Canadians - or at least their media - have been a n uproar this week over the government's decision NOT to lower the flag on the Peace Tower to honour four soldiers killed in Afghanistan last week. The government has reverted to traditional protocol which honours deceased service personnel with the lowering of the Peace Tower flag on November 11th. Flags on military bases and at regimental/defence headquarters may be lowered at the time of the funerals, but not the Peace Tower flag.
This time I come to the defence of the government. It's decision is right, as the Royal Canadian Legion and retired military leaders have confirmed. It's not about hiding the deaths from the Canadian public. It's about national morale and dignity and treating all fallen service personnel alike.
The Liberal Opposition's behaviour was shameful as it leaped on a media bandwagon in defence of a mistake made by a Liberal government to lower the Peace Tower flag for a navy officer who died as a result of a non-combat accident at sea and then carried this new precedent forward for soldiers killed in combat (but not to soldiers killed in training accidents). The previous government failed to treat the deaths of all service personnel equally and that is potentially more damaging to morale.
In a related move, the government stupidly barred the media from covering the patriation of the bodies of the service personnel. In the wake of the flag flap, this was seen as a further attempt to hide the costs - in lives - of the government's military commitment and as an attempt to mimic US practice. The government would have been far wiser to let the media tire of covering patriation ceremonies.
