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United Nations say opium cultivation drops in AfghanistanBy The Associated Press August 26, 2008 KABUL, Afghanistan - The UN's anti-drug office says opium poppy production in Afghanistan was down 19 per cent this year compared to 2007. That due to successful campaigns in the north and east though fields in the south remain awash in the heroin-producing crop. Efforts to eradicate opium poppy fields in the south failed miserably, and the Taliban stand to earn tens of millions of dollars from the trade.

MPs vote to give asylum to U.S. deserters, Tories say no CBC News June 3, 2008 The House of Commons has passed a motion to grant permanent residence status to American military deserters and their families, but it's not expected to help a U.S. soldier recently ordered to leave Canada. While all three opposition parties supported the non-binding NDP motion Tuesday, the government voted it down and is certain to ignore it. There are an estimated 200 Iraq War resisters in Canada, including Corey Glass, 25, who learned last month that his application to remain in the country has been...

Canadian fighter jets temporarily plug hole in U.S. air defencesBy Murray Brewster THE CANADIAN PRESS November 27th, 2007 OTTAWA - Canadian CF - 18 fighter jets helped plug a hole in U.S. air defences for almost two weeks this month after American jets were grounded as part of a crash investigation. The request to fill in for U.S. F-15s over the Alaskan coast was considered an urgent priority for NORAD, especially in light of the return of Russian strategic bombers to Arctic patrols. Although not unprecedented, defence officials said the now-concluded operation was one of those "extremely rare" occasions when...

Chief: Canadian top guns, Russians tangoed this weekChris Lambie The Chronicle Herald September 8, 2007 Canadian fighter jets have scrambled as recently as this week to intercept Russian bombers flying over the Arctic, says the new commander of this country’s air force. CF-18 Hornets met the Tupolev-95 Bear bombers outside Canadian airspace, Lt.-Gen. Angus Watt told The Chronicle Herald’s editorial board Friday. "It’s not exactly a new challenge; it’s an old challenge that has returned," Lt.-Gen. Watt said Friday. The recent encounter took place near Inuvik, N.W.T., inside what the military dubs its air defence identification zone. "It’s where we...

Minorities avoid the fight Peter Worthington Toronto Sun August 27, 2007 All I know about the Asian Pacific Post, a giveaway newspaper published fortnightly in Vancouver with a circulation of about 160,000, is from two editorials it ran this year. Started in 1993, the newspaper has won several awards for excellence, including a Jack Webster award as the best community newspaper, and although it is aimed at Canadians of Asian extraction, the editorials in question apply to every Canadian -- but are rarely reflected in the mainstream Canadian (or American) media. In mid-August, the Post asked: "Why are all the...

Close call for top Canadian in KandaharBy Paul Koring Globe and Mail July 27, 2007 KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- A suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden van into a convoy carrying Canada's top military commander, Brigadier-General Tim Grant, in Afghanistan yesterday. After the huge blast, one armoured vehicle lay on its side off the road, but it remains uncertain whether it had been rammed by the suicide bomber or whether the driver managed to avoid the attack and then the top-heavy vehicle toppled as it hit the ditch. Gen. Grant was unhurt. He was travelling in another vehicle. No other Canadians or...

Forces tag $3.8B to buy advanced jets Joint Strike Fighter studied to replace CF-18s in the next decade David Pugliese The Ottawa Citizen June 27, 2007 Canada's military is setting aside almost $4 billion for the purchase of a fleet of futuristic fighter jets that will replace its CF-18s in the next decade. The Canadian Forces is creating a new office in Ottawa in August to deal with its future fighter needs and plan how it will proceed with replacing the existing CF-18 jets. The government has committed to investing in the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter and an air force...

Ignatieff: 9/11 victims are "just a sideshow"By Arthur Weinreb Canada Free Press March 1, 2007 Earlier this week, Parliament voted 159-124 to kill two major anti-terrorism measures. -snip- Consistent with their previous positions, the Conservatives voted to continue the anti-terrorism measures while the NDP and the Bloc opposed their extension. The Liberals, who first passed these measures into law in early 2002 in response to the events of September 11, 2001, did an about face ... -snip- Some family members of Canadians who died on 9/11 were in Ottawa on the day of the vote including Maureen and Erica Basnicki...

Harper warns China against economic threats Prime Minister says he won't apologize for standing up for the rights of Canadians abroad, including Huseyin Celil By Jeff Sallot Globe and Mail February 9, 2007 HALIFAX — Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned China today not to threaten Canada on economic issues in the hope of getting his government to back off on human rights criticisms, including the case of Huseyin Celil. Speaking with reporters in Halifax, Mr. Harper suggested China has more to lose if the economic relationship between the two countries becomes fractured."I would point out to any Chinese official that...

Hillier: The soldier's soldier Chief of defence staff is arguably one of the toughest jobs within the federal government. And two years into it, Gen. Rick Hillier has become a force to be reckoned with in the capital. But how well is he succeeding in his mission to transform the military? asks Richard Foot. By Richard Foot The Ottawa Citizen January 28, 2007 When Gen. Rick Hillier strode onto the national stage two years ago this month, Canadians had never witnessed a military boss quite like him -- crude in his assessment of the country's enemies, cunning in his courtship...

