Afghanistan is Worth Fighting For
THE OBSERVER – OCTOBER, 2006
Despite comments from some in my political party in recent weeks, I want to make it clear that I still support the effort of our troops in Afghanistan. Now is not the time to fold our tent and head home.
I respect those that have their opinion with regard to the counter-insurgency in Afghanistan. They have a right to speak their mind. Indeed, I think a debate on this issue is vital and a sign of how strong our democracy is.
And that is the precise reason we must continue to do our job in Afghanistan. Canada is the envy of the world. We have a thriving democracy in which the rights of all individuals are protected while ensuring the state can still accomplish much in support of the citizens – from public health care to minimum guaranteed incomes for seniors. We are a multi-cultural, bilingual society that respects diversity, not only in name, but in practice. And we have respect for the rule of law and the need for the rights of citizens to be protected.
Canada is truly unique amongst the nations of the world.
I have had the opportunity to work extensively in countries that have recently come out of a conflict – Cambodia, Kosovo and Iraq, for example. What I have learned from my experience is that the citizens of these countries want what we have – a country in which the citizens have the freedom to achieve their goals and a state that provides support and restraint where appropriate.
So why are so many Canadians afraid to put our money where our mouth is? Why are some Canadians unwilling to make sacrifices, as a nation, in the name of ensuring any citizen of the world has the same opportunity a citizen of Canada has? I suspect every Canadian wants everyone in the world to have what we have, but I fear that many see this as George Bush’s war.
Let me be clear, the conflict is not George Bush’s war. The United States was attacked on September 11, 2001 by a group that was supported by the Taliban Government in Afghanistan. As a member of NATO, when the United States was attacked, NATO declared that all members were to do what was necessary to address the problem. Canada is a member of NATO and we have an obligation to do our part.
Maybe some Canadians do not like that we are a member of NATO or that we are actively peace-making in Afghanistan. But for a nation that is relies on foreign trade as a basis of our standard of living, we cannot be isolationist. We must do our part.
Yes, we must support out troops, but I believe that those that oppose this action also support our troops. Yes, we must do our part within NATO, but suspect the vast majority of Canadians understand that we are part of an alliance.
In the end, this comes down to one fundamental question: Should Canada use its military to build and maintain peaceful, democratic nations throughout the world? Not only in Afghanistan, but in Kosovo and Sudan and Lebanon.
I believe we must see our troops as part of a larger team of Canadians that will work anywhere in the world to build and maintain a peace. There will always be a price to pay for such actions (anyone who thinks Darfur would not be a deadly mission is fooling themselves) but everyone in the world should have the right to self-determination and to choose their own government. Neither of which can be accomplished without some form of military support.
