Dear Ceasefire.ca supporter

I wanted to let you know that tonight I will be a guest on CBC TV’s The National, speaking on what Canada should be doing in Afghanistan.

On Monday I recorded a 3-minute monologue for the CBC at the National War Museum which will air tonight. In my segment, I advocated strongly for Canada to take a lead role in a comprehensive peace settlement in Afghanistan. This afternoon I am travelling down to Toronto to be on a panel in Peter Mansbridge’s studio to discuss the war. I hope you’ll be able to watch.

As well, I’m sure that you will be just as dismayed as I am to learn that the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, is actually scheduled to make a major speech to a military-advocacy group called the Conference of Defence Associations on Thursday in Ottawa.

The CDA receives hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from the Department of National Defence, and according to Macleans.ca, it is required to ensure that it publishes “a certain number” of articles in newspapers. Not surprisingly, according to its director, retired colonel Alain Pellerin, the CDA rarely disagrees with the Conservative Party’s defence policy.

You can read more on one of the best blogs on Canadian military issues, Ottawa Citizen journalist David Pugliese’s Defence Watch. According to Pugliese, the Prime Minister is set to announce billions of dollars in more military equipment purchases.

Best wishes,