[van-announce] Protest the Afghan troop extension - Sat Nov. 20 1pm - 3pm

[Derrick O'Keefe]

*Please circulate widely* 

Protest the Afghanistan troop extension: Shame on the Conservatives and Liberals!

Saturday, Nov. 20, 1pm to 3pm, outside Liberal MP Hedy Fry's office at Denman Place Mall (Denman & Nelson St in the West End)

Under
 the rhetorical cover of a 'training mission', the Canadian government 
has once again extended Canada's role in the military occupation of 
Afghanistan beyond 2011, announcing that close to 1,000 troops will 
remain until at least 2014. This despite the fact that all polls have 
shown a clear majority of Canadians against any further extensions of 
the war. The Liberal "opposition" led by Michael Ignatieff allowed this 
extension to go ahead without so much as a vote in Parliament. 

Join
 us in having a presence outside Liberal MP Hedy's Fry Constituency 
office. We will also be doing a mass leafleting to spread the word about
 the Monday, Nov. 22 forum featuring George Galloway (http://georgegallowayinvancity.blogspot.com/).

The
 Nov. 20 action in Vancouver is in solidarity with a protest outside 
Stephen Harper's office in Ottawa, as well as actions in Toronto and 
other cities. The Canadian Peace Alliance also is encouraging you to 
contact politicians from all parties over the next two days. See details
 below. 

***

Let the Prime Minister and the Party Leaders know that Canadians are
    against any extension of the war in Afghanistan and want the troops
    brought home now.

    

    What can you do?

    

        1- Join the virtual march on Ottawa this
          Thursday November 18. Phone, E-mail, fax and write your your
          MP and the Party leaders and call on them to end the war. 

    

    Step 1

    Just cut and paste the following e-mails into the address line:

    pm at pm.gc.ca , CannoL at parl.gc.ca ,  Duceppe.G at parl.gc.ca,
    Ignatieff.M at parl.gc.ca, Layton.J at parl.gc.ca

    

    Step 2

    Find the e-mail for your MP at: http://bit.ly/1bjGA 

    

    Step 3

    Send your e-mail. Please let us know about your efforts by cc'ing
    cpa at web.ca

    

    Step 4

    Call the party leaders and cabinet ministers.

    

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper: 

    Telephone: (613) 992-4211

    

    Foreign Minister, Lawrence Cannon: 

    Telephone: (819) 441-2510

    

    Gilles Duceppe:

    Telephone: (613) 992-6779 

    

    Michael Ignatieff:

    Telephone: (613) 995-9364 

    

    Jack Layton:

    Telephone: (613) 995-7224 

    

    2- Organize emergency actions in your town.
        There are a number of groups planning emergency rallies and
        pickets. In Toronto
          there will be mass leafleting on November 20 at 1 pm at Dundas
          Square. In Ottawa
          there will be a picket at Stephen Harper's office at 1 pm on
          the 20th. In many other cities, people are hitting the
        streets with Don't Extend It. postcards and
        petitions.
      

      

      3- Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. Please
        keep in mind that letters to the editor should be less than 200
        words and must be accompanied by your contact information. 

    

    Points to consider in your letters and calls:

    

    - Civilian and military casualties are at record levels in
    Afghanistan. Even with 150,000 troops, the resistance has a heavy
    presence in most of the country. There is no indication that this
    will get better with the new extension. In fact, all indicators
    point to a deteriorating situation that is not being helped with
    more troops. 

    

    - Women's rights are still being eroded by the NATO backed
    government and the majority of reconstruction funds disappear into
    the pockets of Afghan officials and western development agencies. 

    

    - The government that Canada supports in Afghanistan is a corrupt
    warlord led government that hangs onto power through fraudulent
    “elections”.

    

    - The extension of the war is expected to cost Canadians at least $3
    billion according to Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page.

    

    - The notion that Canada can stay in a non-combat role is not true.
    If our soldiers are training Afghan troops they will still be in
    harm's way.