Academics often accuse politicians of wanting to rewrite history to suit their own purposes. Janet Gross Stein (Bravo For Soldiers Of Peace -- Nov. 16), it seems, is now willing to perform that task on our behalf.
She argues that Canada's soldiers are being sent to Afghanistan to do what they do best -- "secure humanitarian space." They should not be sent to engage in combat, for this would be un-Canadian. According to the professor, the main task of our military should be to protect civilians during times of war. To do otherwise would go against many years of Canadian tradition.
Thus, Canadians are best suited for peacekeeping and, while our forces need to retain combat skills, they should never expect to use them except in self-defence while protecting others.
Prof. Stein's "tradition" is a fabrication. The purpose of our military has always been to fight wars, when called on, along with our allies. The Canadian Forces have always trained for war and they expect to be sent to war. It is precisely because our soldiers train for mid- to high-intensity combat that they have the requisite skills and discipline for peacekeeping.
And what message is Prof. Stein sending to our allies, especially the Americans? It seems to be: "You fight the wars and we will take credit for the peace." Hardly an equitable contract.
MP for Nepean-Carleton and chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs