Paul Martin's TV Bombshell Hits Canadian Troops Hard says MP Jay Hill

February 5, 2004

Ottawa - Senior National Defence Critic for the Official Opposition, Jay Hill, said today that the surprise decision by Prime Minister Paul Martin to leave 500 Canadian troops behind in Afghanistan after the current mission there ends in August is another example of Liberal foreign policy on-the-fly.

"Paul Martin apparently made this autocratic decision against the advice of senior military commanders and without consulting Parliament. Then he informed soldiers and the entire nation by blurting it out on national television," said Hill.

During Question Period in the House of Commons today Hill asked, "Why do our soldiers and their families have to stay glued to their television sets to learn if and when the Prime Minister intends to send them overseas?" Hill added, "Last night, just like Jean Chrétien, he could not resist making a major announcement on the television instead of here in Parliament."

Hill also noted that the additional troops are being committed "despite the Prime Minister now admitting our Armed Force are, and I quote, 'stretched very thin'."

Later, outside the House of Commons, Hill stated, "If Paul Martin acknowledges Canada doesn't have the personnel and the equipment required to sustain another overseas mission, then he has an obligation to re-invest in our depleted forces and give our troops a break," concluded Hill. "Where does he think he'll get the troops from?"

-30-