Green Party accuses Harper government of distortion

OTTAWA – Green Party Leader Elizabeth May today accused the Harper Conservatives of irresponsible distortion of the party's views on Afghanistan and demanded that Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre apologize immediately for implying that the Green Party has disrespected Canada’s troops.

“Once again, the Harper government tendency to go on the attack has targeted the Green Party. This time his web-henchmen are claiming we have shown a lack of respect for our troops in Afghanistan. Nothing could be further from the truth and Mr. Poilievre owes us an immediate apology. As the Green Party has maintained for some time, the conflict in southern Afghanistan is far more dangerous for our troops when the impression is created that it is a clash of civilizations or, worse, religions,” explained Ms. May. “That framing assists the Taliban in calling their insurgency a ‘Jihad,’ assisting its recruiting efforts. We believe a broader range of nations, within the United Nations with greater participation of nations from a more Islamic background could lead to long term stability in the region. The lead role of U.S. and Canadian troops in southern Afghanistan cannot deflect the Taliban framing.”

International Affairs critic, Eric Walton added, “If Stephen Harper and his government cannot appreciate that an insurgency is being fought at both a symbolic level and a physical level, they should not be in charge at this critical moment in Canadian international affairs. The Green Party hopes Canadians will seek the truth of what we said and not get misled by Harper's spin-doctors.”