For now, the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is speaking as if it is adamant about the troop withdrawal, "We have been very clear that Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will end in 2011," he said in parliament on 30 March 2010 (
1). Harper emphasized, "Whether we get asked about it this week or last week or next week, we passed a motion in this Parliament in 2008 and Canada's military mission in Afghanistan will end in 2011" (
2). Yet in the recent past, government statements have been ambiguous, suggesting only "combat troops" would be withdrawn, as if there were any other kind. Indeed, the prime minister's own spokesman said months ago that a smaller Canadian military force would remain in Afghanistan, in spite of the will of Parliament (
3). There is also evidence to suggest that high level pressure from the United States is being exerted on Canada, now openly, as well as from Britain (
4). In Canada, Senator Hugh Segal, a Conservative, called in the Senate on 30 March 2010 for revisiting the 2008 parliamentary resolution committing Canada to withdrawal of all its troops from Afghanistan by 2011: "Canadian troops have spent too much blood and grief and shown too much courage and progress to end the engagement before realistic stability goals are attained" (
5,
6).