Liberal Def Critic Trying Freelance Trip to AFG

[The Bread Guy]

Shared with the usual disclaimer....

Liberal defence critic goes on unauthorized fact-finding trip to Afghanistan
Canadian Press, 29 Sept 07
Article link

The Liberal defence critic says he's headed on an unauthorized fact-finding trip to Afghanistan after having his request to visit the troops consistently ignored by the Harper government.

Denis Coderre says he's set to leave for Kabul and Kandahar to visit with development workers, Afghan government officials and Canadian soldiers.

"(Afghanistan) is a major issue for the Canadian people," Coderre said in an interview Saturday.

"I think that for the sake of the debate it's important that I go. Since I couldn't get an answer I decided to go on my own."

The Montreal-area MP says he's made multiple requests with Defence Minister Peter MacKay's office but that they were systematically ignored or rejected. He said he first asked to go when Gordon O'Connor was defence minister but sometimes didn't get his calls returned.

Coderre says that he has the full blessing of his leader, Stephane Dion, and that his boss has also informed the Harper government that Coderre wants to go to Afghanistan.

While visiting dignitaries generally use transportation supplied by the Department of National Defence, Coderre has made his own travel arrangements to Afghanistan and within the country.

He does not yet have permission from the Canadian government to visit the international base in Kandahar but says he's confident that he will be allowed to meet with the troops.

"Since (all requests) passed through the defence minister's office, I would see it as a partisan gesture from the defence minister if I'm denied access," he said.

A spokesman for MacKay said MP trips are usually organized through parliamentary committees and not through the minister's office.

But since the House of Commons is prorogued and its committees are temporarily suspended, Coderre would have to wait until the House resumes next month to get permission.

There's one problem with waiting: the government could collapse in a vote on its policy-setting throne speech immediately after Parliament resumes on Oct. 16, which could trigger an election.

With a potential election looming, the future of the Afghan mission could be a matter of intense debate this fall.

But Coderre shrugged off any suggestion that he's about to embark on an intercontinental political stunt.

"It's not a stunt. I'm doing my job," he said.

"I think that as a member of Parliament and as a National Defence critic, it's important for me to know what's going on in the field, at the diplomatic level, at the development level and of course at the military level."

The Liberals and Bloc Quebecois want Canada to scale back its fighting operations in Afghanistan once the current mission expires in February 2009, while the government wants to continue. The NDP wants troops withdrawn immediately.

The government has repeatedly accused its opponents of failing to support the troops. Prime Minister Stephen Harper even once implied that opposition parties were Taliban-lovers when they raised concerns about the treatment of detainees.

But Coderre says his party's support for the soldiers overseas is unconditional.

"Democracy demands that we ask questions," he said.

"We can question this government's mismanagement of the mission. But we do support the troops."

 

[Flip]

Could this be a glimmer of integrity on the part of a liberal - a defense critic no less?

I hope he is informed and briefed until his ears bleed I mean until
he can take a responsible tack and support the mission.   ;D

Oh, and BTW - Thanks Tony - good one.

 

[midget-boyd91]

"It's not a stunt. I'm doing my job," 

Exactly, his job right now is pretty much criticizing the work of the CF. And now he's going over to tell them .... what exactly is he going to tell them?... that he supports them because they are a great political tool to gain votes?
    "Stay there just long enough so that we can use you to gain votes, or force an election."

 

[The Bread Guy]

Could this be a glimmer of integrity on the part of a liberal - a defense critic no less?

Exactly, his job right now is pretty much criticizing the work of the CF. And now he's going over to tell them .... what exactly is he going to tell them?... that he supports them because they are a great political tool to gain votes?    "Stay there just long enough so that we can use you to gain votes, or force an election."

Well, a true cynic might say "headline grabbing"....  Did I type that out loud?  Sounded good in my head... ;D

I hope he is informed and briefed until his ears bleed I mean until
he can take a responsible tack and support the mission.

I'll be interested to see if he will, indeed, be allowed onto the base - damned if you do (he'll see what he wants to see, hear what he wants to hear), and damned if you don't ("I'm an elected member of parliament, I represent the people, and I can't see the troops?!?" etc., etc., etc....)  It'll be interesting to see what happens.

