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NDP Leader Jack Layton: Afghanistan is ?the wrong mission for Canada?

Federal New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jack Layton was in town to prepare for the party?s 2006 convention, taking place in Quebec City from September 8 ? 10. After his controversial call for Canadian troops to withdraw from southern Afghanistan, he sat down with The Daily to talk about imperialism, accessible education, and why his party is relevant in Quebec.

McGill Daily: Is Canada acting as an imperialist force in Afghanistan?

Jack Layton: I don?t know what adjective is appropriate, but I do know that it?s the wrong mission for Canada. It?s not, in our view ? and I believe in many Canadians? view ? the way to ultimately achieve peace. Human rights and democracy in Afghanistan? What you see there right now is about as far from peace, human rights, and democracy as you can find. We should be withdrawing [from southern Afghanistan], and trying to use our diplomatic abilities and influences to try to engineer a process of comprehensive peace in that whole region.

MD: In the last election, you advocated the use of mandatory minimum sentencing for gun crimes - a position similar to those of the other parties ? despite the fact that even Justice Department lawyers have warned that mandatory minimums have ?no discernable benefits? for public safety. Why did the NDP choose to forego more progressive actions to combat crime in favour of mandatory minimums?

JL: [Mandatory minimum sentencing] was there, but we proposed a $100-million youth-at-risk investment annually. There?s no other party that came close to that kind of thing. We wanted to see investments in young people, but we haven?t got a lot of patience and tolerance for someone who is going to walk down the street with a gun and be provoked by whatever irrational motivation to take it out and shoot someone. I want to send a very strong message on that.

MD: During the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, some activists accused the NDP of being too slow in calling for a ceasefire and, initially at least, only being concerned about the safety of Canadians. How do you respond to this?

JL: First of all, we were the first party to come out in favour of an unconditional ceasefire. We also expressed our concerns about not only the Canadians who were there, but the civilians who were being attacked on either side. We continue to hold to that view ? in fact, we called for Parliament to be reconvened as a matter of urgency. The Prime Minister wouldn?t respond.

MD: The NDP?s proposed Postsecondary Education Act would guarantee the provinces federal funding for education in exchange for increased access and reduced tuition fees, but what exactly does ?increased access? mean?

JL: You need to have some flexibility on that because it?s a provincial responsibility. What we?re suggesting is using the federal spending power and some persuasion to try to improve access. That incorporates moving away from the solution that seems to focus on loaning more and more money to students. How precisely that?s done in each province, I don?t think the federal government should prescribe.

MD: The NDP has consistently failed to gain seats in Quebec. Do you think the NDP is irrelevant in this province?

JL: Well, 280,000 people in the last election didn?t. That?s a very large vote. That?s more votes than we got in Manitoba and Saskatchewan combined. So we?re certainly not anywhere close to being irrelevant. Are our policies in sync with how Quebeckers feel? I would say, very strongly, yes. Are we communicating them effectively enough? I would say no, but it?s changing.

MD: Activists, human-rights organizations and major NGOs have criticized Canada?s role in Haiti, where RCMP-trained police forces have committed massacres and major human-rights abuses. Beyond a few concerns expressed by Alexa McDonough in 2005, the NDP has remained silent on these issues. Why?

JL: Our opinion now is that a simple withdrawal form the situation would not be a helpful position for Canada to take, that it?s better to stay alert to the observations that are being made, raising those when it?s appropriate in either the House or the Standing Committee [on Foreign Affairs]. We?re now in a context where Canada ought to be able to play a positive role there.

? compiled by Drew Nelles