TORONTO, November 26, 2002 -- Canadian Armed Forces Lieutenant Colonel Pat Stogran, commander of the 850 Canadian soldiers who fought in Afghanistan this year, will visit York University on Friday, Nov. 29, hosted by the York Centre for International and Security Studies.

Lt. Col. Stogran will discuss Canada’s military capability and involvement in the war against terrorism. A 26-year veteran of the Canadian infantry, Stogran has been quoted as saying that the deployment in Afghanistan proved to the Canadian public and the world that Canadian troops are more than just peacekeepers. He also recently told a Senate committee of the Canadian Parliament that Canadian forces are struggling to meet their goals on existing funding.

Prime Minister Jean Chretién announced at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Prague last week that Canada will increase defense spending and will be part of NATO’s new rapid response force to combat terror. Canada has been named as a target, along with the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Australia in a recent communiqué believed to have been issued by Osama bin Laden to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Stogran’s command in Afghanistan, the first combat deployment of Canadian ground troops since the Korean War, saw the loss of four Canadian soldiers to friendly fire from an American military aircraft. Stogran will speak at 2:30 p.m. in room 390 York Lanes, York University, Keele Campus, 4700 Keele St.

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For further information, please contact:

Prof. David Mutimer	Susan Bigelow
York Centre for International & Security Studies	Media Relations
York University	York University
416-736-5156	416-736-2100, ext. 22091
dmutimer@yorku.ca	sbigelow@yorku.ca

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