 

[a_majoor]

"Since (all requests) passed through the defence minister's office, I would see it as a partisan gesture from the defence minister if I'm denied access," he said.

A spokesman for MacKay said MP trips are usually organized through parliamentary committees and not through the minister's office.

So he either isn't smart enough to put the request through the proper channels (which he could have done any time since 2005), or believes no one will notice he hasn't use the proper channels.

[sarcasm]
As a BTW, NDHQ is only a short walk (or bicycle ride, Jack) from Parliament Hill, so MP's who are really interested in what is going on should be able to take an hour or two out of their day and get a briefing from the senior staff. 14,000 Canadian service members have been to Afghanistan since 2002, perhaps one or two might be in the riding and available for questions as well.[/sarcasm]

 

[Torlyn]

He's posturing.  I've helped 2 professors from Calgary get trips to Afghanistan, by following the proper channels.  They're teachers, for Pete's sake.  He's posturing, and everyone knows it, but it helps sell the liberal agenda by playing it this way to the military.  Sickening.

T

P.S.  The 2 profs... One conservative who loved his trip, and currently suggests military service in his classes.  The other?  Die hard anti-Harper Liberal.  After his trip?  Recommends military service.  Still a Liberal, but has a whole new appreciation for the amount of good our troops are actually doing in Afghanistan.  He's written to various media outlets (CBC, Globe, etc) and they won't post his story, as he has nothing but positives to say...  I love media bias. 

T

 

[Hunteroffortune]

Coderre? Isn't he the guy who marched in a parade that had Hezbollah flags showing? Is he not also the guy who accused Hillier of being a Conservative lacky because he talked about "dark days" under the Liberals? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Still it would be nice if he brought Dion and Layton with him, maybe they would actually see the progress, maybe if they actually met some real Afghanistans, they might think twice about how their parties should vote. Nah, that won't win them any votes at home.

 

[stfx_monty]

It's annoying really. He was previously planning on going with the committee. A committee which never passed a motion saying that they would officially go. Now Coderre wants to go, but the committee can't make a request, because they don't exist while the house is prorogued. The government isn't ignoring him, it's just that the committee and he failed to make proper accomodations.

Even with that he could still make a formal request to the Minister as a parliamentarian. That would make a lot more sense, as it would allow CEFCOM and DFAIT to plan his trip properly without negatively impacting operations. After all, regardless of what this guy is trying to do, the military doesn't want some MP getting shot up by the Taliban.

He's just being political.

 

[Rifleman62]

Don't expect too much positive from Coderre. Alexa McDonough has been to Afghanistan, and she has not changed her tune (see below). You will not see Taliban Jack there. I do not think he has the moral fortitude to face possible danger. I think he was asked before about visiting and he blew off the question by saying as a parliamentarian/"leader" of a party he has another role to play. Any way, start looking for a rather large protection vest to fit Coderre.
Now that the taliban have officially stated they will not negotiate, except on their own terms, including out with all foreign troops, who could Jack negotiate with. A smart move by the President of Afghanistan. Now everyone knows - no negotiation possible.

