Canadaâ??s secret war in Iraq

On 25 March 2003, during the "shock and awe" bombardment of Iraq, then US Ambassador Paul Cellucci admitted that "â?¦ ironically, Canadian naval vessels, aircraft and personnel... will supply more support to this war in Iraq indirectly... than most of those 46 countries that are fully supporting our efforts there."

Cellucci merely scratched the surface of Canadaâ??s initial â??supportâ?� for the Iraq War, but he had let the cat out of the bag. As then Secretary of State Colin Powell had explained a week earlier, â??We now have a coalition of the willingâ?¦ who have publicly said they could be included in such a listing.... And there are 15 other nations, who, for one reason or another, do not wish to be publicly named but will be supporting the coalition.â?�

Canada was, and still is, the leading member of this secret group, which we could perhaps call CW-HUSH, the "Coalition of the Willing to Help but Unwilling to be Seen Helping." The plan worked. Most Canadians still proudly believe that their government refused to join the Iraq War. Nothing could be further from the truth. Here are some of the ways in which we joined the fray:

Escorting the US Navy:

Thirteen hundred Canadian troops aboard Canadaâ??s multibillion dollar warships escorted the US fleet through the Persian Gulf, putting them safely in place to bomb Iraq.

Leading the coalition Navy:

Canadian Rear Admiral Roger Girouard was in charge of the war coalitionâ??s fleet.

Providing war planners:

At least two dozen Canadian war planners working at US Central Command in Florida were transferred to the Persian Gulf in early 2003 to help oversee the warâ??s complicated logistics.

Commanding the war:

In 2004, Canadian Brigadier General Walt Natynczyk commanded 10 brigades totalling 35,000 troops. He was Second-in-Command of the entire Iraq War for that year. When Governor General Clarkson gave Natynczyk the Meritorious Service Cross, her office extolled his "pivotal role in the development of numerous plans and operations [which] resulted in a tremendous contributionâ?¦ to Operation Iraqi Freedom, andâ?¦ brought great credit to the Canadian Forces and to Canada."

Helping coordinate the war:

Canadian military personnel working aboard American E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System warplanes helped direct the electronic war by providing surveillance, command, control and communications services to US war fighters.

Providing airspace and refuelling:

Countless US troop and equipment transport aircraft have flown over Canada, to and from the Iraq War, and many refuelled in Gander, Newfoundland.

Providing air transport:

At least three Canadian CC-130 military transport planes were listed by US military to supply coalition forces during the Iraq War.

Freeing up US troops:

Canadaâ??s major role in Afghan war has freed up thousands of US troops for deployment to Iraq.

Providing ground troops:

At least 35 Canadian soldiers were directly under US command, in an "exchange" capacity on the ground, participating in the invasion of Iraq.

Testing weapons and drones:

Two types of cruise missiles (AGM-86 and -129) and the "Global Hawk" (RQ-4A) surveillance drone, used in Iraq, were tested over Canada.

Depleted uranium (DU) weapons:

Canada is the worldâ??s top exporter of uranium. Our government pretends that Canadaâ??s uranium is sold for "peaceful" purposes only, but absolutely nothing is done to stop the US from using DU in their weapons. Americaâ??s A-10 Wart Hog warplanes have fired DU munitions in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq, while each cruise missile contains three kgs of DU ballast. Providing RADARSAT data: Eagle Vision, a US Air Force mobile ground station, which controls Canadaâ??s RADARSAT-1 satellite and downlinks its data, was used from the start of the Iraq War.

Diplomatic support:

Former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien supported the "right" of the US to invade Iraq, although Kofi Annan said it was an illegal occupation. Chrétien criticized Canadian citizens who questioned the war, saying they provided comfort to Saddam Hussein.

Training Iraqi police:

Canada has spent millions sending RCMP officers to Jordan to train tens of thousands of cadets for Iraqâ??s paramilitary police force.

