Is this Canada’s war?

On Monday, Oct. 20, Martin Couture-Rouleau, a Muslim convert, purportedly ran over a soldier in a parking lot in Quebec. Then, on Oct. 22, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, another Muslim convert, shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and was later hunted and killed. This shooting is the second attack hinting at connections with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria even though no official association has been made. Are we justified in entering this war against ISIS?

MEHREEN SHAHID

A round of applause followed by a moment of silence convened Thursday’s parliamentary session. All parliamentarians and even Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood silently in respect for Corporal Nathan Cirillo.

Security agencies say his killing and that of a Canadian soldier in a Quebec parking lot were ISIS-incited incidents. If indeed that is true, it was because we crossed the street to take a part in a war that wasn’t ours. And as we have seen from the actions of our southern neighbour, indulgence in unnecessary battle has never had positive outcomes.

Both terror suspects led disturbed lives and had been in trouble with the law, for charges involving drugs and alcoholism. The two perpetrators were of delusional minds responding to anti-Western propaganda by ISIS. But why would they responsd to ISIS’s call now?

At the beginning of this month, Canada joined hands with the U.S. in its fight against ISIS, sending off planes to Syria and Iraq.

Supporters of Canada’s move to engage in the ISIS conflict have used the two terrorism attacks to back up the decision to send off planes. But was Canada under any real threat from ISIS?

Michael Coulombe, director of Canadian Security Intelligence Service, in recent address to the House of Commons’ public safety committee, said the threat of ISIS to Canada is real, but the agency has no evidence suggesting its imminence.

If there is no evidence, there is no case! Politicians, as always, are using these two incidents claiming clairvoyant knowledge for a decision they made before anything had transpired. But a democracy should review evidence carefully and not throw taxpayer money away in excessive warfare.

The Conservative government failed to judge whether Canada could actually afford this battle. The Middle East is a land still little understood, and even in the last decade or so of reading about Guantanamo Bay, Bagram and countless CIA black sites, we’re shocked by the atrocities ISIS has committed.

Issues surrounding ISIS originate from regional conflicts and have nothing to do with Muslims living in Canada. The government should instead focus on taking care of veterans who have returned from previous war missions, aboriginal affairs, education, job creation or even the environment.

We did just fine when Chrétien refused to go into the Iraq war in the 1990s. We would have done just fine not going into this conflict either. So, thank you Mr. Harper for bringing the war to Canada.

VANESSA GILLIS

In light of last week’s shocking events, it is obvious that Canada’s involvement in the war against ISIS is completely justified.

Whether we like it or not, we are all involved in this war. These extremists will stop at nothing to ensure their message of hate and intolerance is heard throughout the world and everyone, regardless of their nationality, feels their brutality and violence.

With the attacks in Quebec and Ottawa, we are beginning to see just how imperative it is that we do everything we can to bring these terrorists to justice. They have somehow managed to spread their hate to Canada, targeting disenfranchised and troubled people.

In late September, a video was released in which a spokesman from ISIS urged its followers to kill Canadians, Americans, Australians, French and other Europeans, “regardless of whether they are civilians or members of the military.”

The spokesman went on to say, “You will not feel secure even in your bedrooms. You will pay the price when this crusade of yours collapses, and thereafter we will strike you in your homeland, and you will never be able to harm anyone afterwards.”

With a statement like that, what are we supposed to do? Cower away and let these monsters continue to murder innocent women, children, journalists and civilians while we watch from the comfort of our homes, all because we are seen as “peacekeepers?”

No, we must show them that we are not intimidated by their savagery and sadism. We must stand up for those who are targeted and can’t defend themselves.

It is very rare to be able to justify a war, as they are usually quite costly, but in this case, the longer we wait, the more innocent civilians are tortured and murdered by these radical lunatics who are giving all Muslims a bad name.

In recent polls, 64 per cent of Canadians were in favour of Canada launching strikes on ISIS targets in Iraq, and, on Oct. 7, the motion to launch this attack passed with 157 of 291 votes from MPs.

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, “Our government has a duty to protect Canadians and to shoulder our burden in efforts to combat threats such as ISIL. We must do our part.”

We cannot stand by and let this go on any longer. We must fight back. We must bring these barbaric animals to justice and make them pay for all the pain and suffering they have caused.

Do you think this war is justified? Let us know what you think in the comments below.