Just as Canadians are about to commemorate the sacrifices of this country’s soldiers at war- and peace-time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appears poised to flip-flop on his position about pulling troops from Afghanistan in 2011. We can only use the term “appears” since the Harper government hasn’t confirmed anything, at least as of this writing, and has left the nation to speculate about the future of the mission that reportedly could lead to Canada keeping up to 1,000 troops and support personnel on a training mission beyond 2011.
Canadians and its military personnel and families deserve clear, concise answers about the future of the Afghan mission, which in its eighth year has claimed the lives of 152 soldiers to date — a mission that is increasingly unpopular with the masses.
No Canadian is served by news of Canada’s possible role change coming not from official government channels but leaked through the media on the weekend, forcing Defence Minister Peter MacKay to address — but not confirm — the situation on Sunday. The unclear direction makes it appear like Canada is caving to heavy international lobbying from its allies like the United States to maintain a military presence in Afghanistan. Harper will apparently have more to say on the matter in two weeks after a NATO meeting in Portugal.
Speculation about the Afghan mission comes just days before Canadians reflect about the sacrifices of our military on Remembrance Day, and a new poll suggests Afghanistan will weigh heavily on many minds in this country. The Ipsos Reid survey found younger Canadians know more about the war in Afghanistan than either of the two world wars. The Afghanistan war solicited the most correct responses for an average score of 69 per cent, but those numbers were highest among young adults 18 to 34, who scored an average of 72 per cent. This same age group scored just 59 per cent when queried about the First World War and 57 per cent for the Second World War.
Those results should shock no one given the war in Afghanistan is living history while the world wars are remembered by a shrinking number, taught in history books to younger generations. While the poll shows we’re not doing a good enough job teaching history, it also underscores how much awareness — and through that comes appreciation — there is about the current role of our military personnel in Afghanistan and the sacrifices they’re making under the most challenging of circumstances. The work of Canadian soldiers in that country deserves to be remembered alongside historic efforts in the First and Second World Wars, Korean War and peacekeeping roles that followed.
As in generations past, we’re witnessing a transition where Remembrance Day becomes less about history books of great battles and truly remembering the experiences and honourable efforts of mom, dad, sister, brother or neighbour on the soil of Afghanistan. It’s just unfortunate that as military personnel and families gather tomorrow to remember those sacrifices they’re left wondering about the future and what’s to come.
