A 2002 report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence found that Canada spent approximately $395 per capita on defence, versus $1425 per capita in the United Kingdom and approximately $2000 per capita in the United States.

Some applauded these numbers. Every dollar spent on the military usually maps to at least that much unspent on eliminating child poverty, or building hospitals, or any of a number of other useful objectives of government.

But at the time of the 2002 report there were some other people who saw the numbers as an indictment of current policy, and they promised that if elected, the winds of change would blow through the Department of National Defense.
 
Some background might be in order. In 2002 there was an idealogy holding sway on Parliament Hill that looked upon almost all government spending as waste. Thus were laid to waste great swathes of government spending on health care, welfare, unemployment insurance, maintenance of infrastructure, and the military.

Now comes the unsurprising news from Parliament Hill that the money being spent by DND in Afghanistan, is going to waste. The current Prime Minister has now evidently done the required reading and has come to feel that the war there cannot be won, because as he should have previously known, many have tried to conquer the Afghan hills, and failed.

If peace is the continuance of war by other means, then the august Canadian PM seems to be saying that the time has come for the Afghan people to fight for peace on their own terms. Put another way, it seems that the Canadian Prime Minister is saying that Canada should cut and run from Afghanistan.

Her Majesty's loyal opposition in Canada seems to have no better ideas.

Certainly, the government of Canada suddenly seems to have no source of the necessary funds to press the peace in Afghanistan. It may be that the government of Canada may shortly find that it has not the necessary funds to even build a subway in Scarborough, or arrange for the adequate pay of garbage collectors in Ottawa.

But there is a monolith standing tall over all sides of this vexing debate.

The strong have a right to protect the weak. And Canada is still seen to be listed among the world's strong, often in finance and industry and hopefully still, in moral fibre.

And just as Canada may be listed among the elite of strong nations, unfortunately the ruts between the high hills in Afghanistan are said to be teeming with those in need of protection. They have been abandoned to improvise their own devices before, and now seem fated to be abandoned to that destiny once again.

The history of Afghanistan has been disdainful of conquering armies, whatever their mission. Through those ancient high hills run the same little known roads that have always lighted empires the way to dusty death. Now as in the past, it seems better not to ride the roads through those hills, not if you can help it.

Through Scarborough Ontario also runs a road most have never heard of. It is called the Highway of Heroes. And increasingly so more than in the past it is better not to ride this road, not if you can help it.

To the Canadian military, the Highway of Heroes is the unwelcome welcome home. It is a place to slowly promenade while pride, sorrow and death pave the way.

But look again.

With the right kind of eyes, you can see some of those same heroes going about their daily business now. Some of them are speeding their way to do the bidding of the captains of industry. Others are rushing home to cook, to clean and watch television.

While life beats in their chests, each hero upon this highway has a duty to home, country and planet. The heroes coming back from Afghanistan in stiff repose have already done their part.

The rest is still up to us.