She wore a long black veil to cover her mind
by Charles Adler - Sept 27/07

"That's over the top Charles. We never said Karzai was a puppet of the Canadian military," said the NDP's Alexa McDonough. Over the top?
Alexa McDonough in a radio interview on Adler On Line, was delivering the "scoop" that much of the messaging in a speech delivered by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the Canadian House of Commons last year, was prepped for him by Canadian military officials. She insisted that the messages we got weren't necessarily those that the people of Afghanistan would want us to have. By any objective standard, the NDP is calling Karzai a puppet. What's over the top is not my characterization of the NDP position. What's completely out of bounds and over the line is patently false charge that Afghanistan's first democratically elected leader is a puppet of Canada's Department of National Defense. When I asked McDonough to name one single fact in the Karzai speech that was untrue, she said this issue wasn't about the truth. The former boss of the New Democratic Party spoke volumes with that little chestnut. Ideologues care little about the truth. It's all about ideology. Karzai, in the Canadian Parliament, simply delivered his boiler plate speech to the West. He talked about an Afghanistan where instead of schools being burned to the ground, they were being rebuilt, and instead of girls being denied the right to go to school, there were now two million of them attending. He talked about an Afghanistan where twenty percent of the members of their parliament were women, and where per capita incomes were going up instead of down. Yes, he was grateful to our military for helping to create a better life for many Afghans. The NDP could learn a lot from the graciousness of the Afghan leader. He has far more respect for our military than the NDP does. And it isn't because military communications people laid down a few words on a piece of paper to help him get his message across. It's because they laid down their lives to give his people an opportunity to have a life. I gave Alexa McDonough three chances to come up with a single fact stated by the President of Afghanistan that wasn't accurate. Three times she swung her propaganda bat and missed. The NDP's issue in their own words, isn't about the truth. It is a remarkable confession from a Canadian political party which continues to offer feint praise for the bravery of our troops but consistently fails to admit that they have made a difference for the people who inhabit one of the poorest countries in the world. When McDonough was asked if she could admit that our troops were doing some good down there, she would not do so. I offered her the litmus test of honesty by asking her to tell me how many of the 2 million girls now going to schools in Afghanistan how many of them would be attending if our troops and other Nato forces had not been sacrificing their lives.

"Charles you know that is a question that is impossible to answer." "How about zero, Ms McDonough? That would be a truthful answer." She then called my arithmetic ridiculous. What requires public ridicule is the idea that the NDP has even a shred of moral authority on issues involving our military. What's clear as a bell is that the party has no respect for the military because of their inability to distance themselves for their core pacifist ideology. The NDP refuses to acknowledge that sometimes when bad things to people, the only way to stop it is to kill the bad guys, or as General Hillier once called them, the scumbags. The NDP refuses to acknowledge that there are times when the only way to help people is through armed force. It is not NDP rhetoric that opened up the schools of Afghanistan and converted the soccer stadium in Kabul from a place to execute "disobedient" women to a place where teams now play soccer. It is not NDP rhetoric that has created better health care for many Afghans and freedom from the TALIBAN barbarians that the NDP seem to prefer. At least those headchopping, women hating Taliban types aren't reading speeches that have been vetted by the Canadian military. Isn't that something Canadians should respect? When given a choice between condemning the democratically elected leader of Afghanistan or the thugs that who would condemn that country to the dark ages, the NDP position is now crystal clear. And while Alexa McDonough did not have to wear a head covering to do an interview in Canada, a country kept free by the military she tries to diminish, the objective truth was concealed by her prepared talking points. For my part, I am eternally grateful to the Canadian military for keeping me free enough to have the opportunity to unmask the dishonesty of the party that some stooges of the left continue to call the conscience of parliament.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Good summary, Rifleman62 - got a link to share?  Much appreciated!

 

[Rifleman62]

Tony,

How's TB?
Link APR: http://www.cjob.com/station/blog_adler.cfm

 

[GAP]

It's OUR war and we're not letting anyone else look at it.
Article Link

At least that's the way the Conservatives see things. Red Tory picks up on Don Martin's column describing the attempts by the Harper government to prevent anyone but their people from visiting Canadian operations in Afghanistan.

Mr. [Denis] Coderre [liberal defence critic and member of the Privy Council] has tried for two months to secure government permission to make a fact-finding trip to Afghanistan ahead of Parliament's return in two weeks. Liberal leader Stephane Dion has his application in the system for a visit in November.
But Mr. Coderre was stonewalled and his calls to the Defence Minister unreturned until he was finally told to buy his own ticket and catch a commercial flight.

Why not, he decided. Mr. Coderre's solo adventure started on Thursday, although he called from London to say he'd been officially warned the military base is off limits and that he will be denied protection by the troops.

Officially warned by whom?


Mr. Coderre says he will piggyback on charitable and humanitarian groups to ensure he sees the wilds of Kandahar up close. If it's done safely, he may well leave with a greater appreciation of the situation than any cocooned minister or parliamentary secretary. Being confined to the airfield gives you no more insight into southern Afghanistan reality than studying the situation from Bay Street.

But it will be very dangerous outside the base and the optics of Mr. Coderre getting hurt or worse for the want of a military babysitter would make the partisan protectionism of the Conservatives appear unforgivably petty.

Lest we forget, Canada's enemy in Afghanistan are extremists trying to stifle free speech and deny women basic human rights -- not Liberals trying to have an informed debate.

