Opposition MPs assailed Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives on Friday over the apparent discrepancy between the blunt assessment by Canada's chief of defence staff on the Afghanistan mission and the position taken by the government in its recent throne speech.
Speaking to reporters Thursday at Kandahar airfield, Gen. Rick Hillier said the training of the Afghan army to a point where the forces could take charge of the country's security would take "10 years or so."
The Conservatives' throne speech — which survived a vote of confidence in the House of Commons after the Liberals abstained — stated that the objective of training the Afghan army and police "should be achievable by 2011."
NDP defence critic Dawn Black, whose party has called for the immediate withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan, said Hillier's and the Tories' "wildly different" assessments have left the prime minister's office "fuming."
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Speaking to reporters Thursday at Kandahar airfield, Gen. Rick Hillier said the training of the Afghan army to a point where the forces could take charge of the country's security would take "10 years or so."
The Conservatives' throne speech — which survived a vote of confidence in the House of Commons after the Liberals abstained — stated that the objective of training the Afghan army and police "should be achievable by 2011."
NDP defence critic Dawn Black, whose party has called for the immediate withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan, said Hillier's and the Tories' "wildly different" assessments have left the prime minister's office "fuming."
Full Story
Who do yo believe — Canada's top soldier or the Prime Minister?
More...