Article content continued

The question then turns to the impact of Sgt. Doiron’s death on public opinion. There is a grim parallel with the first casualties in Afghanistan — the Tarnak Farm incident, where four members of the Princess Patricia’s regiment were killed, and eight others injured, after an American pilot dropped a laser guided bomb on them by mistake. There’s no question that Canadian deaths in Afghanistan persuaded many that the mission should be abandoned. Support dropped from 71% in 2001 to 44% by 2010.

But this fight is different. The pollsters suggest eight in 10 people believe that ISIS must be stopped — a plurality believe it should be by use of lethal force. Canadians are not stupid — they know we are involved in a combat mission, regardless of what the government says. They know there are risks to our forces. They also support that mission.

The key difference with Afghanistan is that it was “over there.” This war is “here” — six in 10 people believe that terrorists are among us and preparing to strike on Canadian soil. The Conservatives have stoked that fear but they didn’t create it — it is real and it means a line has been drawn in the sand. Resolve is unlikely to waver because of Sgt. Doiron’s death.

That said, the government is right to follow as risk-averse a strategy as possible. The nightmare scenario is for a Canadian pilot or soldier to be captured and suffer a grisly fate as a part of an ISIS propaganda stunt.

Thankfully, ISIS does not yet have the anti-aircraft capability to down a jet. Whoever shot down the Jordanian pilot who was later burned alive, defence sources maintain it was not ISIS. The Americans also claim to have retrieval squads that can be detached with 45 minutes notice anywhere in the region to grab any captured soldiers or pilots.

Let’s hope they are not called to action. Canada’s resolve is firm but it would be tried sorely by the trauma of watching one of her finest being sacrificed live on the Internet by these jackals.