Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition signed by dozens of Canadians. It is a call to end Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan.
In May 2008, Parliament passed a resolution to withdraw Canadian Forces by July 2011. The Prime Minister, with agreement from the Liberal Party, broke his oft-repeated promise to honour the parliamentary motion, and furthermore, refused to put it to a vote in this House. Committing 1,000 soldiers to a training mission still presents a lot of danger for our troops and unnecessary expense when our country is faced with a $56 billion deficit.
The military mission has cost Canadians more than $18 billion so far, money that could have been spent to improve health care and seniors' pensions right here in Canada. Polls show a clear majority does not want Canada's military presence to continue after the scheduled removal date of July 2011. Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Prime Minister to honour the will of Parliament and bring the troops home now.