Our politicians are at it again, bickering over dead soldiers. This time around it’s whether or not flags should be flown at half mast on Parliament Hill when soldiers are killed abroad, and whether the media should be permitted to be present at the repatriation of soldiers remains. The Globe and Mail covered the story, this morning, about the Government’s decision not to permit reporters to be present when the bodies of the four soldiers killed this weekend in Afghanistan arrive at CFB Trenton today.
Stephen Harper is playing with fire on this issue. By needlessly copying the American protocol for the return of the dead, which is widely criticized as a way to control the media, he is opening his government up to the same criticisms. Apparently, none of the families of the soldiers have objected to the presence of the media. Until there is such an objection, Harper should let reporters be present. To do otherwise is to risk the Liberals painting him as a George Bush clone.
More importantly, how about sending more equipment and money to the men and women still on the battlefield? Honour the memory of the fallen, not with flags and ceremonies, but with a real commitment to provide the tools that are needed to get the job done and safely bring our soldiers home.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