Well, there are a couple of things that need to be mentioned here.


First, because Kandahar is a "hot" theatre, people not directly involved in the mission do require clearance to be there. Where does that clearance come from? The Canadian Forces - not the government. If the Minister of National Defence stuck his nose in this he has just made the good offices of the uniformed command of the Canadian Armed Forces little more than his political hacks.


Once there, however, the decision to provide security and protection rests with the commander on the ground in Afghanistan. If orders have been transmitted to him such that he is not to offer security to Coderre, that order is interfering with the authority of the expeditionary force commander. It is also unlawful.


So, who issued it?

Secondly, there is every good reason to limit the visits of so-called VIPs in theatre. I can speak from personal experience that they are an incredible pain-in-the-ass and suck up resources better used elsewhere. But if Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier is going to be there anyway, it would have been more efficient to have Coderre visit at the same time. Since there has to be a "personal protection team" effort made anyway, it is easier to get it all over at once. If Coderre gets caught out in the open without a PPT another problem develops and will require contingency action by Canadian Forces.


Red Tory pulled out a nugget which tells more about how the Conservatives operate.



Sure it's an organizational headache. But officers tell me cabinet ministers are the mother of all migraines. In the case of former defence minister Gordon O'Connor, officers confide his final visit ended with his flacks ripping into military brass for failing to set up suitable camera backgrounds for media scrums.
Yes, well. It brings to mind an incident during another event late in the last century. Having been saddled with a cabinet minister in the middle of something relatively hot, one of the "aides" suggested a photo of the minister and members of my team. It went this way:

- Get rid of the friggin' camera. This is an operational area.

- Just one, maybe two pictures.

- Sure. When all this shit is over and my men and I get home, give me a call.


No photos were taken but the minister did get back at me for my lack of cooperation. Medal presentations were held in the minister's riding and we were required to attend, photo ops and all.

 

[bily052]

All Copyright caveats go out...

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/05102007/3/canada-mackay-calls-liberal-s-trip-afghanistan-stunt.html

MacKay calls Liberal's trip to Afghanistan a stunt
Fri Oct 5, 3:32 PM

CALGARY (CBC) - It is irresponsible for the Liberal defence critic to travel to Afghanistan without the Conservative government's approval, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Friday.
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click here

The critic, Denis Coderre, said he is going on his own because he is tired of waiting for permission. Reached by phone on Friday, he wouldn't reveal his whereabouts except to say he is closer to his goal, Kandahar, the command centre for most of the 2,500 Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

"I'm the official critic. I'm the critic of the Official Opposition of Her Majesty. It's important for me to do my job," he told CBC News.

Coderre said he will meet with aid groups and hopes to speak to Canadian military officers.

Paving the way for a visit by Stéphane Dion

Another reason he is going, he said, is to lay the groundwork for an eventual visit by Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion. "We're hoping for this fall," Coderre said, "and after my trip, I'm going to make him a full briefing, to him and our caucus."

The trip isn't winning Coderre friends on the government side of the House. MacKay said he should have stayed home.

"Mr. Coderre is engaged, in my view, in a dangerous and elaborate stunt, a publicity stunt on his part," MacKay said, arguing that troops in Afghanistan could be put in unnecessary danger if Coderre were kidnapped and they had to try to save him.

"It's irresponsible. It puts people at risk. It puts soldiers at risk."

Coderre said he wouldn't have to travel on his own if the government made it easier for MPs like him to visit Afghanistan.



What are they thinking?  Might not be intentional, but how many of the boys could be hurt out of this stunt?

billy

 

[GAP]

Layton and NDP side with Conservatives on Coderre's Afghan trip
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Article Link

As I wrote last week Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre is staging his own fact-finding trip to Afghanistan after the Conservative government, playing politics, refused to extend to the defence critic of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition the privilege of an official trip. He leaves Pakistan for Afghanistan today on a UN flight.

Mr. Coderre told CTV NewsNet in an interview Saturday he's been asking for months to go, but repeated calls to the defence minister asking for permission were ignored or rejected.

So he said he decided unilaterally to go on the fact-finding trip and report back to Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion in preparation for his own future trip to the war-torn country.

