Canada: Afghan war could cost in excess of $18 billion

Based on data gathered for the period beginning in the fall 2002, when Canadian troops joined the US invasion of Afghanistan, and projecting through to the governments proposed December, 2011 end date for the Canadian Armed Forces combat mission in Kandahar, the report concludes that the war could cost each Canadian household around $1,500.

The report, which was released with all-party agreement, had been requested by NDP Foreign Affairs critic, Paul Dewar, via the freedom of information process after stone-walling by the government of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper. But due to a significant lack of fiscal transparency, faulty accounting practices, and the refusal of several government departments, including Foreign Affairs, Veteran Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency to share internal data, Page and his team of auditors were forced to rely on general spending estimates from publicly available sources and international allies.

Analysts have commented that Pages estimates of the cost of the war would likely have been significantly higher had he had access to more precise bottom up figures. But even the numbers gleaned by Pages team, show the wars costs to be significantly higher than what the government has reported to parliament.

Read More