Canada Day Afghan tribute rejected by military: documents
OTTAWA — Military planners have trod delicately on how best to remind the country of the sacrifices of Canadian Forces members in Afghanistan, raising concerns about potential political and public sensitivities, newly released documents show.
That led military brass to ultimately recommend abandoning plans for a noontime ceremony on Parliament Hill this coming Canada Day that would have commemorated the mission.
Inside the Defence Department, preparations are underway for a series of war commemorations aimed at making sure Canadians never forget the 12 years that their military personnel spent in the warravaged country, where 158 of them died.
Documents obtained by the Liberal party under the Access to Information Act show that “Operation Distinction” — a campaign mandated by Prime Minister Stephen Harper — is proposing a series of high-profile events in the coming years to help celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017.
Along with the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the 75th anniversary of the Second World War, the Afghanistan campaign is high on the priority list of military planners.
However, the documents show military officials expressing concern about offending the sensibilities of the Harper government as well as the general public.
“While it is clear that this decision was made deliberately, the fact that it is so heavily weighted towards Afghanistan may be problematic given GoC expectation,” states an Aug. 12, 2013, army briefing note that uses the acronym for Government of Canada.
The internal Defence documents describe a proposed timetable of “Afghanistan Commemoration” that would stretch to 2019. The plan is included among 300 pages of documents released to the Liberal party.
Among the major events proposed for this year were a Highway of Heroes relay run for May, as well as a high-profile presence on Parliament Hill this coming Canada Day.
However, the July 1 option was rejected because “mixed messaging with militarization of Canada Day” and “potential higher security threat” were cited as disadvantages. The recommended option was a “traditional Military Parade with Flypast and speeches” for the Victoria Day weekend that would be co-ordinated with the scheduled May 11-14 Highway of Heroes Run.
Defence Minister Rob Nicholson’s office declined to say which of the options — if any — might be considered.