(The following article is from theSeptember 1-15, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers and  overseas readers - $50 per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

By Kimball Cariou

For several years, opinion polls have consistently shown that Canadians oppose the military mission in Afghanistan. The numbers vary, but the message is clear - a solid majority of voters want the troops home, now or in the near future.

     Unfortunately, this view is rarely expressed by members of Parliament, which weakens the ability of the anti-war movement to mobilize larger numbers of people in the streets. Even the New Democratic Party has stopped raising the "troops out now" demand.

     This crucial issue has been the subject of some hot email debates in British Columbia, following a recent press release on the war from NDP leader Jack Layton.

     Once derided as "Taliban Jack" by jingoistic right-wing media and Tory MPs, Layton used to couple his condolences to the families of Canadian troops killed in Afghanistan with a reminder that these deaths underlined the need to end the military mission.

     The NDP even tried to stake out a formal position as the strongest anti-war party in Parliament during the 2007 debate over a Liberal resolution calling for an end to the mission by February 2009. Layton and his caucus joined with Harper's Tories in voting down the resolution. Instead, the NDP put forward a motion demanding that the troops be brought back to Canada immediately. The NDP motion was defeated, allowing the minority Harper government a free hand to extend the mission to the end of 2011.

     This failed tactic ignited widespread criticism within the anti-war movement. As present casualty rates, the extension of the military mission will cost the lives of perhaps a hundred Canadian soldiers. Even worse, the official (and far from complete) figures of civilian casualties in Afghanistan from NATO bombing raids are in the range of 6,000 per year. It's no exaggeration to state that our ongoing role in this US-led nightmare means that Canada's hands will be covered in blood for nearly three extra years. A terrible price to pay for any fleeting electoral advantage gained by the NDP leadership's attempt to portray itself as the "real" anti-war party!

     Since that time, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Harper government, and pro-war elements of the corporate media have launched a furious propaganda campaign to build support for the war - a huge advertising blitz, military participation in every major sporting event, displays at hundreds of community activities, and so forth. This effort has not reversed public opinion about the war, but it has created a climate in which open criticism of the military mission is perceived by many as "unpatriotic."

     Apparently in response, Jack Layton has shifted gears, doing his best to appeal to pro-military forces. Those who doubt this should check out the NDP's website and Layton's Twitter messages.

     The latest example came when the NDP announced that Layton would board the HMCS Halifax for an overnight stay on August 6-7 "to meet the ship's crew and observe a demonstration of naval operations."

     "I relish this opportunity to spend time with our troops and really get to understand the job they are doing day to day," said Layton. "It is not an easy job, but it is a very important one. I am happy to have this chance to show my support."

     As one Vancouver anti-war activist responded by email, "Every time a Canadian soldier is killed, Jack Layton issues a press release that makes no mention of the party's policy of demanding the troops be brought home... Now, with the party convention coming up in Halifax, this press release announces Layton's sleepover on a navy ship. Will the convention ratify the party's apparent dropping of its opposition to the war?"

     I reposted the news release and a cynical comment to a couple of local lists, which brought this furious reply from one NDPer who is also involved in anti-war movements: "What utter crap.... You are way out of line. Layton has a duty to speak and listen to all Canadians. Visiting our military does not mean that either he or the NDP have given up speaking out for peace. Many of our military question our role in Afghanistan, but like any other employee cannot speak out against their bosses. They are not evil..."

     In reply, I wrote: "This is an urgent question for the anti-war movement, regardless of our various political affiliations. I'm sure we're all interested to hear what Jack Layton has to say on this issue... The unfortunate problem is that it has been many months since he explicitly called for bringing the troops home. My combing through the federal NDP news releases finds nothing like this since October 2008, and even then it was very qualified...

     "I should also point out that among these dozens of news releases and statements, some are quite positive from our perspective, such as those in support of the war resisters, or Layton's position for a negotiated political settlement of the war...

     "But there is also much which falls short. Layton's most recent detailed statement is from March 16, 2009, in which he said (among much more): `Our skills and reputation as a peacemaker give Canada the basis for an active role after our troops withdraw in 2011.' In the same statement, praising President Obama's new Afghanistan troop surge strategy, he said, `We've come a long way since the first voices in our country called for a new role for Canada in  Afghanistan. Internationally and in Canada, we are seeing a new will emerging to turn the page and begin a more balanced policy toward Afghanistan. Gone are the name calling and the overheated rhetoric. Gone is the questioning of support for our troops.'

     "...It appears to me that Layton is putting a very high priority on being seen in the media as `supportive of the troops'. That impression is strengthened by his regular statements expressing condolences to the families of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. These statements always refer to these members of the Armed Forces as having `died in the service of their country' or a similar sentiment.

     "I agree that Jack Layton has a duty to spend time with members of the Canadian Forces. We all share his sorrow for these tragic deaths. As anti‑war activists, we feel an even sharper pain whenever we hear of NATO forces killing Afghan civilians. But in my view, Canadian soldiers are not dying in the service of our country or any other. These deaths are tragic in part because they accomplish absolutely nothing positive. They are dying in the service of US imperialism and the energy transnationals which are aiming to carve up central  Asia for their bloated profits. Jack Layton has his reasons for presenting the matter differently. But those of us in the anti‑war movement should focus on exposing the truly vicious, fascist, predatory nature of this war...

     "I don't know what Jack Layton tells the troops when he spends time with them. If he tells them this war is a disaster for both Canada and Afghanistan, and that their sacrifices are a complete waste of blood and courage and tears and dollars, more power to him. But that's not what the NDP media releases are saying these days. And that weakness hurts the entire anti‑war movement, since we are effectively left with very few strong voices in Parliament."

     The sad fact is that Jack Layton and the NDP barely mention the Afghanistan war these days, and certainly do not raise the "troops out" demand in any significant way. It's also appalling to read their position on Israel/Palestine, which is simply to assign equal blame to each side, rather than to acknowledge that the brutal and illegal Israeli of Palestinian territories is the root cause of this conflict.

     Frankly, by pandering to pro‑war forces in Canadian society, including the rah‑rah corporate media, the NDP is rapidly losing credibility in the anti‑war movement. NDP MPs still occasionally speak at anti-war events, but who can recall the last time the NDP made a real effort to mobilize its considerable membership to help build such protests?

     Today, Canadians face increasing pressure from the US-dominated NATO war machine to extend our military's role in Afghanistan beyond 2011. Will Jack Layton and the NDP limit their statements to bland calls for a "more balanced" Canadian policy? Or will they respond by demanding an immediate end to this inglorious chapter in Canadian foreign policy?

     Watching the NDP convention in Halifax in mid-August, it appeared that the war was mostly kept off the agenda. That leaves us heading into a possible federal election with none of the parties in Parliament willing to present the views of the majority of Canadians on one of the most crucial issues of our times.

     (People's Voice editor Kimball Cariou represents the Communist Party of Canada at meetings of Vancouver's StopWar coalition.)