Cost of Afghan mission to be released Thursday
A report detailing the cost of Canada's mission in Afghanistan will be released on Thursday.
Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page was tasked with tallying the cost of the Afghan war since it began six years ago.
Page will table his report, entitled The Fiscal Impact of the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan, on Thursday at about 11 a.m.
The Conservative government has previously estimated the total cost to date of Canada's mission is under $8 billion.
All party leaders had agreed to allow the release of the report, despite concerns it could sway how Canadians cast their ballots on Oct. 14.
Canada has about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan's volatile province of Kandahar.
The mission started in early 2002, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government, although some Canadian soldiers on exchange with the American military were in Afghanistan months earlier.
To date, 98 Canadians, including one diplomat, have lost their lives serving in the conflict.
The Conservative government has pledged to withdraw most of Canada's military forces from combat duties in Afghanistan by 2011.
Corrections
- It was originally reported that parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page told CBC News the Afghanistan budget report would not be ready before the Oct. 14 federal election. In fact, the report will be ready on Thursday, five days before the election. As well, the CBC was in contact with someone at Page's office, not Page himself.Oct 07, 2008 6:31 PM ET