SHAME on canada !!
 

fucking shit like this makes me sick..

Canada Bans Coverage of Returning War Dead
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TORONTO - Canada's new Conservative government barred the media from covering the return Tuesday of the flag-draped coffins of four soldiers killed in Afghanistan, angering political opponents and some families.


The government also has stopped lowering flags to half-staff outside Parliament each time a Canadian soldier is killed, prompting Liberals to accuse Prime Minister Stephen Harper of trying to play down the growing human cost of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.

Fifteen Canadians have been killed, including Cpl. Matthew Dinning, Bombardier Myles Mansell, Cpl. Randy Payne and Lt. William Turner, who were slain in a roadside bomb blast Saturday in southern Afghanistan in the deadliest attack against Canadian forces since they deployed to Afghanistan in 2002.

Canadian military officials blamed remnants of the toppled Taliban government for the bombing.

Their remains were to arrive Tuesday evening at a base in Trenton, Ontario.

The media learned Monday that they would be barred from the evening ceremony, a decision that mirrors Bush administration policy blocking media coverage of the coffins of slain service members arriving in the United States.

Like the Pentagon, Canadian Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor cited privacy concerns as a reason for the media ban.

"When the bodies return to Trenton, where the families receive the bodies for the first time and they come face to face with the reality that their loved ones are dead, this is for their private grief," O'Connor told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Tuesday. The four bodies are the first returned to Canada since the Conservative government took office.

O'Connor noted that media were allowed to cover the solemn send-off ceremony just before a Hercules transport plane left Kandahar with the bodies.

He also said the Conservatives ? who toppled the Liberals from nearly 13 years in power in January ? were returning to an 80-year-old tradition of honoring fallen soldiers by only lowering the flag on Parliament Hill once a year, on Nov. 11, Remembrance Day.

Harper dismissed accusations that he is using the power of his office to conceal Canada's mounting military casualties from the public spotlight.

"It is not about photo-ops and media coverage," Harper told the House of Commons, which engaged in a raucous debate. "It is about what is in the best interests of the families."

The families of at least two soldiers said they were disturbed by the media blackout and the lack of lowered flags.

Dinning's uncle told the CBC the family believes the government is trying to cover up the growing casualties in Afghanistan and was disturbed they were not informed of the decision to cancel what had been a public ceremony for the returning war dead.

The CBC has been broadcasting live the repatriation ceremonies for each soldier killed in Afghanistan.

Richard Leger, father of Sgt. Marc Leger, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2002, told the CBC on Tuesday that the nationally televised return of his son's coffin helped his family to heal.

Sgt. Leger was one of four Canadian soldiers killed by a U.S. pilot who mistook their live-ammunition exercise for a hostile attack. The soldiers were the first Canadians to die in combat since the Korean War.

"I think Canadians need to see this, every Canadian. It says we care about these soldiers," Leger said, as tears rolled down his face.

Ujjal Dosanjh, a Liberal member of Parliament and his party's defense critic, called the media ban "absolutely un-Canadian."

"Dare I say president Harper is following in the footsteps of President Bush?" Dosanjh said.

He said the decision not to lower the flag on Parliament Hill was disrespectful.

"If I dropped dead tomorrow walking the street, that flag would be lowered," said Dosanjh. "I think we owe the soldiers that we've sent into harm's way that kind of respect."

Canadians ? the majority of whom applauded their government for declining to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq ? are increasingly concerned about the human toll in Afghanistan.

The 2,300-strong Canadian force took over control of Kandahar from U.S. troops in February.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060425/...allen_soldiers

Yes, ..it IS a shame. Harper took that one right out of the Bush administration play book.

what a shame...well deserved!

That's pretty fucked up..I can't believe our government sometimes

Chit is going to hit the fan pretty soon here... I'm still in shock people voted for him :(

Frankly I'm glad the media is barred from the soldiers return.. I'm tired of the media sensationalizing death and destruction just for the ratings. They can report the rising death toll in different ways and stop using peoples grief to get people to tune in.. Sickens me.

I have seen 3000 of those on FOX TV.. (NOOOOOOT) Shame on you Canada..
Didn?t US ban photos of coffins in media about 3 years ago? Shame on Canada again !!!

Why do they need video of the fucking soldiers family crying to run a story?

Ratings.

They can still say who died and when they are coming back, but without the video, the ratings aren't as good. So all these anti-Harper twits think it's about disrespecting the soldiers when it has nothing to do with that...

The media can go to hell.

then make a law against sensationalizing death and destruction not against reporting facts..

I bet you any money when harper dies there will be a news report about it and i bet when bush dies we will hear about it on the news, so why not give the same respect to the people who actually served for their country instead of sticking their heads in the sand.. are you saying when people like bush or harper die we shouldn't use their name or show their funeral or fly flags at half mast ? we should just report " rising death of famous people "

Sickens me people are growing up these days with ZERO respect..

I suppose when you die you wouldnt mind if there was a law against reporting it , and it simply got racked up as " another pornographer died "

no ... simple answer

I never said they shouldn't report the deaths. They can still report the deaths without filming the coffins arriving and the grief of the family. They should show some "respect" for the familes as well. You can sure as hell bet they don't want their cameras in there to show "respect" to the fallen. But in this day and age, nothing is sacred anymore and you can do anything you want to make a buck, in this case boost your ratings by filming the heart ache of the families.

exactly :thumbsup that makes alot more sense than banning the news from being the news.. unless we want filtered good news only ( would be nice but i dont trust them not to bullshit me :) )

If you read the article , they refused the lower the flag ,thats absurd.. i can see making it mandatory to get the permission from the family, but to ban it is idiotic.. if i die for my country i deserve the right for it to be reported..

Like the father of the one dead soldier said that he felt having it reported and televised helped bring closure for him and his family and was an honour... now im not saying every family is the same. some might want privacy , but thats much easier to accomodate than banning it alltogether.. and theres no reason the flags should not be lowered, sheesh nice thanks..

That's what happens when you elect an american for prime minister. People are so blind they ignored who harper really was and what he stood for.

Canada is going to shit

What do you expect they are Canadians

that's crazy

This pretty much sums it up. It's about respect for someone that died in service to their country. I makes me sick the government would order those people be disrespected.

I think privacy for the families is a good thing. :2 cents:

No surprise ...

Freedom ( lol ) of the press is not welcomed by the right wingers ...

My first thought when I saw that story was, "Here he goes, following in GWB's footsteps."

But they did follow it up with interviews from soldiers overseas and it seemed to be about 60/40 against showing the coffins returning home. Considering it's potentially THEIR bodies they'll be filming in the future, I figure they should have a more direct say in it than myself.

i agree i can't stand the fuckin media

actually yes. they were leaked, not released.

blame it on all the Chinese influence in Canada...

HEY they both start with C, maybe that helped the transition to a government controlled media/state...

:(

It doesn't matter if you agree with the afghanistan conflict or not!
These men signed on the dotted line and promised that if we asked them.. they would do their job.

Lower the Fucking Flags!!!!
PRESIDENT HARPER!

And shame on everyone of you that voted in this sack of human shit!
I hope one day each one of you you experiences the disrespect Harper and his goverment dish out.

Pfff.... whatever.

It's a slow week for domestic news in Canada.
....

I definitely agree with at least lowering the flags.

That is absolutely shocking..

You do Ron? Why is that?

Because if for no other reason, it'll annoy the hell out of you.