Dear Ceasefire.ca supporters,

Evidence is mounting that the Harper government is quietly preparing for a major escalation of our combat role in Afghanistan, and this includes hundreds more troops and the possible deployment of Canadian CF-18 fighter bombers. We must act quickly.

We are launching a major campaign to prevent this military build-up in Afghanistan, but we need your support.

I hope that you will make a donation of whatever you can afford, to stop Stephen Harper from expanding the war.

On May 20, it was revealed in The Globe and Mail that the government has plans to create accommodations for up to 800 more troops at Kandahar Airfield. The military wants to purchase 400 more beds, with an option for an additional 400. There are already nearly 3,000 troops there, the highest number since 2001. How many more will be sent?

Even worse, the military has used the media recently to pressure the government to deploy CF-18 fighter bombers to Afghanistan. Our warplanes would join U.S. and NATO bombing runs which have indiscriminately killed many hundreds of Afghan civilians, and even five Canadian soldiers.

On April 20, a Canwest news report quoted Canadian Major-General Duff Sullivan in Afghanistan saying that the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Central Command asked him, “How can we get Canadian F-18s into the game over here?” He told the reporter coyly, “I’ve told them that that is a political decision back in Canada.”

So far, government officials have refused to rule out sending fighter bombers, saying only that they have no plans to deploy the CF-18 fighter bombers.

But this could change quickly. Two years ago it was reported that the military had secret plans to send CF-18s armed with 2000-lb. bombs to Afghanistan.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E74LIZ-Ps9A

I believe we are in the early stages of a renewed campaign to extend Canada’s war in Afghanistan, once again.

We need to act quickly, and there is good reason to believe we can be successful.

Ceasefire.ca has had many victories in the past. We stopped Paul Martin from joining Bush’s missile defence scheme, successfully urged Stephen Harper to support a cluster bomb treaty, and lobbied the Conservatives to prevent the takeover of Canada’s leading space firm by an awful U.S. arms manufacturer – a historic first!

Now, we are launching a major campaign to ensure that this expansion of the war does not happen.

– We are distributing thousands of postcards to Canadians to send to the
Prime Minister urging him to end the war.
– We are launching a media campaign and advertisements.
– We will be meeting with MPs from all parties.

Already, more than 2,000 people have sent letters to Stephen Harper and other party leaders through Ceasefire.ca. That is a good start, but it’s not enough.

Can I count on your donation of whatever you can afford?

You might also consider joining our Peacekeepers by making a monthly donation to stop Stephen Harper from expanding the war.

Please make your gift on-line at Ceasefire.ca, or print this donation form and send it through the mail.

Thank you for whatever you can afford to end Canada’s war in Afghanistan.

In peace,

Steven Staples, Ceasefire.ca