Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my party and caucus colleagues I indicated publicly on Friday that the New Democratic Party was prepared to support the government's commitment of Canadian troops as part of the United Nations sanctioned stabilization force.
The New Democratic Party has been consistent and adamant that the United Nations must lead the response to these crimes against humanity as a result of the horrifying events of September 11. I appeal once again to the Minister of National Defence to give assurances that Canadian troop deployment would be carried out under the auspices of the United Nations. We have been equally adamant that the deployment of Canada's troops must be debated and ratified by a vote in the House of Commons.
Our insistence on these two points is based on two fundamental principles: first, the role of international law and, second, our commitment to democracy. These are more than theoretical abstractions as members well know. We must respect the rule of law and the right of Canadians to hold the government accountable through the democratic process if we are to avoid mimicking the evil that we condemn, uphold the values that we espouse and, simply put, practise what we preach.
The New Democratic Party is absolutely committed to rooting out terrorism. We are committed to rooting out the conditions that breed hatred, despair and hopelessness. We have been leading the call for greater humanitarian aid. We have been asking questions on behalf of the men and women of our military as well as their families and their communities.
I had many opportunities to talk with military personnel and their spouses over the past week in my home riding of Halifax. Like most Canadians, they have many questions they want answered. They understand best of all that asking tough questions about the terms of engagement and about the mandate of this mission is not some kind of disloyalty but rather a parliamentary duty. It is a right that previous generations of sailors, soldiers and air personnel have sacrificed their lives to protect. It is called democracy.
The government needs to show greater respect for our military families. It needs to put the question of troop deployment to a debate and a vote in the House. If the government knows what it is doing then it has no reason to fear that open debate and no reason to fear the judgment of military families. It becomes all the more imperative to maintain the democratic checks and balances at a time of heightened national concern.
It is obvious that not all the answers to these questions reside on the government side any more than all the answers reside with the generals themselves. There are legitimate questions and concerns about the precise nature of the deployment, particularly with northern alliance spokespersons stating their open hostility to the presence of Canadian and other foreign ground troops.
Canadians, especially military families, are seeking the assurance that this mandate is indeed humanitarian in nature, but they are also supportive of the efforts to put in place a transitional administration and that there be a commitment to the long term assistance needed for the reconstruction of a devastated Afghanistan.
I appreciate the minister's candour this afternoon in saying that the precise details of the deployment have not been worked out. I plead with the minister in the spirit of democracy and international law that is being invoked here to come back to the House of Commons when he has details to have a full debate and a vote on the deployment of military men and women to the Afghanistan mission.