Duceppe threatens to topple government over Afghan mission

Last Updated: Monday, December 11, 2006 | 7:34 PM ET

CBC News

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe threatened Monday to try to topple the Harper government over the mission in Afghanistan unless the current mandate is changed.

Duceppe warned he might table a no-confidence motion if the mission isn't "rapidly and profoundly" altered, with more resources put into reconstruction instead of fighting.

"We will not go along with an obtuse government that digs in its heels," Duceppe told a Quebec City audience.

"Because if nothing changes, we are certainly going to get stuck.

"If [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper refuses to make these changes, we won't hesitate to withdraw our support and, if need be, to defeat his government on the Afghan question."

It's unclear whether Duceppe would have enough support from the opposition to topple the government over the issue.

Forty-four Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since the Afghan mission began in 2002, with the majority of those deaths taking place this year.

Canada has more than 2,000 Armed Forces members in Afghanistan, with most of them stationed in the volatile southern part of the country. The Canadians have fought a number of pitched battles with Taliban forces, and have been using tanks in the region.

Wait and see

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion said he would wait to see the motion before making a decision.

He has criticized the strategy of the Afghanistan mission in the past, echoing Duceppe's remarks that there's too much emphasis on military action and not enough focus on reconstruction.

The issue has divided Liberals, who signed Canada on to the mission when they held power.

Last May, 30 Liberal MPs, including then leadership candidates Michael Ignatieff and Scott Brison, voted in support of a Tory motion to extend the mission by two years.

NDP Leader Jack Layton, who has called for troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by February 2007, appeared poised to support the motion.

"We have never had confidence in Mr. Harper's approach to this foreign policy matter," Layton said.

"We have said so and we have voted accordingly and it would not be a surprise to Canadians to have us continue on that path. We believe that change is needed here."