Mr. Merritt has raised some good points about Harper's arrogance and heavy hand in his letter "Conservatives undermined what veterans fought for." It should be said up front that Canada's veterans deserve our respect for their courage and loyalty. They also make excellent ambassadors for Canada abroad. Secondly, it's clear that none of the previous Conservative or Liberal governments have given the veterans a fair shake, even though the conservatives said they cared more for veterans.
That said, many Canadians and nations around the world disagree with Mr. Merritt on how Canada should act on the world stage. He must have missed the surveys of international opinion putting Canada at or near the top in countries that were admired. Many had the opinion that Canada had a principled and ethical approach to what was happening in the world. In other words, Harper's strong position against despots like Putin and Assad and support for Israel were admired. :iberal journalists hated this because it forced them to take a moral position, which often put them on the same side as dictators.
For a soldier, Mr. Merritt says some odd things about soldiers used as blunt objects. They are equipped with lethal automatic weapons, flak jackets and bulletproof helmets. They drive around in tanks and armoured vehicles. This is not the best gear for helping little kids get educated in schools. Face it, you have to have peace before you can keep it, and soldiers establish the peace. Not that I agree with lengthy intervention in other countries like Iraq, I don't. However, if Canadians are going to try and establish peace in the Middle East, they had better rewrite their Rules of Engagement or we will need a lot more body bags.
The Liberals started the peacekeeping role years ago because it allowed them to play up Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize and especially to avoid making hard decisions that could get soldiers killed. That doesn't play very well in Quebec and every leader needs Quebec. Sucking up to the UN for approval was to make us look like a good international player. Of course, the UN wouldn't give Harper even a passing grade, it's infested with dictators, many of whom condone serious human rights violations.
Lastly, Harper had a majority just like Chrétien did but he didn't choke protestors on the street or physically threaten his MPs in his chambers, as has been alleged for da liddle guy. Didn't Chrétien just decide out of the blue that we would send soldiers to Afghanistan? It's a bit of a stretch to say that Harper bent the democratic process and the rule of law! And it's the function of Parliament to challenge drastic changes in the law made by the unelected Supremes. The Supreme Court never used to write the laws until Pierre Trudeau changed the rules.
Trudeau is in charge now. His new friends ISIS, Putin, Ping and likely Fidel, should make us wonder what we just did.
W. Whitney, St. Albert
