The Regina Leader Post reports that, “The Support Our Troops decal getting stuck to all Saskatchewan government vehicles isn’t getting a warm response from everyone. Regina resident Allan Taylor said he supports the troops, but opposes the war in Afghanistan and questions why the stickers are going on public vehicles…Taylor’s concerns were echoed by the Council of Canadians. ‘We see it as not a smart initiative for the province of Saskatchewan to be taking,’ said Sheila Muxlow, the group’s Edmonton-based prairie organizer. While the decals are often called a show of support for the troops and not necessarily the war, Muxlow said the council doesn’t feel that’s the case. ‘To see a support the troops campaign happen now, it’s inevitable that it’s going to be linked to the mission where our troops are most actively involved,’ she said.”
The Canadian Press reports that, “The Council of Canadians says the move is inappropriate. ‘We definitely at the Council of Canadians are opposed to seeing the ‘Support Our Troops’ decals used on public government vehicles,’ Sheila Muxlow, the council’s prairie organizer, said Thursday. ‘We are concerned that it does carry a political message that is in support of the war (in Afghanistan). We see it as not being a ‘Support Our Troops’ initiative, but really a ‘support the war’ initiative.’ Muxlow said this is the first time a province has made the decals mandatory on its fleet. She suggested the message could be improved. ‘If they really were clear in terms of how these decals could be used to support the troops, we’d like to see a tag on of Bring Them Home.”‘
The CBC reports that, “Elaine Hughes, a Saskatchewan member of the Council of Canadians, said she supports the troops, but she doesn’t support the war. ‘The last time I checked the polls, most Canadians want our troops home,’ she said. ‘That’s how they support the troops in Afghanistan.’”
In September 2008, Angus Reid reported that, “Opposition to the Afghan mission is persistently high in Quebec (77%), followed by Atlantic Canada and Ontario (both at 58%), and British Columbia (53%).” Also in September 2008, CTV reported a Canadian Press-Decima “survey found that 61 per cent of respondents believed the cost of the country’s mission in terms of lives and expense has been unacceptable, while only one in three said it was acceptable.”
In September 2007, the Council of Canadians issued ‘ACTION ALERT: Say NO to Support our Troops decals’. You can read that alert at http://canadians.org/action/2007/12-Sept-07.html.
WEBLINKS
http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Decals+vehicles+concern+some/1527453/story.html
http://www.cftktv.com/news/14/916950
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/04/23/decals.html
