As Canada’s Members of Parliament are gathering in order to discuss Canada’s role in Afghanistan it would seem the eyes of the Taliban are upon us. An article from Canoe.ca reports that terrorists see this meeting as a sign that Canada’s resolve in the fight against terrorism is weakening.
For many years now Canada’s role in various conflicts has been one of peacekeeping. We’re world renowned for this role and have always been proud of it but could our long-time identity as a peaceful military be hurting us?
A message from a Taliban spokesperson suggests this may be so. Qari Yuosaf Ahmedi is quoted as saying, “We think that when we kill enough Canadians they will quit war and return home.”
It’s true that support for Canada’s new role in the Middle East is cause for debate these days, with many Canadians becoming less supportive of the war as the Canadian troops’ death toll rises. Canadians are not accustomed to having our troops arrive home in coffins. This new phase in our fight against terrorists is one Canadians are having a difficult time adjusting to but we have to ask ourselves—is it in our best interest to pull out now?
Don’t get me wrong, as a military wife I hate the thought of war as much as the next person…maybe even a little bit more. In the days after September 11th I felt myself cringe when President Bush started throwing words around like “act of war” and “crusades”. There is no doubt that the bombing of the Twin Towers was an act of war but hearing it aloud from a man who has the power to send troops to war, even if those troops are American and not our own Canadian troops, probably made military families all over North America more than a little nervous.
As time has passed my thoughts and opinions about Canada’s role in this war have gone through many changes. I admit I was relieved at first when our Prime Minister didn’t join the war in Iraq and yes, this was for purely selfish reasons. I didn’t want my husband to go to war. As time goes on, though, I’ve debated Canada’s role in the Middle East many times, both with myself and others, and have come to a startling conclusion. I really don’t think Canada can afford to stay out of the war on terror.
Sure, we’d all love to be able to keep our role as peacekeepers going on forever; never having to engage in combat or lose a single life. God knows the world would be a better place if that was the reality for all countries and not just Canada. I just can’t help but think that we really don’t live in that world anymore.
The Taliban wants to chase us back home. They want to view us as weak and threaten our troops’ lives in an attempt to continue their horrible mission unchallenged. We can’t let them. If we back out now and are perceived to be weak we’re just opening ourselves up to more terrorist activity later. No one likes a war and Canadians, as a whole, tend to shun it more than most, but if we don’t stand up and draw the line now there’s a good chance we’ll open ourselves up to more terrorist activity down the road. Will it take our own September 11th for us to wake up and see what happens when terrorists are allowed to roam free? I don’t want to see another Canadian soldier killed either but now is not the time to lose our resolve. Let’s stand strong in support of both Canadian soldiers and our role in Afghanistan. The safety of our future may depend on it.
To view the full article referenced in this post click here.