Political crisis boils over Afghan occupation

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For the second year in a row, the Conservative minority government asked Governor-General Michaelle Jean to The question arises: Why are Harper and company beprorogue, or suspend, Parliament for the winter months in ing so pig-headed? The issue goes beyond parliamentary order to avoid political accountability and a potential loss decorum, beyond the centralization of power in the PM’s of office. Shamefully, the G-G agreed. Thus, all Bills in pro- Office. The treatment of detainees has become a lightening cess were abandoned, and a new session will begin with a rod for mass popular opposition to the war of occupation in Afghanistan. It highlights the nature of the corrupt rePrime Minister Stephen Harper’s refusal to release docu- gime of war lords and drug barons in Kabul which NATO, ments that would shed light on Canadian Forces’ handling of Afghan detainees was set to provoke a crisis on January For the Canadian ruling class, the treatment of Afghans 25, when the House of Commons was to return. On Decem- is far less important than the economics of energy pipeber 10, the Commons ordered the government to produce lines and the politics of western domination of the Middle uncensored documents dealing with detainee transfers. East and South Asia. Tory intransigence in Ottawa is provBut Harper refused, citing ‘national security’, troop safety, ing to be a costly political impediment to the realization of larger imperialist foreign policy aims. A major section of The former number-two Canadian diplomat in Afghani- the Canadian business elite would rather cut their losses stan, Richard Colvin, raised concerns in 2006-2007 about in Afghanistan (where the 134th Canadian soldier died on prisoners being routinely beaten and tortured by Afghan Dec. 23), make a superficial concession to public opinion, authorities. So did the Red Cross, Britain, Netherlands, the and re-deploy troops to another theatre of neo-colonial ocmedia and human-rights groups. General Walter Natynczyk, Chief of Defence Staff, confirmed that Canadian troops Setting aside all the hypocrisy about ‘the rule of law’, the did hand over a detainee in June 2006 to the Afghan police, supremacy of Parliament, and the promotion of ‘democwho promptly beat him, until he was taken back into Cana- racy’ abroad, the division of the rulers over the war is a good thing—and even better if it leads to an early exit from But Ottawa continues to deny that a problem existed. Afghanistan and an early end to the Harper government. Instead, the Tories attacked Colvin’s credibility, made an But neither should be taken for granted, as the Tories seem issue of the Opposition’s ‘patriotism’, and proceeded to as determined to tough it out, as they are to make working boycott a special sitting of the Parliamentary committee 8 Socialist Action january 2010 brand new budget on March 3. and relations with allies. dian custody. probing detainee abuse. including Canada, sustains. cupation, like Haiti. people pay for the economic crisis. — B.W. $500 a month, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), which is about $450 a month for all retirees.

Create a national pension insurance fund to ensure that workers’ defined benefit pensions aren’t at risk when employers go under or speculative bubbles go bust. (The United States has a pension guarantee fund covering up to about $50,000 of pension income.

Working people and nature are the source of all the wealth. It is appropriated by Capital. Workers shouldn’t have to beg for crumbs in retirement. In the face of the economic crisis we did not cause, and the bail-out of banks and big businesses we did not approve, our demand is that, in addition to doubling the CPP and QPP, the OAS and GIS be increased sufficiently to ensure that no senior is condemned to subsist below the poverty line (approximately $30,000 a year in large urban centres).

The federal and provincial Finance Ministers met in Whitehorse in December, and will meet again in May 2010. Several of them said there’s nothing wrong with the existing pension set up.

So, it’s time to start organizing. They need to hear the CLC’s message amplified many fold: The pension status quo is not an option! n