Greenwald on the recent terror attack: Canada had it coming. They were wallowing in war glory

[Luminous Animal]

150. Canadian Gen. Natynczyk led 35,000 troops in offensive operations in Iraq.

September 2008: Canada's Real Role in Iraq
Our new Defence Chief commanded U.S. troops in Iraq

- See more at: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/september-2008-canadas-real-role-iraq#sthash.SlvIJHVr.dpuf

During his three decades of military service, Canada’s new Chief of Defence--L.Gen Walter Natynczyk--has led soldiers in Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, and East Timor. But his fighting career reached a crescendo during his 2004 stint in Baghdad.

In that year, while embedded in the highest levels of command of Multi-National Corps Iraq (MNC-I), Natynczyk led 35,000 troops fighting throughout Iraq. Working first as its Deputy Director of Strategy, Policy and Plans, and then as its Deputy Commanding General, he helped MNC I fulfill its mission to conduct "offensive operations to defeat remaining non-compliant forces and neutralize destabilizing influences in Iraq." (This information may be obtained from his senior officer biography.)

Natynczyk's leadership in the Iraq war contradicts one of our country's most popular misconceptions: that the Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin defiantly stood up to George Bush by refusing to participate in the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.

And there is more.

Military participation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_and_the_Iraq_War

Though no declaration of war was issued, the Governor General-in-Council did order the mobilization of a number of Canadian Forces personnel to serve actively in Iraq.[2] On 31 March 2003, it was reported in Maclean's that in the previous month Canadian officers, aboard three frigates and a destroyer, had been placed in command of the multinational naval group Task Force 151, which patrolled the Persian Gulf region. A further 30 Canadians worked at the US Central Command in Qatar, and 150 troops were on exchange with US and British forces in proximity to combat.[4] North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) stationed Canadian Air Force pilots also flew combat missions with the US Air Force E-3 Sentry, and exchange officers fought with US units. Canadian pilots also flew Boeing C-17s into Iraq to "season" the flight crews.[8] In all, 40 to 50 Canadian military members participated in the conflict.


Because of this Canadian involvement in Iraq, the Ministers of the Crown at the time were criticised by Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition as hypocritical, and demands were made for the return of these Canadian Forces personnel. The Prime Minister stated that the Canadian military was not involved in direct combat, while still fulfilling its commitment to NORAD. However, it was claimed by Janice Gross Stein and Eugene Lang in The Unexpected War that people from Canadian ministries were in Washington, D.C., openly vaunting Canada's participation in Iraq;[2] as Stein and Lang put it: "in an almost schizophrenic way, the government bragged publicly about its decision to stand aside from the war in Iraq because it violated core principles of multilateralism and support for the United Nations. At the same time, senior Canadian officials, military officers and politicians were currying favour in Washington, privately telling anyone in the State Department of the Pentagon who would listen that, by some measures, Canada's indirect contribution to the American war effort in Iraq– three ships and 100 exchange officers– exceeded that of all but three other countries that were formally part of the coalition."[2][9]

Amongst the Canadian officers who were sent to Iraq were: Brigadier General Walter Natynczyk, who was later appointed Chief of the Defence Staff; Major General Peter Devlin, who served since 14 December 2006 as Multi-National Corps-Iraq Deputy Command General as part of his role as Deputy Commander of the US III Corps through an officer exchange program;[10] and General Nicolas Matern, a special forces officer and former commander of Canada's elite counter-terrorism unit, who in mid February 2008 began service as deputy to Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin.[11]