Parliament to Debate Libyan Mission Today

Three months in, Gadhafi is no closer to leaving than he was at the start of NATO's Libyan adventure. Will another three do the trick?

The House of Commons is set to debate the Libya mission today, with the Conservatives pledging to vote to extend the operation until the end of September. The mission, which Canada joined along with much of the rest of NATO in March, started out with a limited mandate from the United Nations Security Council to protect civilians from Moammar Gadhafi's forces, but the scope has since widened to removing Gadhafi from power altogether. The cost of the Libyan excursion could inflame tensions between the Tories and the NDP-led opposition, as recent reports suggest the cost of the mission could be $20 million higher than the $60 million estimated by Defence Minister Peter MacKay last week.