STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada’s chief of defence staff, says last week’s terrorist attack “just tells us once more we can’t let up.”
Posted on 07/15/2005 5:32:33 PM PDT by NorthOf45
Canada urged to go after `scumbags'
General evokes fight against Nazis
Active role for troops pushed
Bruce Campion-Smith
Ottawa Bureau
July 15, 2005
STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada’s chief of defence staff, says last week’s terrorist attack “just tells us once more we can’t let up.”
OTTAWA—Canada must take its fight against "detestable murderers and scumbags" to the failed states abroad where they are allowed to "spread their venom," the country's top general said yesterday.
Comparing the situation to that of the fight against Nazi Germany, a tough-talking Gen. Rick Hillier says the attacks against the London transit system just over a week ago underscore the need for Canada's military to take an active role in places like Afghanistan.
"I think the London attack just tells us once more we can't let up," Hillier said during a luncheon with reporters.
He said Canada must be ready to battle "those who would help terrorists and murderers and killers like Al Qaeda ... and the Taliban who would help them regain power."
Without taking action, Canada risks having that instability "come home to roost" here, said Hillier, the chief of defence staff.
Hillier made his comments just as the military gets set to take on a more dangerous role in Afghanistan. In just over a week, some 250 Edmonton-based troops will depart for Kandahar as part of a reconstruction team meant to help stabilize the southern part of the country.
By February, there will be 1,500 Canadian soldiers in Kandahar. One of their duties will be the dangerous mission of chasing down Taliban extremists.
"We're actually going there to take down the folks who are trying to still blow up men and women in Afghanistan and still provide a base for an organization like Al Qaeda to grow its venom," Hillier said.
But the general warned yesterday that people should brace for injuries, perhaps even fatalities, among Canada's military and suggested that the public might be in the dark about the looming dangers of this new role.
"The possibilities of taking casualties are always there ... I do think there needs to be an awareness across Canada that we're in a dangerous business," Hillier said.
And he added a plug for his troops, saying citizens need to voice their support for men and women in uniform.
Confronted with the question of whether Canada's greater visibility in Afghanistan could prompt terror attacks here, Hillier likened the atmosphere today to the mood in 1939 when Canadians were called on to fight Nazi Germany.
"Did they say `No, because we might be attacked over here if we actually go and stand up against those despicable murderous bastards'?" Hillier said.
"They went and did it because it was right. I think it's exactly the same thing now. We need to take a stand," he said.
He said that Canada — a member of the G-8, a flourishing Western nation — is already on the terror hit list and terrorists are out to "break our society."
"It doesn't matter whether we are in Afghanistan or any place in the world. We are going to be a target in their sights," he said.
"They detest our freedoms, they detest our society, they detest our liberties," he said.
"We're not going to let those radical murderers and killers rob from others and we're certainly not going to let them rob from Canada," said Hillier, who spared few adjectives in describing the terrorists.
On the home front, Hillier said the London attacks also underscore the urgency to move fast with changes to make the Canadian forces more responsive to crises, like a terror attack, here at home.
Hillier revealed that within hours after the bombs exploded in London, Canada's military moved to ensure it was ready to cope with any incident here.
That included checking the readiness of the secretive commando team, known as JTF2, and its beefed up chemical-biological response squad. As well, the military ensured that fighter jets were ready to scramble and it stepped up vigilance of maritime traffic off both coasts.
"Immediately after hearing something had occurred in London, we verified our readiness to respond if something ... occurred in Canada," Hillier said.
In the wake of the London attacks, which killed at least 54 and wounded more than 700, Hillier said he offered the assistance of Canada's military to the British but so far there has been no request.
Over the coming year, Canada Command, established on July 1, will take over responsibility for the military's readiness to respond to a domestic incident. Hillier said the command will prepare contingency plans and conduct dress rehearsals for domestic disasters.
Ping
JTF2 will play a role too ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1443894/posts
Nice to see there's still some real Canadians. :-)
If the London attacks served as a wakeup call for Canada, perhaps some good came out of it.
Such determined, unequivocal & masculine words. I hope the chief is allowed to keep his job.
I'm an American living on the US-Canadian border. I've defended Canada on numerous occasions her at FR, in the face of serious vitriol from fellow Freepers. The General's above statement is why I did that.
A reminder to fellow Freepers: the Province of Quebec and the Canadian Ottawa government do not represent the opinion of the majority of Canadians.
So bear that in mind the next time you are looking to slime our northern cousins....
There is even one French Freeper and occasionally I see a Canadian like yourself but come on you guys are few and far between.
The Terrorists or us in the Red States...
In memory of when Canada had gonads...
Yet their government seems to think the we in the United States are the enemy.
Thank you for seeing the reality of the situation in Canada, and for standing by us while our government is run by corrupt socialists, elected by the best of the left. (barf).
We have never been a 'melting pot', and are reaping the rewards of that policy.
The good General doesn't have to leave Canada to find the 'spreading venom'. Canada and it's people aren't what I once thought they were.
I became so involved, I forgot to ping.
Sorry!
PING !
The RCMP is tracking several potential terror cells in Canada. Two Canadian cities are vulnerable to a London style attack ... Toronto and Montreal. Of the two cities, Toronto is the more likely target.
Thanks for the post (and pics on your bio page). Outstanding!
I hope General Hillier's personal security team will be beefed up now, because those kind of fightin' words will make HIM a target for the Islamofascist scumbags that he has properly labeled.
Now if General Hillier wanted to REALLY do a service for Canada, he would organize a military coup and arrest the corrupt and criminal Liberals who have run Canada AND her military into the ground for the past 12+ years, establish an interim military government with two prime missions, (1), root out ALL terrorist cells within Canada that have been tolerated WAY too long by the Chretien/Martin Lieberals, (2) Give Quebec a choice: a.) either GTFO of Canada, and do it today, or b.) STFU and start shooting seperatists whenever they open their damn mouths.
Yes, yes, I know: too extreme and too radical a solution.
At least they could do away with that useless position of "Governor General", I thought Canada didn't want a Queen? Well, looks like they still have one in that Clarkson broad.
Just my .02, your mileage may vary.
What is this guy doing in a military uniform of Canada? Rather provocative comments from the kindly northerners. Sure isn't going to be welcomed at the next webelos scout and armed forces combined defense meeting.
This guy makes another rant like that and he will be doing hard time in the Yukon. Lighten up, eh?
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