Does the $7.5 billion include the $1.3 billion for tanks? I'm only asking....

Afghan mission to run $1 billion over budget: report

Last Updated: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:50 PM ET The Canadian Press

The Conservative government is downplaying a report that the Afghanistan mission will run $1 billion over budget this fiscal year after a series of cost over-runs.

The Tories did not deny the budget blowout for 2007-08 reported Tuesday in Montreal's La Presse newspaper.

They simply warned that the figure cited by the newspaper was based on preliminary estimates that cannot be confirmed until after the end of the fiscal year later this month.

Documents obtained under the Access to Information Act indicate the mission has cost Canadian taxpayers at least $7.5 billion since 2001.

Half of that total consists of annual cost over-runs.