The idea that Canadian veterans fought for our freedoms is completely made up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
No Canadian veteran alive today fought to defend Canada. One could argue that the soldiers who fought in the War of 1812 were defending Canada against an invader. But Canada didn\u2019t even exist as a country technically, and fundamentally, if we were part of the United States, our general freedoms would be similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possibly one could argue that soldiers who quashed rebellions such as the Fenian Raids, the M\u00e9tis rebellions, and the October Crisis, were defending Canada, but I don\u2019t think any of those were real threats to Canada as a nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even so, when people talk about Canada\u2019s military \u201cfighting for our freedoms\u201d or \u201cdying for our freedoms\u201d, those aren\u2019t the conflicts they\u2019re referring to. They\u2019re referring to much larger events, usually abroad. But those, too, didn\u2019t involve the Canadian military defending Canadian freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Canadian troops fought in World War I, it wasn\u2019t to defend Canadian freedoms. When Canadian troops fought in World War II, it wasn\u2019t to defend Canadian freedoms. When Canadian troops fought in the Korean War, it wasn\u2019t to defend Canadian freedoms. When Canadian troops fought in the Congo, Somalia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, and East Timor, it wasn\u2019t to defend Canadian freedoms. When Canadian troops fought in the Persian Gulf War, it wasn\u2019t to defend Canadian freedoms. When Canadian troops fought in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and Iraq, it wasn\u2019t to defend Canadian freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In none of these conflicts was Canadian freedom ever at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n