Mr. Layton, do you and your party believe that the Afghan people (whom we as a developed industrialized nation have a responsibility to protect) would be better off under the rule of the UN-backed, democratically elected government of Hamid Karzai or the theocratic rule of the Taliban, who have in the past conducted public beheading, hangings, and stoning to death of women who have failed to adhere to their standards of behaviour (some but not all of which include: going to school, exposing any part of their skin in public, travelling without a male relative, participating in government, and the list goes on.) As a follow up question, if you believe that the Karzai government is better for the Afghan people, as I'm sure anyone who cares about human rights would, would you believe then that Canada, being:
a) ALREADY a key part of the process in supporting the Karzai government both nationally and in Kandahar Province,
b) a wealthy, industrialized nation who has a responsibility to protect and defend human rights of those less fortunate in the world then ourselves and
c) requested specifically by the democratically elected government (and by extension the people of Afghanistan) and by our allies in NATO to assist in protecting and rebuilding the country
has a MORAL obligation to: The Afghan people
The Government of Afghanistan
Our NATO allies
Our own principles of democracy, human rights, and equality
to assist in rebuilding and protecting Afghanistan until it has the capability to defend itself and offer at LEAST a mediocre quality of life to it's citizens?
Noting of course that ALL parties involved, from the Karzai government, to NATO, to our own military, have stressed that we will have to keep our troops there until at LEAST 2011 for above mentioned capabilities to exist?
