Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Canadian opposition targets Afghan role

|
|
 
  
Published: Dec. 12, 2006 at 1:56 PM

QUEBEC, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The leader of Canada's federal Quebec separatist party says he will bring down the minority government if Canada's military role in Afghanistan isn't changed.

Speaking at the Chamber of Commerce in Quebec City, Gille Duceppe, leader of the Bloc Quebecois, said he wants to see Canada's NATO commitment shifted from combat to a reconstructive role, the Globe and Mail reported Tuesday.

Without offering a timetable, Duceppe said he would seek an opposition coalition to introduce a non-confidence vote in Parliament if Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government didn't change foreign policy.

The Bloc Quebecois, New Democrats and Liberals have 182 seats to the Conservatives' 124.

As he spoke in Quebec City, British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Kim Howells was in Ottawa, where he urged Canada to "stay the course" in Afghanistan, the newspaper said.

Topics: Kim Howells
© 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Notable deaths of 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee AmfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala
Indianapolis 500 Presidential Medal of Freedom Memorial Day around the nation
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 20
Singer Janelle Monae arrives at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards in Universal City, California
View Caption
Singer Janelle Monae arrives for the MTV Movie Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. UPI/Jim Ruymen
fark
The bar for spelling has never been lowre
Turns out men cheat way more than women after all
Famous last words: "The notion that it's too late to do anything is comical. It's hilarious. We're...
Five secrets to getting the best healthcare. #6: Don't get sick
Traveling to the U.S.? If invited to a dinner party, bring a gift of wine, but not cash or toiletries...
Man turns dead pet cat into remote-controlled helicopter, calls it art (w/WTF pics)