Morale

The blaring silence from Canadian right wing commentators on the abysmal conditions facing wounded Iraq veterans can be excused. After all, that's a whole other country. And since our pal Stephen supports our active troops, they get the best of care. That's the Canadian way. Their kids are a different matter.

Thank goodness that nobody's questioning the validity of the mission in Afghanistan, that kind of talk effects the troops on the ground. That kind of talk hurts morale. Because criticism of the mission is like spitting on the faces of our brave soldiers. That's one of the talking points that the so-con/neo-con axis of weevils use to stem debate. This represents a trick of false equivalence that has become a signature of right wing evasion.

Questioning the mission and the wisdom of the mission's command is not the same thing as questioning the valour, skill or commitment of the men and women with their boots on dusty ground. Who would risk demoralizing those we ask to serve our dominion in perilous service? No-one. When the nation calls, they are the ones that answer. They accept that they may be called to leave their homes, families and loved ones. They understand that they might never return.

And since troop morale is indeed an important element of maintaining a fit and capable military, it behooves(!) our elected leaders to solve this little problem. The health and welfare of a soldiers children should not be a source of undue stress. I can't think of anything that would dampen morale like worrying that your son or daughter might be suffering a breakdown during and because of your absence.

From CTV (sorry I seem to have misplaced the link):

"Ont. soldiers' children denied mental health care
Updated Thu. Mar. 1 2007 8:11 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Dozens of children of Ontario-based soldiers serving in Afghanistan are being denied the mental health care they need amid a dispute over who will pay for the service, according to a report.
The Globe and Mail reported in its Thursday's edition that the provincial and federal governments can't agree on who should pay for the therapy sought for the more than 40 children who suffered mental trauma in their parents' absence.
About 90 military families have sought assistance at the Phoenix Centre for Children and Families, which serves Renfrew County, including CFB Petawawa. In 2005, only 10 families sought help."

So the children of soldiers sit on four month waiting lists. Buck up soldiers, we'll get back to you after we play some politics.

"There's now a four-month waiting list for treatment for such conditions as attention deficit disorder and anxiety, Phoenix Centre executive director and therapist Greg Lubimiv said Wednesday,
Lubimiv told the newspaper he has petitioned both Queen's Park and Ottawa for more funding.
But so far, the defence department has rebuffed the requests, saying it only looks after the mental health of soldiers, not their families."

The defence department and the feds are pointing their finger at Queen's Park calling it a provincial responsibility. Ontario is crying that they've spent 3% more. But it isn't enough. So Ottawa and Toronto play a game of 'is not', 'is too' and the kids go without help. That is unacceptable. Military communities are vulnerable to all of the collateral stresses of war time. While soldiers are deployed, their children live in single parent homes. They live with the constant, helpless fear that an absent mother or father might be injured or killed. When those children start to act out or exhibit signs of traumatic stress, how can we not help them?

Requests for treatment services have gone up 900% in the small community of Renfrew County, which includes CFB Petawawa. For the sake of the children of our active duty soldiers, I hope that the various levels of government get their heads out of their collective asses and find the funds. And it isn't like there are no funds, right Stephen?

"CTV.ca News Staff
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced an additional $200 million in reconstruction aid for Afghanistan in an effort to demonstrate that Canada's mission there is making a positive difference in people's lives."

Because nothing says confidence like an open cheque book.

"The funding will be disbursed this year and next, and will be in addition to Canada's annual allocation of $100 million to development activities in Afghanistan, with focus on five priority areas:

• governance and development ($120 million);
• counter-narcotics ($30 million);
• policing ($20 million);
• de-mining ($20 million); and
• road construction ($10 million)."

A third of a billion dollars. This year. Because Stephen says,

"Now it's time to consolidate those security gains on the ground, and use them to advance reconstruction because the long-suffering Afghan people desperately need hope for a better future for their families and community."

While that is a lovely sentiment, I'm sure that long-suffering military families wouldn't mind sharing a little bit of that bounty. You know, for a better future for their families and community. The Conservatives in Ottawa and the Liberals in Toronto need to make an arrangement to meet the needs of Canadian forces both in theatre and on the home front. That's the Canadian way and if it isn't at the moment, it bloody well should be.