To the editor,
As I write, there has been one more death and three more serious Canadian casualties in our undeclared war in Afghanistan and the experts are warning us to expect more to come. And for what reason this suffering, except to support Bush's so-called war on terrorism? In effect, our troops serve to free up US troops to go fight in the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. So good for Jack Layton to be the only leader to raise the question of what are we doing there and to call for a halt to further troop deployments. He should go further and call for our withdrawal before we get sucked into a quagmire. That the Greens, whose values include non-violence, have been silent on this matter speaks volumes about the current direction of the party.
So, who to vote for in this election? Green party maritime organizer Sharon Labchuk has stated no Green candidate will be elected in Atlantic Canada, and with the increasing likelihood of a Harper government hostile to the environment and the poor, while supporting Bush's military initiatives, it will be more necessary than ever to have progressive NDP members in parliament. Jack Layton's commitment to the environment, mandatory polluter pay legislation and electoral reform mean this time I will vote for the NDP. Hopefully, on Jan 24, the environment and peace will have a voice in Ottawa.
By Michael Oddy, Leader of the Green Party of Nova Scotia