Families Say FarewellBy Michael Staples The Daily Gleaner January 30, 2007 Oromocto's Alisha Piercy was close to tears Monday as she prepared to watch her husband board a plane for Afghanistan. "It's been really hard, really hard for me," she said, while holding their young daughter, Taylor. "I don't want him to go, but he needs to." Pte. Erik Piercy was one of approximately 120 soldiers who boarded a military plane Monday afternoon at the Greater Fredericton Airport for six months of combat duty in Afghanistan. He is among 1,150 soldiers from The Second Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (2RCR)...

Goalie mask soldier tribute By Patrick Maloney, Free Press Reporter via lfpress.ca January 9, 2007 Trooper Mark Wilson's death in Afghanistan has inspired a special piece of art that's being passed among elite NHL players and may become part of the upcoming all-star game. Sports artist David Arrigo, a friend of one of Wilson's relatives, was hit hard by the October death of the London soldier and inspired to design a military-themed goalie mask. "It just sort of pushed me -- this is going to be my addition to thanking the soldiers," said Arrigo, who has done work for years...

Canada takes pro-Israel stance at UNBy Steven Edwards CanWest News Service November 16, 2006 UNITED NATIONS — Canada voted on the side of Israel at the United Nations Thursday, demonstrating a marked shift in Middle East policy. Canada registered its third change in a row on more than 20 Arab- and Muslim-sponsored resolutions that are annually critical of Israeli policy, but light on Arab responsibilities. That’s a marked switch from the way former Liberal governments voted. The trend is expected to continue when Canadian diplomats join those of other UN member states to consider 10 more of the annual resolutions...

Canada to storm Carolina Military amphibious training exercise to cost $19 million The Chronicle Herald By Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press November 9, 2006 OTTAWA — The Canadian military is about to do something it hasn’t done in a grand way since the Second World War: storm the beaches. In a $19-million training exercise, troops will stage an amphibious assault on a beach in North Carolina next week, with help from the U.S. navy. A military spokesman says it’s all just an experiment, but one analyst says the exercise is a response to new global threats, which may require Canada...

Fund for sailor tops $34,000The Chronicle Herald By Kristen Lipscombe, Staff Reporter November 15, 2006 Nova Scotians are digging deep into their pockets, so far coming up with more than $34,000 for the family of Petty Officer 1st Class Damon Crooks. The 28-year-old American sailor was stabbed to death during the early morning hours Nov. 4 outside a nightclub on Argyle Street, in the heart of downtown Halifax. "Whenever Nova Scotians have been asked to help a cause, they always respond tremendously and it’s no different in this case," Kevin Sanford, promotions manager at The Chronicle Herald, said of how...

Remember the Taliban, and stay the courseLewis MacKenzie Globe and Mail October 10, 2006 'Do you support Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan?" asks a typical Canadian poll. The response comes in with 50-plus per cent responding "No!" and those of us who support the soldiers and the mission get even more frustrated. If none of the professional polling firms are prepared to ask the less misleading and more relevant questions, then let me give it a try. "Do you support letting the Taliban return to power in Afghanistan?" If your answer is Yes, please go on to the next questions....

'My body’s kind of rickety' One of three Great War vets left says he’ll miss Vimy ceremony By Chris Lambie The Chronicle Herald October 3, 2006 Veterans Affairs Canada is sending 300 people to Europe next year for a ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the pivotal Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. But none of Canada’s three surviving First World War veterans plans to attend. "My mind is OK, but my body’s kind of rickety," said John Babcock, 106, who lives at home in Spokane, Wash., with his wife Dorothy. Mr. Babcock lied about his age to join the...

Canadians escape suicide blastcnews.canoe.ca By Les Perreaux September 27, 2006 KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - With a muffled thump and the flash of a "second sun," Canadian soldiers faced another brush with death Wednesday as a suicide bomber hit their convoy. There were no Canadian casualties but one Afghan civilian was hurt. Such attacks have happened so frequently in Kandahar that local firefighters drove past the blast's aftermath on their way to collect a modest gift of rudimentary firefighting gear at a Canadian camp. The spade shovels and tin buckets were neatly stacked earlier in the day for the hearts-and-minds gift...

Harper questions opposition to Afghanistan mission in U.S. speechcnews.canoe.ca By Beth Gorham September 20, 2006 NEW YORK (CP) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper told an influential U.S. business group Wednesday he doesn't believe Canadians are really against the combat role in Afghanistan, despite numerous polls showing deep divisions. "I don't really accept that Canadians are opposed to the mission," he said in a forceful but congenial address to the Economic Club of New York. "I think what hurts Canadians a lot is seeing their brave men and women in uniform lose their lives. I think that's a reaction." Harper, who...

Quick action by Canadian private after bombing credited with saving livesBy Les Perreaux cnews.canoe.ca September 19, 2006 KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - A combination of Irish luck and advanced medical training may have allowed a young private to save several lives in the latest suicide bombing that killed four Canadian soldiers. Pte. Mackenzie Murphy, one of the few soldiers targeted in the attack to miraculously escape unscathed, used recent specialized combat medical training to staunch the bleeding wounds of eight or nine comrades. "I didn't even get touched," Murphy, 22, a native of Dauphin, Man., said in an interview with The...