Harper Wants Unknown Soldier to get VC
In a move universally rejected by veterans groups, it would appear that the Harper government wants to give the unknown soldier our country's highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. Specifically he wants to give the CVC (Canadian Victoria Cross) that was re-instituted into our honours system back in 1993. Canada's "New" Government (TM, Pat. Pend.) says its to honour all veterans. Given that veterans groups are not on side with this, it starts to look more and more like political grandstanding on Harper's part. Not that he'd ever do that. It's all fine and dandy that Harper wants to strut in front of the cameras to make himself feel important, but now he's seeking to make himself feel even more important by getting to visit the Queen and get our nation's highest military honour. Message to Harper: if you want a VC, join the Canadian Forces and go fight overseas like everyone else who got one. It's the height of chutzpa to have never served in the military with the most danger you've ever had was possibly seeing a voter at the country club and then go and arrange it so that you can personally collect an honour that requires conspicuous valour. If Harper had any integrity he'd have sent a veteran to collect it, except that the veterans don't want it to happen in the first place. Unfortunately there's no telling Stephen anything so this will go ahead over the objections of the people he's allegedly honouring.
I tend to agree with the veterans on this one. It would be a debasement of the VC to award it in this situation. The award it to be given to someone who, in the face of the enemy, committed a conspicuous act of extraordinary valour. The act must also have been witnessed by one other. Now at this point I'm not saying that the unknown soldier wasn't brave or courageous, it's just that he fails to meet either of the criteria by being unknown. In fact, by making him the unknown soldier, a singular act by the nation, we've already bestowed upon him a high honour, that of representing all our fallen. It is unnecessary to give him another. It's especially unnecessary given that the government that is doing the honouring is more than likely, based on it's continuing actions, bestowing the honour as a cheap political ploy to gain votes. By doing this, Harper and his government are not only not honouring our veterans, they're cheapening their sacrifice.