Canadians divided over Govt’s plan to keep soldiers in non-combat role in Afghanistan

OTTAWA - Forty-eight percent of Canadians support government’s plan to keep soldiers in a non-combat role in Afghanistan, while 44 percent oppose it, according to a new Angus Reid poll.

Although the Canadian government had earlier planned to pull combat troops out of Afghanistan next year, last month it announced that up to 950 soldiers would stay back for a non-combat training role until 2014.

The Globe and Mail quoted Mario Canseco, Vice-President of communications for Angus Reid, as saying that some of the Canadians are of the opinion that nothing has been accomplished as far as Afghanistan is concerned.

“There’s a little bit of an element of Canadians getting tired of this and feeling like there’s really nothing that has been accomplished. And I think part of it has to do with the way they feel about the federal government,” he added.

Sixty-two per cent of Canadians who voted for the Conservatives in the 2008 federal election support the non-combat mission, compared to half of Liberal voters.

The poll also found that 56 per cent of overall respondents oppose Canada’s current military mission in Afghanistan, while 36 per cent are supportive. (ANI)