May this be only the beginnings of many ‘morning time in Canada’ to come

I voted CPC not so much as I thought they would show outstanding leadership initiative in governing this country or because I instinctively sympathized with middle-aged men with a paunch. It was simply the lesser evil of all possible voting choices. I am no one’s party hack and I would not hesitate to vote NDP tomorrow if they promised to drastically slash my taxes and get the government out of the habit of regulating the every day lives of its citizenry. Of course, if that were the case the NDP would still have to overcome the highly incredulous factor for my $1.75 vote.

That being said I am really starting to like this new Canada under the CPC. I may not agree with everything but at last I can see a new day dawning somewhere over the horizon. Taken from the Globe and Mail:

In addition to members of the RCMP and the military's special forces, the team included diplomats and intelligence officers, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said. "We were there with our very best," Mr. MacKay said in an interview. "We had everyone fully engaged in this operation from Day 1."The extraordinary effort, he said, sends a message: "Canada should not [be], and is not passive when it comes to its own citizens and the protection of their lives."

British troops led the final phase of the delicate operation that unfolded yesterday morning in a neighbourhood in Baghdad. The international team found Canadians James Loney, 41, Harmeet Singh Sooden, 33, and Briton Norman Kember, 74, in a building. They were bound. Their captors were not around. Mr. MacKay said joy at the rescue was tempered by the fact that the operation came too late to save the life of one of the hostages, American Tom Fox. His body was found two weeks ago.

All four men came to Baghdad last year to work for a pacifist organization, the Christian Peacemakers Team. They were taken hostage by a group demanding the release of Iraqi prisoners held by U.S. forces. Mr. MacKay said yesterday's rescue involved close co-operation between the governments of Britain, the United States and Iraq. The final raid was led by the British.

Canadian intelligence officers involved at various times included specialists from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Communications Security Establishment, a secretive branch of the Defence Department that intercepts international telecommunications. The Foreign Affairs Department combed its ranks to find staff who had experience with these types of situations, The Canadian Press reported. They dispatched a team in early December that included foreign officers, workers from the Jordanian embassy and some RCMP officers. That team stayed in Baghdad through Christmas and into this year.

Liberal MP Dan McTeague, a former parliamentary secretary responsible for Canadians abroad, said the group discreetly made inquiries around Baghdad about the disappearance. They also communicated again and again that the hostages were Canadian, they were humanitarian workers and that Canada was not party to the war.

"This was a remarkable international effort involving our allies, the Americans, the British and the Iraqis," Mr. MacKay said. "This is certainly a great day for Canadians." But the new Conservative government is keeping a tight lid on operational details on the advice of federal security experts. They warn that talk of Canadian military activity in Iraq can make Canadians targets for terrorists. The security experts also say that they want to keep techniques secret that might be needed again if another rescue operation ever has to be mounted. Prime Minister Stephen Harper hinted broadly at Canadian military involvement at a news conference earlier in the day. "I'm not free to say more than that because of national security.

No doubt the naysayers and pooh-poohers will try to twist this into some kind of liberal initiative but if the liberals were still running Canada would Canadian security forces taken a significant role in the hostage rescue? I just cannot envision a Martin Liberal government which would have allowed all levels of our securities forces to operate freely in IRAQ (of all places) in tangent with American and British forces. I think not unless they were able to cruise from afar at a safe hand washing distance. Just think William Sampson, Mahrer Arar or just ask Zahra Kazemi – oops, my bad, you can’t ask Kazemi, as she’s dead.

Only one more thing for the Canadian government to do and I will be content. Send the bill to Christian Peacemakers for the rescue operation.