Canada’s Mali mission

Re: Mission in Mali ‘changes nothing,’ Jan. 9

The refusal of the Liberals to extend the mission in Mali as they have been asked, is strictly an election decision. There was no widespread support for any mission, and after making a peacekeeping promise the Liberals dragged their heels on it, until finally settling on Mali. Any peacekeeping mission — although to be fair that term is really not applicable anymore — carries risks that some of our soldiers may end up as casualties. We have been fortunate so far, and by stopping flying in July, the Liberals are gambling that our luck will hold, and they can go into the October election without having to explain deaths in Mali, on a mission that achieved nothing.