September 10, 2006
By ALEXANDER PANETTA
NDP Leader Jack Layton. (CP/Jacques Boissinot)
QUEBEC (CP) - NDP Leader Jack Layton urged his troops to prepare Sunday for an election campaign he seems determined to fight against U.S. President George W. Bush.
He mentioned the U.S. president at least five times in a closing address to his party's convention and accused the Tory government of being his servant.
On climate change, on the softwood-lumber deal and on the Afghan conflict, Layton accused the Tories of selling out Canadian interests to satisfy Bush and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of being a lackey of the Republican White House.
"He's become a cheerleader for President George Bush and he's leading Canada down the wrong track on every issue that matters to ordinary people," Layton said.
Layton's anti-war, anti-Bush message appeared to delight the party masses, who showered him with a 92-per-cent approval rating in a leadership vote.
He ended his speech by telling 1,500 delegates that the weekend gathering was the start of a months-long election campaign.
Layton lauded the NDP's decision over the weekend to become Canada's first political party to officially call for the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan.
"Canadians are not war-mongers," Layton said.
"Canada doesn't send its soldiers to the front lines just because our prime minister wants to remain in Washington's good graces."
On climate change, Layton derided Harper on the Kyoto accord.
"Stephen Harper wants to follow George Bush in reneging on Canada's international commitments," he said.
And on the recent softwood lumber deal with the U.S., Layton said Harper should be ashamed.
"For Stephen Harper it was more important to be George Bush's buddy," he told delegates. "It's more important to follow him than to fight for Canadian workers."
The last attempt by a Canadian political party to stake its electoral fortunes on the unpopular U.S. president met with spectacular failure.
The Paul Martin Liberals tried much the same strategy in the most recent campaign, which resulted in a minority Conservative government.
New Democrats are betting the message will play better for them because, unlike Martin, they were not in power when Canada failed to meet climate-change targets, stalled in softwood negotiations and sent troops to Afghanistan.
Layton took the helm of the party in January 2003 and has seen the NDP's seat count in the House of Commons rise significantly in two consecutive elections.
He unveiled the party's five priorities for the next federal election, mimicking the Tories keep-it-simple strategy from the last election.
Layton said the NDP will focus on affordable housing, quality education, helping seniors, protecting the environment, and withdrawing from Afghanistan.
The NDP leader said there is a time and place for Canadians to fight but Afghanistan is not that time or place.
"There is no plan for victory. There is no exit strategy. There is no sign that it is making the Taliban weaker or the world safer...," Layton said.
"So here is what we're going to commit to do. We are going to support our troops. We are going to support them in the best way we can. We're going to bring our troops home."
The Muslim Canadian Congress accused the NDP and Layton of playing politics with the lives of Afghan citizens and Canadian troops.
"By asking for an immediate withdrawal of Canadian troops, Mr. Layton demonstrates a naivete about the situation in Afghanistan," Farzana Hassan, congress president, said in a statement.
Withdrawing now would amount to handing the country back to the Taliban and al-Qaida, she said.
