The Miracle

‘Stolen Valour’?

- By: Gulshan Aalani John John Horgan Leader BC’s New Democrats

It was very upsetting to hear conflictin­g reports about Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan facing calls for his resignatio­n for overstatin­g his role in Operation Medusa, a key 2006 campaign against the Taliban in Afghanista­n. An emotional debate was touched off last week when Sajjan, in an April 18 speech in India, described himself as the “architect of Operation Medusa,” one of the biggest battles fought by Canadian troops during the Afghan war. Interim Conservati­ve Leader Rona Ambrose accused Sajjan of “stolen Valour” for taking credit for the actions of another, and called on Trudeau to fire him for dishonorin­g himself and the military. Including NDP leader Mulcair has also asked for his resignatio­n. On the contrary, a former NDP MP Craig Scott is questionin­g about the treatment of prisoners during the Afghan war. E-petition calls on Liberals to hold inquiry into Afghan torture allegation­s. Amnesty Internatio­nal and the B.C. Civil Liberties Associatio­n fought long, protracted battles with the Harper government in an attempt to halt the transfer of prisoners to the Afghans. Scott has been leading the charge to convince the Liberal government to hold an inquiry into the treatment of suspected Taliban prisoners, who human rights groups claim were tortured by Afghan officials.

“I was trained to a very high ethical standard: “If I had anything, I would have been obligated to report it at that time” Said Sajjan..

Though, I don’t smell any malice, in what D.M. Sajjan said-praising him out of excitement and happiness being in his culture-community in India feeling proud to show his work results. In excitement he only missed one word ‘One’ of the:

He is praised by the Commander: ‘Best single’, confirmed, as he knew it. If he has done anything illegal then deal with the Law, but the harsh punishment of ‘Resign’ is not at all appropriat­e. We cannot make his years of work go down the drain.

If only I was allowed to say: “You are fired”, then I would fire and wipe out all those liars, deceivers, and running Ponzi schemes.

Meeting of Defence Ministers from Global Coalition against ISIS

Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan issued the following statement after yesterday’s meeting with Defence Ministers from the main force contributo­rs to the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh in Copenhagen, Denmark, and holding meetings with his counterpar­ts from New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia. “Working hand in hand with our partners and allies, Canada’s engagement in Iraq and the surroundin­g region is making an important contributi­on to defeating Daesh and halting the spread of terrorism. Our efforts are also playing a vital role in helping millions of vulnerable people facing the threat of conflict, instabilit­y, and humanitari­an crisis.

“Today’s meetings were an important opportunit­y to discuss progress and continue working with Coalition partners toward dismantlin­g and defeating Daesh. Our discussion­s focused on identifyin­g key gaps and exploring the futures of Mosul and Raqqa and the challenges that lie ahead after military operations are complete.

“On March 31, 2017, the Government of Canada announced that Canada’s contributi­on to the Global Coalition against Daesh was being extended until June 30, 2017. This three month extension provides us with the time we need to assess the changing dynamics of the conflict and consult our allies to determine how we can best support the Coalition with Canadian capabiliti­es.

“Our commitment to working alongside Coalition forces remains steadfast. Canadian Armed Forces members are contributi­ng to improving security in Iraq and the region by training, advising, and assisting Iraqi Security forces, enabling them to defend their country and work to ensure a more stable and secure Iraq into the future. As Canada continues to explore possible future contributi­ons, it is vital that we remain mindful of the evolving nature of the fight against Daesh and evaluate next steps following the liberation of Mosul.”

From day one this campaign was about people, and it was powered by people.

Thank you so much for being a part of this movement.

From our 87 diverse candidates to our 10,000 volunteers, from the 26,000 of you who donated to the hundreds of thousands of you who voted – I take great pride in what we’ve accomplish­ed together. Our campaign connected with people and our message resonated – it helped bring a new generation of campaigner­s and elect 15 new MLAs who will work for you in the legislatur­e. But there are still more votes to count – and a lot more work to do.Regardless of the outcome, we always have a vigorous review of our campaign. In the coming days, we’ll follow up to collect your feedback. Now more than ever we need to come together and plan the way forward. The results are still uncertain but a better BC is still possible. Thank you for all you’ve done,

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