Nov. 15, 2008: Winnipeggers remind delegates to the 2008 Conservative Party of Canada convention that most Canadians oppose the war in Afghanistan. Photo: Glenn Michalchuk
More than 100 people gathered outside the Convention Centre on Saturday, November 15 to demonstrate at the Conservative Party’s national convention in Winnipeg.
The demonstrators came to voice their opposition to a wide range of issues: the war on Afghanistan, the lack of funding for social programs and education, the denial of the rights of the First Nations, the privatization of the post office and the cuts in funding to the arts.
Glenn Michalchuk, spokesperson for Peace Alliance Winnipeg, was one of many to address the demonstrators. Noting that the majority of Canadians now oppose the war in Afghanistan, Michalchuk said it was important to continue to organize because Canadians could not rely on Harper’s election promise to withdraw Canadian troops in 2011. He reminded the demonstrators that the Conservative government had refused to act on the Commons resolution, passed in June, that called for war resisters to be granted refugee status.