Today, Canadians vote for a new Parliament.

As I have written previously, the New Democratic Party (NDP) is poised to make unprecedented gains and it is not implausible that NDP leader Jack Layton could end up as Canada’s next Prime Minister.

As a former card carrying NDPer, I would like to put out a word of caution to those Canadians who are considering voting for the NDP for the very first time. Canada has been in the thick of the fight in Afghanistan from the outset and the NDP has opposed Canada’s involvement every step of the way. It should not be forgotten that in September 2006 Layton advocated direct negotiations with the Taliban. It earned him the nickname “Taliban Jack.”

In light of the killing of Osama bin Laden, let us remember it was the Taliban who provided him sanctuary in Afghanistan. Let us also remember that life comes cheap to the Taliban. It was only last summer they flogged and executed a pregnant woman for having sex out of wedlock. The Taliban do not care about gender parity.

The idea that Jack Layton thinks the Taliban are amenable reason should give Canadians pause when they go to the polls today.