Canadians love their men and women in uniform but they’re not so keen on the mission in Afghanistan, pollster Ipsos-Reid finds in a survey it published today.
The pollsters says 86 per cent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that “our armed forces are doing a good job in Afghanistan.”
But the pollster also found that 49 per cent also agreed with the statement: “Canada should pull its military out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.”
And, so far as allegations of prisoner abuse by Canadian army personnel are concerned, Canadians, by and large, seem to think this is small potatoes:
- 73% agree that “whatever is reported back, it is probably an extremely isolated circumstance and not widespread among the Canadian forces”;
- 63% agree with the statement “I don’t believe that our Canadian troops are involved with torturing combatant prisoners”
- 39% say they “don’t have a problem with our Canadian troops roughing up or manhandling combatant and Taliban prisoners because it’s a war zone”.
We are there to hold those who gave us 9-11, plus those who enabled them, plus those who did not lift a finger to dissuade one of the blights of the 21st. Century that they were wrong.
Take a look at their track record, and frankly it is a record that I would not want to defend.
So, I can see why some would object to this, because
it is always easier to pass the buck than it is to own up to mistakes.
With respect to the results of the Ipsos Reid poll: the poll does show that most Canadians support what we are trying to do in Afghanistan. When a pollster asks “should Canada should pull its military out of Afghanistan as soon as possible?” , there is no logical answer but 'yes'. The question's results cannot be interpreted as a repudiation of Canada's mission, after all, who would not want our soldiers to return “as soon as possible”!
Canadians do not like war (no sane human could) but thankfully there are many who remember and many who have determined that the cost to sustain freedom and human rights can be heavy. Canadians know they can lighten that cost by offering only reassuring words and superficial actions–but we are a bigger people.