[NYTr] Afghan Panel a "stacked deck," Communists say

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

sent by mart - Oct 17, 2007


Communist Party of Canada - Oct 17, 2007
http://www.communist-party.ca

Communist Party of Canada Central Committee
290A Danforth Ave.,Toronto, Ont, M4K 1N6
Phone (416) 469-2446
FAX (416) 469-4063
Web: www.communist-party.ca
E-mail  info at cpc-pcc.ca
www.communist-party.ca

Press Release - Oct 12, 1007

Afghan Panel a "stacked deck," Communists say

The Harper government's appointment of a five-member panel to review
Canada's role in Afghanistan is a cynical, transparent ploy designed to
cover its intentions to extend Canada's occupation of that country
beyond the February 2009 deadline for withdrawal, says Communist Party
of Canada in a statement issued today.

"This allegedly 'non-partisan' panel is in fact stacked with corporate
cronies, supporters of 'deep integration' of Canada into the U.S.
empire, and backers of the war- making agenda of the Bush Republicans",
said Communist Party leader Miguel Figueroa. "If Mr. Harper thinks that
this sleight-of-hand will bury the Afghan war issue during a coming
election campaign, then he is sadly mistaken."

Harper's intention is to bypass Parliamentary debate on this crucial
issue, hoping to divert public attention from the deeply unpopular
Afghan war during a federal election which could be called within weeks.

The panel's five members include three prominent Conservatives, one
Liberal, and a former media host who was launched on a new career by
the Liberals.

Nor is it remotely representative of Canadian society, since its
members are all intimately involved with the transnational and domestic
corporations that control the levers of power. None of the panel
members have any particular expertise or knowledge of the situation in
Afghanistan, or the broader Central Asian region, but all are known to
support Canada's role as an ally of Washington's military and strategic
global agenda.

"Anyone who thinks this panel will do anything other than the bidding
of Prime Minister Harper is in deep denial," Mr. Figueroa added.

"We guarantee that their report will call for extending the military
mission as a necessary part of 'rebuilding' civil society in
Afghanistan. But after six years of this tragic blunder, there has been
no real progress towards this alleged goal."

"The real aim of the imperialist war and occupation in Afghanistan is
to maintain a strong military presence by the U.S. in a region which
contains critical energy resources. Canadians should treat the
activities of this sham panel with complete contempt. The only
honourable course for Canada is to pull the troops out now, before any
more unnecessary and tragic deaths."

The individual members of the panel include:

* John Manley was Foreign Affairs minister and then Deputy PM when Jean
Chrétien's Liberal government sent the first Canadian troops to
Afghanistan six years ago, a decision which has so far cost the lives
of 71 Canadians and many thousands more Afghans. Manley was celebrated
for building closer ties with the White House as the US moved towards
the illegal war of aggression against Iraq.

Since leaving Parliament, he has been named to the boards of Nortel
Networks and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Even more telling,
he chairs the Task Force on the Future of North America, a project of
the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, which advocates a North American
union, i.e. full integration into the United States.

* Jake Epp is a former long-time Conservative MP from Manitoba, and a
well-known opponent of social equality rights. He later held senior
executive positions at TransCanada Pipelines, and is a prominent
advocate of expanding nuclear power.

* Derek Burney served as Chief of Staff to Brian Mulroney, and was
directly involved in the negotiations on the Canada-US Free Trade
Agreement, which has deeply undermined Canadian sovereignty. He was
then appointed Canadian ambassador to the U.S. during George Bush Sr.'s
administration. Since then he has been a top executive at Bell Canada,
CAE Inc., CanWest Global Communications (the media empire which
relentlessly backs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Israeli
occupation of Palestine), Quebecor World, Shell Canada, and New
Brunswick Power.

* Pamela Wallin is best known as the former television host. But in
2001, along with Manley, she was one of the organizers of the "Canada
Loves New York" rally, before being appointed as Canada's Consul
General in New York City. She is the senior advisor on Canada-US
relations to the President of the Americas Society and the Council of
the Americas. She serves on several corporate boards, including
CTVglobemedia (with ownership in CTV and The Globe and Mail) and
Oilsands Quest, an energy development company

* Paul Tellier was Clerk of the Privy Council during the Mulroney era.
He was then appointed CEO of Canadian National Railway, where he led
the privatization of the company and its transformation into a
continent-wide operation. He then became president and CEO of
Bombardier, another major Canadian corporation, which is involved in
military production as well as transportation. He also serves on the
Bell Canada board.

                          =30=

For more information, contact Miguel Figueroa at 416-469-2446 '(office)
or 416-419-5319 (cell), or at figueroa at cpc-pcc.ca.