The Council replies: Letters to the editor
Atlantic casualties

By Brent Patterson
The Daily News (Halifax)
November 20, 2007
Re: David Rodenhiser's column, How Naive Does This Left-Wing Group Think We Are, in the Nov. 15 Daily News.

Rodenhiser attacks the Council of Canadians for opposing military recruiting in high schools, but he should be asking why so many Atlantic Canadians are dying in Afghanistan.

The war has not been kind to Atlantic Canadians. Between 2002 and April 2007, 53 Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, 21 of them - roughly 40 per cent - were born or grew up in the Atlantic provinces.

Moreover, Esprit de Corps magazine recently reported that 620 Canadians have been wounded or killed in Afghanistan since 2001. Another report found that about 28 per cent of the 2,700 Canadian soldiers screened after serving in Afghanistan were found to have symptoms of one or more mental-health problems, including depression, panic disorders and suicidal tendencies.

Are these facts featured in recruiting efforts in schools? Is this the career path most parents would want for their children?

Rodenhiser argues that the military is a good career option. But he should ask why 23 per cent of military recruits come from Atlantic Canada, while 7.2 per cent of Canada's population lives in this region. Clearly, Atlantic Canadians have rejected Prime Minister Stephen Harper's view of them as having a "culture of defeat," and are seeking the best jobs available. Still, economic development for any region of Canada should be something more than simply a bigger army.

The full picture of life (and death) in the military is not given to our youths in the stylish recruiting efforts of the Canadian Armed Forces. They should not be let into our schools. Our children deserve a better future.

Brent Patterson, Director of Organizing and Campaigns, The Council of Canadians

Visit canadians.org/action to see recent action alerts.