Reverse decisions

Stephen Harper has been described as a control freak—and several actions he’s taken in his early days as prime minister certainly reflect that. But ordering that the caskets of fallen soldiers returning from Afghanistan be shielded from public view is way out of line.
Seeing a steady stream of flag-draped coffins being unloaded from transport planes at CFB Trenton is not pleasant. It’s certainly not something Canadians want to watch. But it does drive home, very graphically, the fact we are at war—and the ultimate price our soldiers are willing to pay in a faraway land to help defend our home here.
It also allows ordinary Canadians, in a small way, to honour our war dead, which trumps any selfish or misguided fears Mr. Harper may have that seeing dead soldiers coming home will sway public opinion against the mission in Afghanistan, and perhaps his Conservative minority government.
Canadians deserve more credit than that. And so do our soldiers, whose sacrifice should be saluted by all—not scurried away under a shroud of secrecy in hopes nobody will notice.
Mr. Harper should listen to Canadians, including the families of the fallen, and reverse this decision immediately.