Commons debate on Afghanistan important for democracy: Canadian troops
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at 13:48 on April 11, 2006, EST.
By MURRAY BREWSTER
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Given the difference in time zones, it's fair to say most Canadian troops in Afghanistan happily snored through every word of the House of Commons debate over Canada's role in this war-torn region.
But on reflection Tuesday, many said they saw it as an important democratic exercise, one of the principles they put their lives on the line to instil in this fractured, violent country.
"As an open society, we certainly have our own opinions," said Lieut.-Col. Tom Doucette, commander of the provincial reconstruction team, based in Kandadar city.
"Some Canadians certainly support the mission and others may not support the mission. For a variety of reasons, we have to give each and every Canadian their due respect and their own opinion."
With an 8 1/2-hour time difference between the countries and an early evening Eastern time start for the Commons debate, staying up to hear what MPs had to say about their presence here would have been a stretch, even for the hardcore news junkies.
The pace of operations in southern Afghanistan and the unceasing violence, marked Tuesday by a rocket attack that killed seven children at a school west of Kabul, also left little time to dissect the speeches and political rhetoric.
Before the workday began, troops on the ground had a chance to read only a few brief transcripts of what was said and catch snippets of the late-night Canadian news, beamed in by satellite.
Given how much political attention was focused on the debate back home, some troops were surprised and even disappointed at the sparse Commons turnout, as well as the fact that some MPs left before everyone finished speaking.
"Was the debate useful?" Sgt. Frank Bird asked rhetorically. "In a way yes and in a way no. If they were going to have a debate like that they should have all been in the House debating."
