Harper’s ‘NDP didn’t support war against Hitler’ prompts Twitter history lesson, The Conservatives continued to hammer the NDP Friday for its non-support for Canada’s military mission against Nazi Germany in the Second World War, despite the fact the party didn’t exist at the time.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper twice admonished NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair this week for questions on an possible extension to the Afghanistan mission by saying the NDP didn’t even support the fight against Hitler.

Foreign Minister John Baird and Conservative backbencher Scott Armstrong repeated the reference again Friday in the House of Commons.

“The NDP don’t support sending troops abroad for anything,” Baird said during Friday morning’s question period. “Let us look at what the former leader of the NDP-CCF when he said the following. ‘I would ask whether we are to risk the lives of our Canadian sons to prevent the actions of Hitler.’ You know who said that, it was the former leader of the NDP-CCF, J.S. Woodsworth.”

NDP MP Peggy Nash called the Conservative’s accusations a “historical parody” during a scrum following question period.

Canadians had a bit of fun with the Conservative’s interesting line of attack on the NDP — who are in a statistical dead heat with the Tories according to a new poll.

Under the hashtag #harperhistory, Twitter users suggested a few new lines for the Conservative playbook. That hashtag, along with ‘NDP” and ‘Hitler’ were all trending nationally Friday afternoon.

As for actual history, Harper was referring to the CCF, the precursor to the NDP, whose pacifist leader Woodsworth opposed the motion to go to war. However, the majority of CCF MPs, including Tommy Douglas, voted for the motion.

Liberal Prime Minister Mackenzie King actually praised Woodsworth for his conviction of conscience on the vote, which seems more than a tad bizarre for those only familiar with today’s bitterly partisan House of Commons.

Mulcair’s questions on Afghanistan followed reports that the U.S has asked Canada to keep its special forces in the wartorn country post-2014.

Harper has said Canada has not received a “specific request” but has not outright deny that his government would consider leaving some soldiers within Afghanistan.

Leaving Canada’s special forces to work in Afghanistan would be an attractive proposition for the Conservatives. The special forces work in secret, have not sustained a direct fatality during their 10-year involvement in the Afghan conflict and are highly respected by their NATO allies.