The Globe and Mail adds its editorial voice:
"Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s minister of defence during the fall of Kabul in August, 2021, had a lot on his hands as the deadline for airlifting people out of Afghanistan at the end of that month rapidly approached.
His primary “duty and obligation,” as he said in a statement on Thursday, was to Canadians “and those with strong ties to Canada” – in other words, Afghans who had worked for the Canadian embassy, the armed forces or for journalists, often as translators and fixers.
...
In the chaos, Canada left behind 1,250 Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and their family members. Hundreds more Afghans who assisted the Canadian Army were left stranded.
And yet in the final days of the airlift, Mr. Sajjan instructed the Canadian Forces to mount a rescue operation for about 225 Afghan Sikhs hoping to get on one of Canada’s planes.
Mr. Sajjan insists he didn’t order the military to shift its priority from rescuing Canadians, Afghan interpreters and others who aided Canada during the 12 long years of the war in Afghanistan to rescuing a specific group of vulnerable Afghan nationals with no connection to Canada. But his explanation is beyond flimsy.
The principle of civilian control means that the government sets policy and priorities for Canada’s armed forces. It is absurd to think that an instruction from the minister to the military would be taken for anything other than an order. Lest there be any doubt, Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre told The Canadian Press on Friday that the Forces were following “legal orders.”
...
Mr. Sajjan, who is Sikh, says he “did not direct the Canadian Armed Forces to prioritize Sikhs above others.” That is a convenient misinterpretation.
Equally convenient is his accusation that racism underpins criticism of his actions. To be clear, Mr. Sajjan is not the victim here. The victims are those left behind in Afghanistan, in the hands of the murderous Taliban regime.
...
Mr. Sajjan’s actions hampered efforts to evacuate Canadians and people who risked their lives to help Canada, and who should have come before anyone else. It was his mission to get those people to safety. He compromised that mission."
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One has to wonder how long Mr Sajjan can carry on/
