From the House yesterday, Laurie Hawn, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence, cites the human rights and international law authority of Don Cherry on one of the more complicated moral questions of modern global conflict.
From the House yesterday, Laurie Hawn, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence, cites the human rights and international law authority of Don Cherry on one of the more complicated moral questions of modern global conflict.
Mr. Speaker, after spending last week in Afghanistan, I rise today to pay tribute to the men and women of the Canadian Forces, the RCMP, members of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Canadian Border Services Agency, Corrections Canada and others who are doing tremendous work and delivering results under very difficult circumstances. I want to take this opportunity to remind all members of the House to appreciate the efforts and dedication of the members of our whole of government team who are doing a tremendous job and making Canada proud in a difficult land on the far side of the world.
Our people are doing terrific work and are making a real difference in the lives of the Afghan people. Just the other night a revered CBC sports commentator said, “The one thing soldiers always say to me is, the message that we want to put to these politicians and the people, ‘Hey, be more worried about us, the guys that do it, than the Taliban that is trying to blow us up.'” Grapes get it, our government gets it, the Canadian people get it, and in the words of Don Cherry, I say amen to that.
For four years now, the government has publicly worried that various members of the House hold some sympathy for the enemy. Perhaps now it is time for the government to summon the courage of its convictions and formally pursue these charges. For sure, Mr. Cherry would seem a fine choice to head up such an official inquiry.