By Tobi Cohen, Postmedia News
June 13, 2011 5:02 PM
A Libyan boy attends Friday prayers near the court house in Benghazi. The extension of Canada's involvement in the NATO mission in Libya may be a foregone conclusion, but all eyes will be on the NDP in its first foreign-policy test as official Opposition when the extension goes to the Commons for debate Tuesday.Photograph by: Mohammed Salem, REUTERS
OTTAWA — Canada's future role in NATO's ongoing intervention in Libya is up for debate Tuesday, setting the stage for the first true test of the new official Opposition's handing of critical foreign affairs and defence issues — areas in which it has not always been taken seriously.
With a majority mandate, the Conservative motion to extend the mission will most certainly pass, which makes the other certainty somewhat more interesting: the fact that all eyes will be on the NDP as it takes a run at its first policy debate of the 41st Parliament.
"I think it is an important test," said NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar.
"We are the official Opposition, the government-in-waiting. We can be critical and should be critical of government when we think there's things that aren't being done in a correct fashion . . . but it's also important to propose what you think should be done."
Dewar said he'll be talking specifics on what the Opposition thinks Canada should be doing on the diplomatic and humanitarian fronts, and how to improve oversight of the mission.
He said he wants Canada to be proactive — by supporting victims and helping to prosecute offenders — on new claims that forces loyal to dictator Moammar Gadhafi are using rape as a weapon of war.
He also wants to ensure senior Canadian officials are engaging with Libya's transitional council and he wants to see more support for refugees.
Acknowledging the debate on Libya comes days before his party's policy convention in Vancouver, Dewar noted the party that once shot down everything from free trade to Canada's involvement in NATO has worked hard at previous conventions and would continue to develop "concrete proposals that can be implemented as a government and not just statements on positions."
It's a smart move, according to Mount Royal University political science professor Duane Bratt, who believes the party needs to go "beyond just criticizing" if it's going to be viewed as a true government-in-waiting.
Noting the "government always has an edge in these debates" which aren't designed to affect policy, Bratt suggested the NDP will be speaking more to the Canadian people than their Conservative opponents.
And given the amount of time it's taking to resolve the situation on the ground, the increasing amount of military involvement from Canada and the lack of clarity as to whether the goal of the mission is to oust dictator Gadhafi or to simply protect civilians from him, he argued there's much for the official Opposition to exploit and that this will be a "test" of just how "articulate" the party can be in terms of its ideas.
Political pundit and former NDP strategist Ian Capstick said the party will need to "look reasonable," ask "educated and astute questions" and be seen to "have a mastery of the subject matter" — all things he's confident Dewar and defence critic Jack Harris will pull off.
Capstick said he'll be focusing on the "tone" and "cadence" of the debate and will be looking to see whether the party asks the tough questions: Will Canada agree to boots on the ground? Is the goal to kill Gadhafi?
"If the New Democrats don't want to make any news on this, you're going to see a lot of long questions, you're going to see a lot of long statements, you're going to see less passion and fire," he said.
"But if the New Democrats really want to start to make their mark on foreign affairs, you might actually see the two of them getting quite aggressive with the government on the issue of next steps in Libya."
NATO has announced already it will extend the mission to protect the Libyan people from Gadhafi's brutal crackdown in the wake of the "Arab Spring" protests, but the Canadian government promised a debate in the House of Commons before signing on for another 3 1/2 months.
The Conservative motion to be tabled Tuesday morning calls on Parliament to support an extension to the military mission in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, to condemn the ongoing violence employed by the Libyan regime, including the "alleged use of rape as a weapon of war," and to stand behind the Canadian Forces soldiers and pilots tasked with the job.
While the House was unanimous in its decision to commit troops back in March, opposition parties have since raised questions about everything from the price tag — billed last week at $60 million — to concerns about "mission creep" and how the operation has evolved from a no-fly zone aimed at protecting civilians, to direct attacks against targets on the ground, to working with rebel forces.
The opposition also wants a better idea of the goals of the mission and is calling for more humanitarian support for displaced persons and diplomatic support for democracy building.
tcohen@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/tobicohen
Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/test+Libya+debate+gets+underway/4939680/story.html#ixzz1PCv6QOZN
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