Protesters want Canadian troops out of Afghanistan

Demonstrators took to the streets in Canadian cities on Saturday, demanding the government end the mission in Afghanistan.

In Montreal, hundreds gathered for a march to a military base. In Ottawa, dozens were on Parliament Hill, while there was a small protest in Toronto and about 60 people demonstrated in Edmonton.

Peace groups organized the protests, to take place in 16 cities Saturday and Sunday.

The Canadian Peace Alliance, the umbrella group for Canadian activists, said in a release that the "pan-Canadian day of action" is aimed at getting the government to bring the 2,500 Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan home.

It also talks about the deaths of Afghan civilians, the increasing violence despite the higher number of foreign troops, the treatment of Afghan detainees and the government's secrecy about the war.

The Afghan mission could cost as much as $18.1 billion by 2011, when the government is to bring the soldiers home.

The fighting has cost the lives of 97 Canadian soldiers, a diplomat, and two aid workers.