A statement by S151 Senator Hugh Segal on the Afghan mission –
Honourary Member RMC Club
Colleagues,
I rise to express the profound hope that the Parliament of Canada, most notably the House of Commons, will see its way clear to modify its resolution of March 13, 2008 and agree to the continued deployment of Canadian humanitarian and military forces in the ongoing engagement in Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister is to be commended for staying fast and true to the resolution on end of Kandahar province combat of 2011. But that faithfulness does not negate the need for vision and renewed commitment now.
Afghanistan is a critical theatre in an important war against terrorism which is and remains a scourge on humanity. Canadian troops have spent too much blood and grief and shown too much courage and progress to end the engagement before realistic stability goals are attained. A minority parliament does not justify a failure of will or avoidance of international responsibility.
The nature and mix of our deployment there may change, that is for elected parliamentarians to decide – but Canada’s commitment to fight the pathologies of terrorism in a part of the world where they are most intense must not.