O'Toole says Conservatives will not recognize Taliban as legitimate government of Afghanistan

Erin O'Toole released a statement on Monday, in which he made clear that a Conservative government in Canada would not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

In the statement, O'Toole states that his heart "breaks for the people of Afghanistan, especially the women and girls who now live under this cruel, remorseless, and oppressive regime."

O'Toole continues: "I am also thinking about our Afghan veterans and their families, many of whom are watching their friends, and the people who they fought alongside, be hunted down and indiscriminately murdered by the Taliban."

"The use of force by the Taliban is completely unacceptable and that's why today I am announcing that a Conservative government will not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan," O'Toole wrote. "A Conservative government will also commit to ensuring that aid provided to the Afghan people does not end up in the hands of the Taliban regime."

"The situation in Afghanistan is devastating and Justin Trudeau has to answer for why he abandoned these people," the statement concludes.

The Trudeau government has been more ambiguous in their position on whether or not it would acknowledge the hostile regime.

On Monday's CBC Power and Politics, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau could not definitively answer whether the Liberals would support a Taliban-led Afghanistan.

When asked if Canada would refuse to recognize a Taliban government, Garneau said:  "Right now, it is early days. We want to see what happens."

"The country has essentially surrendered to the Taliban," he added. "The Taliban is saying it wants to run as a government. But we’re going to wait and see, so it’s too early to answer that question."