Stephane Dion undecided as usual
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Liberal Leader Stephane Dion says he won’t decide whether to bring down the Tory government until he sees next month’s throne speech.
Dion said he’ll assess Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s plans for the environment and Afghanistan before deciding how Liberals will vote. (CP)
Further reading:
* 2005 - Dion For Mission: Dion is in the Liberal cabinet when they decide to send Canadian troops to Afghanistan. He is back in the Liberal cabinet when they decide to move Canadian troops from Kabul to Kandahar
* March 2006 - Dion For Mission: “It’s a very important mission and we want to be there,” he told a Canadian Press reporter in early March. “We will succeed in Afghanistan if we show a lot of determination,” he said on CTV a few days later. “We need to be resolute and to succeed.” (Toronto Star, December 6, 2006)
* May 2006 - Dion Against Mission: Dion votes AGAINST extending the mission (May 17th, 2006)
* May 2006 - Dion For Mission: “I have always been a strong supporter of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan and Kandahar, and of those who have gone there to fulfill it, Canada’s Armed Forces.” (http://stephanedion.ca/?q=en/node/120)
* September 2006 - Dion For Mission and Against Withdrawal: Stephane Dion said that Canada would “dishonour” itself if it withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. (Vancouver Sun, September 19, 2006)
* November 2006 - Dion Against Mission and For Withdrawal BEFORE 2009: Stephane Dion says Canada should withdraw its troops “with honour” from Afghanistan before 2009 because their current mission is ill-conceived and misguided. (Edmonton Journal, November 22, 2006)
* December 2006 - Dion Against Mission: Dion said he would consider a withdrawal “with honour” of Canadian troops from Afghanistan because the mission is ill-conceived and has bogged down. (Toronto Star, December 4, 2006)
* December 12, 2006 - Dion For Bloc Motion: Dion said he might support a non-confidence vote on Afghanistan, even though it was a former Liberal government that first sent Canadian troops there. “It’s not the same mission at all now … We went in Kandahar to help a U.S. mission to become a NATO mission. And it’s done. Mr. Harper requested a two-year extension without a clear mandate, without commitment from the other nations. … We are in another world now.” (Toronto Star, December 12, 2006)
* December 19, 2006 - Dion Against Bloc Motion: “I don’t understand the Bloc’s position, at all,” Dion told reporters in Quebec City. “It doesn’t seem very useful to me to want to bring down the government on that in February.” (Toronto Star, December 19, 2006)
* December 19, 2006 - Dion For Mission, Says Can’t Give up: “We can’t give up on the mission until we have deployed everything to ensure it works.” (Montreal Gazette, December 19, 2006)
* January 24, 2007 – Dion Says He Needs More Information: Dion said the Liberals will call on the Commons foreign affairs committee to hold hearings on the mission. He said they want more information about the mandate of Canada’s soldiers and on how $10 million in development aid is being spent. (CP, January 24, 2007)
* February 22, 2007 – Dion Says Maintain Mission Until 2009: “By establishing a timeline for the conclusion of our combat mission in Kandahar in 2009, by insisting other nations share a greater part of the burden, by better integrating our military, diplomatic and development efforts, by helping the Afghan government take more responsibility, and by addressing the opium economy and water challenges, a Liberal government would ensure Canada has a responsible strategy in Afghanistan,” said Mr. Dion (Liberal Party Press Release, February 22, 2007)
* April 24, 2007 – Dion Wants Mission to Stay Only Until 2009: Dion votes to support Liberal motion to maintain mission until 2009.
* May 16, 2007 – Dion Says Mission Must End February 2009: No. The combat mission in Kandahar must end in February 2009 (Policy Options,, June 2007, http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/jun07/dion.pdf)
* May 16, 2007 – Dion rules out any continuing of role in Afghanistan: Asked if he envisioned a possible continuing role in Afghanistan for Canada, such as redeploying to another part of the country, Dion replied: “No”. (Policy Options,, June 2007, http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/jun07/dion.pdf)
* June 6, 2007 – Dion Open To Maintaining Forces in Afghanistan Past 2009: Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion yesterday opened the door to keeping Canadian troops in Afghanistan after February, 2009, but insisted they would have to be withdrawn from their current combat mission in the volatile southern region. (Globe and Mail, June 6, 2007)
* June 22, 2007 – Dion Says Mission Must End in 2009: Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said the prime minister is not being clear enough. “He is being irresponsible by being so ambiguous,” Dion said, adding the mission should end on schedule because Canadians are needed elsewhere around the world. (CP, June 22, 2007)
* June 22, 2007 – Dion Open to Continuing Role: “If you want to train other soldiers, you may need to have some of your soldiers involved, but the combat mission as such is end in february 2009, and to continue with this ambiguous statements from the prime minister is because he wants to stay. I think he has the same kind of attitude that when in 2003 he was proposing to go in the war in iraq.” (CBC Newsworld, June 22, 2007)
* July 5, 2007 – Dion Says Mission Must End in February 2009: Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion called on Harper to make it clear to Canada’s NATO partners that the Canadian mission will end as scheduled in February 2009 and not a minute longer. “No other country has more burden on its shoulders … than Canada,” said Dion, adding that Canada “will welcome other countries to do more. “The Prime Minister has said that he needs to have a consensus in order to extend the mission beyond February of 2009,” Dion said. “This consensus will never exist.” (Toronto Star, July 5, 2007)
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Article Link
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion says he won’t decide whether to bring down the Tory government until he sees next month’s throne speech.
