 teachers
    → working towards eradicating polio in Kandahar province by the end of 2009

The Conservative government website states that the mission should shift to accelerate the training of the Afghan army and police, and that this should be achievable by 2011

Liberals 

The Liberals pledge to use Canada’s credibility in Afghanistan to work with allies to develop a more effective military and political strategy to improve the mission.

Some have accused Stephane Dion of flip-flopping on Afghanistan by opposing a mission to 2011, and then backing it. The Liberals made some amendments to the motion passed in February of 2008 to extend the mission, including:

→ New focus should consist of training Afghan national security forces, reconstruction and an increase in activity for the Canadian development team in Kandahar.
→ The mission must have a key end date of February 2011.
→ And the mission must be more than the combat: Stronger emphasis on development, particularly of judicial and criminal systems, addressing fresh water shortage, the drug economy and more.
→ More transparency and accountability, including several measures:
i) Detailed reports on a quarterly basis
ii) Special Parliamentary committee to monitor mission
iii) NATO-wide solution on detainees
iv) Special task-force, lead by Prime Minister, to co-ordinate all departments involved in mission

The Liberal website offers support for members of Canadian Forces, while vowing to develop a strategy that helps establish infrastructure and means for the Afghan people to gain control and achieve sustained peace. Read the text of the Liberal amendment to the motion to extend the mission in Afghanistan until 2011.

 NDP

The NDP did not support the extension of the Afghan mission. The party remains committed to withdrawing Canadian troops from their present role in Afghanistan. The party says the situation has continued to deteriorate and Canada must refocus international efforts in Afghanistan under the UN banner.

NDP leader Jack Layton would prefer to see Canada work toward disarmament and diplomacy instead of renewing a mission that involves active combat.

 Green

The Green Party does not support the current counter-insurgency led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with UN support, claiming it is lacking in strategic focus and places the lives of our military at risk without clear benefit. The Green Party claims air raids by NATO are eroding support for our engagement in the region.

The Green Party suggests that UN member states of Islamic origin should provide peacekeepers for the region. The Green Party also supports the growth of poppy crops but wants to collect all the poppies for medicinal purposes through a regulated system.

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe believes the Afghan mission requires a "rebalancing," which would include:

    → efforts towards a diplomatic solution
    → focus away from combat and toward humanitarian aid, reconstruction and development effort