“I took my responsibility. I have a duty, I have a job to do. I am the critic for... the official Opposition,” he said. It's important, I would say, to make sure that we fully participate and contribute to the debate. So I'm gonna let them play their petty politics and I'll do my job.”
There were two interesting developments on this front this week.

Firstly, while the Conservatives continually ignored Coderre’s requests through official channels for official visit, a visit the Cons have continually attacked Liberals for not taking, they sent ministers Maxime Bernier and Bed Oda over to Afghanistan this week for a visit. It would seem this is Harper’s personal war, and while government photo-ops are a-ok, factfinding visits by opposition politicians are verboten. Mustn’t mess with the government narrative, after all.
One of the cabinet ministers visiting Afghanistan to meet with that country's leadership and Canadian troops says that roadside and suicide bombings in Kabul indicate that the situation is improving in the country.

Umm, yeah. I’ve not since being surprised by Conservative hypocrisy and classlessness, so it’s hard to be to be too surprised by their willingness to play politics with the war in Afghanistan. To send Bernier and Oda just after stories about they’re blocking Coderre’s trip does display a surprising level of both arrogance and political tone deafness, however.

The second development this week was more surprising, and at the same time not. But it would seem NDP leader Jack Layton has sided with the Conservatives on this issue:

In Toronto, federal NDP Leader Jack Layton had criticism for Mr. Coderre's solo trek.

“Involving individual MPs in a sort of ‘stunt-like' visit does pose risks.... I'm not on the ground to assess that. But you have to respect the judgement of our military leadership,” Mr. Layton told CTV NewsNet.
I’m sure our military leadership would be surprised to learn Layton feels we should respect their judgment. I won’t bother expanding on the obvious hypocrisy of that statement. I know I’m surprised to hear Layton parroting Blogging Tory talking points.

And like them, he’s wrong. The blocking of Coderre was not a military decision. It was a political decision made by the Conservative defence minister and, more likely, Stephen Harper’s office. That’s who you’re providing political cover to here Jack. Are you that desperate to score points against the Liberals you're getting in bed with the Conservatives on an issue where they're obviously full of crap?

No matter how petty the Conservatives and NDP may be back in Canada, I’m certain our military leadership in Afghanistan will respect Coderre’s position and his purpose and let him see what’s happening on the ground. I look forward to his report.
More on link

One of the Comments (the rest were Liberals arguing on Coderre's behalf)
At 11:41 AM, October 07, 2007, Kingston said...
BC, If Mr.Coderre leaves the main gates of KAF and something happens to him it will not be pretty, and the ramifications back here in the land of plenty will be enoromous. I believe that he and Mr.Dion should of hauled their collective asses over there along time ago rather then forming their talking points from the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail. Answer me why the man did not go over in Jan 07 with the rest of the defense committee with himself being the senior LPC member on the committee if he need his facts. Seriously, I have served there twice and I can tell you I will not be impressed if we have to go humping all over the country tracking down his grand standing ass because he wants to score political points. I direct you to my comment concerning that fact that Mr. Grahame put the rules in place for when and how MP's should travel over there on fact finding mission and all the CPC is doing is enforcing them. Now Mr.Coderre has said he is going to go touring around the country with an NGO org, which normally travel with no security escort or if they have one it is more then likely supplied by an org like Blackwater, (great optics there for the LPC). I hope nothing go wrong during this visit but if it does, it will not be pretty. Mr.Coderre is and will be viewed by the Taliban as a high value target because of his position and the effect that his kidnapping could have on domestic politics back home. Tell me again how this is a responsible manner in which a senior LPC critic should be acting.
More on link

 

[Fishbone Jones]

No one should take these kinds of blogs seriously. You can get a feel for this guys mentality, by looking at his profile, under favourite movies. Another frustrated hack journalist. He fails to mention, of course, the loads of lieberal party favourites who made Kabul and Dubai the must do of personal shopping, during the Chretien and Martin years. All much to the consternation of the quarter guards and security patrols. There were very few of the opposition allowed in during that time. Come to think of it, I don't remember any.

This is nothing more than a publicity stunt by Coderre, and it's already losing traction............like the liberal party.

