Canada wants to drop out of a defensive alliance with us because they suffered a 0.5% KIA rate? Pathetic. Are the rest of our NATIO allies that weak?
Canada war ping
The media spin on this story is backwards.
Canada’s original committment was until 2007. The Minority Conservative government has managed to push an extention through twice—to 2009, and now, until 2011, and even that, is not a “hard” deadline—stating some kind of a date was the only way our Conservative Minority Government was going to get the extention passed—also, keep in mind, that the current agreement with the Afghanistan Government (The Afghanistan Compact) ends in 2011.
Canada's KIA rate is larger on a per capita basis than any of the other NATO allies.
Canadian Forces are in the hottest theatre in Afghanistan, with robust ROE and without the kind of caveats that are keeping the forces of allies like France and Germany in the relatively less active north.
The Canadian Conservative government wants to finish the job. It is a minority government. The Liberals and NDP want to leave with the job unfinished.
Harper has maneuvered the Grits into going along with a two year extension after their leader had proclaimed that he was prepared to fight an election on his position that the mission NOT be extended.
Look to your own liberals if you want to see something "pathetic", one of whom is about to win your presidency.