This poll in the Globe and Mail suggests that almost half of Canadians (or G&M readers at least) do not believe that Canada should be helping the war on terror in Afghanistan. Never mind that the country has been liberated from the Taliban’s stone age rule, that girls are back in school and that the country finally has a chance to succeed under its new President and government.
If Canadians don’t even support a fully UN (don’t get me started) mandated operation that can be seen to have benefits, how can we even pretend to have a meaningful voice in the world? Any takers for a bet that the same cowardly 47% also don’t approve of George W Bush? Thought not.
The most startling hypocrisy is closer to home that most Canadians even dare think about. After years of neglecting the military, the Liberals have left the country effectively defenceless. They calculated that if any uppity nation attacked Canada that the US would act in our defence since we have a long unprotected border. So, a mostly defenceless nation depends on a stronger friend for help in a time of crisis. But that’s just theory unless a bunch of drunken Minnesotan hunters up for a weekend of armed mayhem decide to shoot the Bare Naked Ladies instead of actual bears it’s an unlikely thought.
But in Afghanistan its real - they need the help of a more powerful friend. It shows just how poor Afghanis are that they even consider Canada powerful. And yet here we have the G&M readership ready to cut and run and bugger the consequences. Imagine how those same poll trolls would react if the US decided to let Canada defend itself and do nothing…..