 

[Rifleman62]

As the Defence critic of the official opposition, how many CF Bases/Units has he visited since his appointment? Wish a member of the media would ask.

 

[Hunteroffortune]

Coderre also announced on Friday's Mike Duffy Show that Bernier was going to Afghanistan, is this not a security breach? He obviously had advance knowledge of the Minister's trip and was not supposed to say anything, what if it had been the PM planning to travel there? Don't believe me? Listen to Craig Oliver on Coderre's shaky move (video on right) at this link: (usual disclaimers apply)

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071006/afghan_bernier_071006/20071006/

Even Craig Oliver thinks it was clearly a security breach. Obviously Coderre has a big mouth, and endangered not only two government Minister's, but himself and the troops.

 

[Jaydub]

Coderre arrives in Kabul, Kandahar next
Updated Sun. Oct. 7 2007 7:46 PM ET

The Canadian Press

Better late than never, Liberal Defence critic Denis Coderre is due in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Monday on his own impromptu visit with the Canadian military just as two senior members of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet completed a whirlwind tour.

It's been a long road getting to Kandahar for Coderre, who has been travelling since Wednesday. He spent part of Sunday in Kabul after taking a United Nations flight to the Afghan capital early Sunday from Islamabad, Pakistan.

"I'm going to go to Kandahar, meet the troops and visit the infrastructure and send a clear message of solidarity to the troops,'' Coderre said in a telephone interview from Kabul.

Coderre's arrival comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier and International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda completed a 36-hour whirlwind, photo-op tour of Afghanistan and Canadian military operations.

Coderre decided to go on his own after the Harper government ignored his repeated calls to allow him to go. He accused the government of playing petty politics by not letting him accompany the two cabinet ministers on their trip.

But the government has maintained that it was the former Liberal administration, under then Defence Minister Bill Graham, who began a policy in 2004 of not allowing lone MP's to travel to Afghanistan. A government spokesman said Graham told Tory MP Sheryl Gallant that all parliamentary travel had to be done by committee because of security and other reasons.

Coderre, who spent some time in Islamabad meeting with a variety of contacts, says its clear that Pakistan is a key to success to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

"There's no question that we don't want to abandon the Afghan people,'' Coderre said. "If Mr. Bernier's trip was so important, he should have included a trip to Pakistan because Pakistan is very, very important to the mission.''

Coderre says he has scheduled a few more meetings in Kabul and Islamabad before returning to Canada. Part of the Liberal's position on Canada's mission in Afghanistan post-February 2009, when the military mission is scheduled to end, will include looking to Pakistan for help.

"We don't put enough emphasis of our mission on the situation of Pakistan. Pakistan is clearly part of the solution.''

Coderre met a number of people in Kabul, including a senior infrastructure specialist from the World Bank and members of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, an independent research organization based in the Afghan capital.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071007/coderre_afghanistan_071007/20071007?hub=TopStories


He's arrived, and he wants to meet the Troops.  That probably means he's going to want a photo-op. 

Is there some sort of policy with regards to this?  Are troops obligated to do this?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Coderre, who spent some time in Islamabad meeting with a variety of contacts, says its clear that Pakistan is a key to success to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

"There's no question that we don't want to abandon the Afghan people,'' Coderre said. "If Mr. Bernier's trip was so important, he should have included a trip to Pakistan because Pakistan is very, very important to the mission.''

Coderre says he has scheduled a few more meetings in Kabul and Islamabad before returning to Canada. Part of the Liberal's position on Canada's mission in Afghanistan post-February 2009, when the military mission is scheduled to end, will include looking to Pakistan for help.

"We don't put enough emphasis of our mission on the situation of Pakistan. Pakistan is clearly part of the solution.''

So now we can surmise that the real purpose of the trip was not as Defence Critic and caring for our soldiers, but to shill votes from the Pakistani community in Canada, during the all but inevitable upcoming election. How typical. This party has become a mere shadow of a joke.

 

[Flip]

So now we can surmise that the real purpose of the trip was not as Defence Critic and caring for our soldiers, but to shill votes from the Pakistani community in Canada, during the all but inevitable upcoming election. How typical. This party has become a mere shadow of a joke.

Recce Guy, You are a cynic!

Quite correct of course, but a cynic!  ;D