I cannot vote for the Conservatives because:
On Sept. 3 the Globe & Mail reported that Canadian bombs had killed as many as 27 civilians during a bombing raid in Iraq. Canada’s military and presumably the man (Stephen Harper) who authorized this bungled mission apparently believe that this is not important. I consider this type of wanton disregard for human life to be a criminal activity. The Canadian Armed forces hide behind the Law of Armed Conflict about which I know nothing. I do know that killing innocent people is a crime, it certainly would be a crime in Canada and why would it be any different in Iraq?
I cannot vote for the Conservatives because they apparently believe that accidentally killing civilians is acceptable when the reason for the bomb is to kill “suspected” terrorists. Hopefully being “suspected” does not now make one guilty in Canada; why would Canada behave differently towards others who are not even in our country and have committed no crimes in our country? Is acceptable behaviour different in Canada than it is in Syria, or Iraq, anywhere?
In addition to the lack of morality I suspect that the damage to our “cause” from our indiscriminate killing far outweighs any benefits. It is unlikely that the families and friends of those that die are endeared to Canada. More probable is that every child under 20 watching family and friends struggle and die will perceive that Canada is a part of the evil axis that is the source of their misery. There are probably many angry young people living in towns destroyed by our bombs who want nothing more than to join any resistance to our imperial dominance. Even beyond that, is taking out (killing) the leaders of a popular uprising a sensible plan if you expect to stop the uprising? Probably not!
So not only is Canada’s mission in the Middle East an atrocity, it is also self defeating. This is what Stephen Harper stands for, he makes me ashamed to be Canadian.
Duncan Hume
Youbou