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Rick Hillier is no politician, he insists, nor does he intend to ever be one. Which is a pity. For the blunt-spoken Newfoundlander, who stepped aside as Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff in 2008, cuts through mush and doublespeak like few others. In the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, he is the only Canadian leader of national stature preaching equal parts compassion and resolve.

In this, though he has been careful to avoid directly criticizing them, Hillier puts all three major federal party leaders to shame.

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His recent interview with the CBC’s Rosemary Barton, all 14 minutes and 20 seconds of it, is a marvel of focused communication.

Never mind targets of 10,000, 15,000, or 25,000 refugees, he tells her, and this four-year business; bring 50,000 to Canada before Christmas, not in cargo planes, but in leased passenger ships. Let the Canadian Forces manage the logistics, he says; it’s what they do, and they’re more than up to the job.