Dion said he’ll assess Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s plans for the environment and Afghanistan before deciding how Liberals will vote. (CP)
Further reading:
* 2005 - Dion For Mission: Dion is in the Liberal cabinet when they decide to send Canadian troops to Afghanistan. He is back in the Liberal cabinet when they decide to move Canadian troops from Kabul to Kandahar
* March 2006 - Dion For Mission: “It’s a very important mission and we want to be there,” he told a Canadian Press reporter in early March. “We will succeed in Afghanistan if we show a lot of determination,” he said on CTV a few days later. “We need to be resolute and to succeed.” (Toronto Star, December 6, 2006)
* May 2006 - Dion Against Mission: Dion votes AGAINST extending the mission (May 17th, 2006)
* May 2006 - Dion For Mission: “I have always been a strong supporter of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan and Kandahar, and of those who have gone there to fulfill it, Canada’s Armed Forces.” (http://stephanedion.ca/?q=en/node/120)
* September 2006 - Dion For Mission and Against Withdrawal: Stephane Dion said that Canada would “dishonour” itself if it withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. (Vancouver Sun, September 19, 2006)
* November 2006 - Dion Against Mission and For Withdrawal BEFORE 2009: Stephane Dion says Canada should withdraw its troops “with honour” from Afghanistan before 2009 because their current mission is ill-conceived and misguided. (Edmonton Journal, November 22, 2006)
* December 2006 - Dion Against Mission: Dion said he would consider a withdrawal “with honour” of Canadian troops from Afghanistan because the mission is ill-conceived and has bogged down. (Toronto Star, December 4, 2006)
* December 12, 2006 - Dion For Bloc Motion: Dion said he might support a non-confidence vote on Afghanistan, even though it was a former Liberal government that first sent Canadian troops there. “It’s not the same mission at all now … We went in Kandahar to help a U.S. mission to become a NATO mission. And it’s done. Mr. Harper requested a two-year extension without a clear mandate, without commitment from the other nations. … We are in another world now.” (Toronto Star, December 12, 2006)
* December 19, 2006 - Dion Against Bloc Motion: “I don’t understand the Bloc’s position, at all,” Dion told reporters in Quebec City. “It doesn’t seem very useful to me to want to bring down the government on that in February.” (Toronto Star, December 19, 2006)
* December 19, 2006 - Dion For Mission, Says Can’t Give up: “We can’t give up on the mission until we have deployed everything to ensure it works.” (Montreal Gazette, December 19, 2006)
* January 24, 2007 – Dion Says He Needs More Information: Dion said the Liberals will call on the Commons foreign affairs committee to hold hearings on the mission. He said they want more information about the mandate of Canada’s soldiers and on how $10 million in development aid is being spent. (CP, January 24, 2007)
* February 22, 2007 – Dion Says Maintain Mission Until 2009: “By establishing a timeline for the conclusion of our combat mission in Kandahar in 2009, by insisting other nations share a greater part of the burden, by better integrating our military, diplomatic and development efforts, by helping the Afghan government take more responsibility, and by addressing the opium economy and water challenges, a Liberal government would ensure Canada has a responsible strategy in Afghanistan,” said Mr. Dion (Liberal Party Press Release, February 22, 2007)
* April 24, 2007 – Dion Wants Mission to Stay Only Until 2009: Dion votes to support Liberal motion to maintain mission until 2009.
* May 16, 2007 – Dion Says Mission Must End February 2009: No. The combat mission in Kandahar must end in February 2009 (Policy Options,, June 2007, http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/jun07/dion.pdf)
* May 16, 2007 – Dion rules out any continuing of role in Afghanistan: Asked if he envisioned a possible continuing role in Afghanistan for Canada, such as redeploying to another part of the country, Dion replied: “No”. (Policy Options,, June 2007, http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/jun07/dion.pdf)
* June 6, 2007 – Dion Open To Maintaining Forces in Afghanistan Past 2009: Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion yesterday opened the door to keeping Canadian troops in Afghanistan after February, 2009, but insisted they would have to be withdrawn from their current combat mission in the volatile southern region. (Globe and Mail, June 6, 2007)
* June 22, 2007 – Dion Says Mission Must End in 2009: Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said the prime minister is not being clear enough. “He is being irresponsible by being so ambiguous,” Dion said, adding the mission should end on schedule because Canadians are needed elsewhere around the world. (CP, June 22, 2007)
* June 22, 2007 – Dion Open to Continuing Role: “If you want to train other soldiers, you may need to have some of your soldiers involved, but the combat mission as such is end in february 2009, and to continue with this ambiguous statements from the prime minister is because he wants to stay. I think he has the same kind of attitude that when in 2003 he was proposing to go in the war in iraq.” (CBC Newsworld, June 22, 2007)
* July 5, 2007 – Dion Says Mission Must End in February 2009: Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion called on Harper to make it clear to Canada’s NATO partners that the Canadian mission will end as scheduled in February 2009 and not a minute longer. “No other country has more burden on its shoulders … than Canada,” said Dion, adding that Canada “will welcome other countries to do more. “The Prime Minister has said that he needs to have a consensus in order to extend the mission beyond February of 2009,” Dion said. “This consensus will never exist.” (Toronto Star, July 5, 2007)
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