Dear editor,
This angry letter is to the 38 per cent of the population who chose to not vote in the last federal election in 2011.
Only 24 per cent of the eligible voters gave the current Conservative government a majority mandate: allowing Canada’s US-inspired involvement in an unclear long term expensive military aggression against ISIS in Iraq, and now Syria. Also fighting against ISIS in Syria are: President of Syria Bashar al Assad’s National Army; a myriad of Assad’s local paramilitary militia; Iranian forces; the Lebanese-based Hezbollah; and miscellaneous Palestinian groups (all supplied and financed by Russia).
Fighting against Assad in the Syrian civil war are: ISIS, al Qaida; the Free Syrian Army; the Islamic Front; Sunni Islamists; and various Kurdish forces (variably financed and supplied by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, USA, Europe).
Not to be ignored are the Popular Protection Units, including Kurds and Christian Syriac Military Council. It is complicated, and confusing. The common enemy may be ISIS, but who are our bedfellows in this non-UN non-NATO sanctioned military action, are we now pro-Assad? I thought we were for the Kurds, yet they appear to be against Assad.
Why are we participating in violence related to the over 1,000-year-old Shia-Sunni split? The undoubtable consequence of our involvement, on any side can only be for Canada to make new enemies in the Middle East.
So, for you 62 per cent who chose not to vote, by your inaction, you are responsible for allowing Canada to be embroiled in this Syrian civil war.
Georgina Price
Black Creek