Canada should take lead role in Darfur – NDP

May 7, 2006 (NEW WESTMINSTER, Canada) — The federal New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) says Canada should take a lead role in any UN mission to stop the bloodshed in Darfur, even if that means scaling back its commitment in Afghanistan.

The leader of Canada’s social-democratic party, Jack Layton, points to a weekend poll that suggests public support for Canada’s Afghan mission is wavering again.

He says an intervention in Sudan’s Darfur province, where hundreds of thousands have died and millions are refugees because of a bitter civil war, is more like the traditional peacekeeping mission Canadians support.

Layton acknowledges there’s debate about whether Canada’s thinly stretched military can handle large deployments in both Darfur and Afghanistan.

About 2,200 Canadian troops are involved in efforts to root out Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan. The military has suffered a string of recent casualties there.

Layton wants a full debate on the Afghan mission before it’s renewed next February.

NDP defence critic Dawn Black says it’s unlikely the armed forces can make the necessary commitment to a Darfur mission and still maintain its forces in Afghanistan at current levels.

She says once Canada fulfils its Afghan commitment in February, it should look at returning to a more traditional peacekeeping role in a place like Darfur.

(ST/CP)