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I don’t understand or agree with the Liberals Afghanistan posture |
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Written by Al Hollingsworth
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Sunday, 03 February 2008 |
On Saturday night, when they paused for the cause, and some 19,000-plus hockey fans rose to their feet and lustily cheered General Rick Hillier and representatives of various Canadian military units, I was proud to be a Canuck. For those who missed it, it occurred just prior to the dropping of the puck to start the game between Ottawa and Toronto.
If my reaction mirrored the average viewer, then the positive energy that flowed through the Air Canada Centre could be felt in the million or so homes tuned in from sea, to sea, to sea. It was, in a word, special.
Maybe the fact that I served some seven years as a member of the Canadian Army colours my thinking. I hope not. It was different during my time. We were peacekeepers, first and foremost. I did a tour of Cyprus and, although we were armed, we were under strict orders not to draw our weapons.
Today, our young men and women don’t have that stipulation. Theirs is a game of life and death. Sadly, at this writing, 79 young Canadians have been lost.
As we entered February we began the countdown to the 2009 deadline on the current mission. Do we extend it, withdraw, change the focus, or …..? The debate on this, over the next 12 months will be unending.
Afghanistan is, to put it mildly, a turbulent country. It has been since the “Big bang” or God’s Creation, take your pick. Solving their problems and flushing out the terrorists cannot be mandated by a government or an advisory panel, such as the one headed by John Manley. It will take years to undo and remake centuries of problems.
Three federal parties, Liberals, NDP and the Bloc are in favour of terminating the mission and, in the NDP case, bringing the troops home now - an impractical and yes, silly posture. The Bloc are just being the Bloc.
My disappointment lies with the federal Liberals and their constant carping about the current mission. Didn’t they sent them there in the first place?
Frankly, the Liberals are not friendly to our Forces. It was another Grit, Paul Hellyer, who drove me and hundreds, if not thousands others from the Forces, with his unification program of the mid-60s.
Back to today. If the Grits think that changing the mission, putting the emphasis on rebuilding while leaving the troops there will save lives, they are living in a world none of us can reach without the help of chemicals.
Moreover, I want them to answer the 79 families who have lost a loved one; what was the point? As I see it, if we pull back, these individuals will have died for naught.
When Jean Chretien said no to George W. Bush and refused to commit troops to the invasion (that’s what it was, and is) of Iraq, Canadians were in complete accord. It was one of his finest hours.
Our involvement in Afghanistan is different. We joined that fight as a result of the 2001 terrorist attack on the United States. For those with short memories, 24 Canadians were among the 3,000 who died on September 11.
We went there to flush out the terrorists, and to suppress the Taliban. We should stay there until the job is done.
(Al Hollingsworth is a retired journalist who served with the Canadian Provost Corps)
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