Harper Government Ignores Fallen Soldiers
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Conservative Version of the American Approach of Hiding War’s Ugly Realities
By Myles Higgins
Tuesday was a very sad day for Canada in more ways than one. It was a day when we saw four more of our fallen soldiers return home from the war in Afghanistan, or to be more accurate, we didn’t see them come home.
Taking a page from George Bush’s book on public manipulation, the current Conservative government has decided not to permit media to show pictures of the flag draped remains of Cpl. Matthew Dinning, Cpl. Randy Payne, Bombardier Myles Mansell and Lieut. William Turner as they returned to Canada one last time. In addition to barring the media from presenting such pictures, flags in the nation’s capital will not be lowered to half mast in the standard display of respect for the fallen.
What has this Country come too? How can the people of Canada just sit back and let the government pretend that those men never existed. It may sound harsh to put it that way, but how else can I say it? By allowing our government to hide the return of our fallen soldiers and refuse to lower the flags on Parliament Hill, we are all a party to turning a blind eye on our dead. The government has brushed aside our Country’s grief. The only possible reason for doing so is to head off any potential growth of anti-war sentiment, and the saddest part of all this is that the move has barely caused more than a grumble or two among the general population.
What does that say about us? Practically every man, woman and child in this country is related to, or at the very least, knows someone in the Armed Forces. This fact is especially true in Newfoundland and Labrador where the small population base (about 500,000, less than 2% of Canada’s population) have supplied about 10% of the men and women defending the nation. Thankfully none of those returning this week are from the Province but that doesn’t lessen the feelings of shared loss being experienced.
Those brave young men answered the call of our government and our Country. They gladly put their lives on the line and in the end they paid the ultimate price. Now our government has turned its back on them and we as a people are putting up with it.
I’m sure Mr. Harper understands quite well that in any war there will always be those who support the cause and those who oppose it. That’s a simple reality that will never change. At present there is a reasonable level of support for the mission in Afghanistan and an absolute unquestioned level of support for the young people we’ve sent over there. That said, the tactic the Prime Minister has now taken of trying to hide the truth from the public, can only serve to erode the support he now has for the mission. Canadian’s are not afraid to stand and deliver when asked to do so but one thing we should never stand for is a government trying to soft sell and sugar coat a conflict for us.
Yes, the body count is climbing higher. Yes that is very upsetting to many. Yes, questions are being asked, but if the PM believes for one minute that the American style approach of hiding the war’s ugly realities from the people will somehow help him maintain support he is sadly mistaken. With over 250 million people in the U.S. and with around the clock news coverage of topics like terrorism, urban crime, Iraq, Iran and the disaster on the Gulf Coast, George Bush may be able to quietly bring home bodies without too much of a fuss. We don’t have to let that happen here. Stephen Harper is not George Bush, Canada is not the size of the U.S., our headlines are not already clogged with multiple levels of crisis and we as a people should not let Stephen Harper get away with slipping this reality past us.
It’s time we stood up for our brave men and women in uniform and it’s time we told Prime Minister Harper exactly what we think of this lack of respect for our fallen soldiers. The men and women in Canada’s military should be able to expect that much from us at the very least.
Myles is freelance columnist and commentator originally from the central region of Newfoundland. He now resides with his wife and a terminally lazy Terrier named “Molson” in the beautiful town of Portugal Cove – St. Philips, Newfoundland “Where the sun meets the sea”.
Myles’ interest in Newfoundland and Labrador political and social issues is obvious in his writing for several publications and on his own web site, Web Talk – Newfoundland and Labrador. A site where Myles dedicates his time to providing an open commentary and discussion forum on newsworthy items of the day.
@ April 26, 2006