Training Iraqi troops:

High-level Canadian military personnel joined the "NATO Training Mission in Iraq" to "train the trainers" of Iraqi Security Forces who are on the leading edge of the US occupation. A Canadian colonel, under NATO command, was chief of staff at the Baghdad-based training mission. Canada was the leading donor to this centre, providing an initial $810 thousand.

Funding Iraqâ??s interior ministry:

Canada provides advisors and financial support to this ministry, which has been caught running torture centres. Thousands of its officers have been withdrawn for corruption, and it has been accused of working with death squads that executed a thousand people per month in Baghdad alone in the summer of 2006.

Military exports:

At least 100 Canadian companies sold parts and/or services for major weapons systems used in the Iraq War. Quebecâ??s SNC-TEC sold millions of bullets to the US military forces occupying Iraq. General Dynamics Canada, in London Ontario, sold hundreds of armoured vehicles to the US and Australia. Between October 2003 and November 2005, these troop transport vehicles logged over six million miles in Iraq. Winnipegâ??s Bristol Aerospace sells cluster-bomb dispensing warheads used by US aircraft in Iraq.

Canada Pension Plan investments:

Canadians are forced to invest their pension money in hundreds of military industries, including most of the worldâ??s top 20 weapons producers, which are the leading prime contractors for virtually all the major weapons systems used in Iraq.

So the next time a proud fellow citizen tells you that Canada didnâ??t join the Iraq War, remind them of Mark Twainâ??s famous quip: "It ainâ??t what you donâ??t know that gets you into trouble. Itâ??s what you know for sure that just ainâ??t so."
The ACTivist magazine - Canadaâ??s secret war in Iraq

WOW.....seems that there are some in here that need to explain this. LOL....I guess Canada was entitled to them oil contracts after all.

Have a good one!:s4:

P4B i think actually most canadians know about our involment with our Navy in the gulf there.I just recently saw on the news about how our navy is helping stop the flow of opium by stoping boats that carry the drug.Yes we are there mostly for supply and other non essential roles.....Thanks for mentioning it also

Glad to know ya heard of ALL this. Seems to me that an accomplice to a murder is punished the same as the person that pulled the trigger. Next time you talk of the U.S. in terms of killing millions of Iraqi's including women and children just remember that.

Have a good one!:s4:

lol like i said we are there as a supply role only we dont pull the trigger.....

Woo-hoo! :dance: Go Canada! CW-HUSH, LOL... I like that.

I also like the Mark Twain quote in the original article: "How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again!"

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Originally Posted by fishman3811

lol like i said we are there as a supply role only we dont pull the trigger.....

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Doesn't matter how hard ya try to scrub my friend.....the blood stains just don't seem to ever come out. Your country aided in the invasion...plain and simple.

Well my friends.....I need to go console myself on some new herb.
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...y-girls-4.html

Have a good one!:s4:

Touche, and well countered argument. I'll give you that.
However with that brightly crafted article, you've just poked a hole in your theory that Canada doesn't do enough to help you as an ally. Here you highlight all the things we do to help you in Iraq...so are we still such a shitty ally to you?

In addition, I have some reservations about the credibility of your source. Sure, his name is there with some filler info that's supposed to make him look like his opinion is significant, but he doesn't go so far as to document any of the information he purports to be correct.

Funding Iraqâ??s interior ministry:

Canada provides advisors and financial support to this ministry, which has been caught running torture centres. Thousands of its officers have been withdrawn for corruption, and it has been accused of working with death squads that executed a thousand people per month in Baghdad alone in the summer of 2006.


I would call that pulling the trigger.......

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Originally Posted by FreshNugz

Touche, and well countered argument. I'll give you that.
However with that brightly crafted article, you've just poked a hole in your theory that Canada doesn't do enough to help you as an ally. Here you highlight all the things we do to help you in Iraq...so are we still such a shitty ally to you?

Not at all.....this actually was nice to see on my behalf and anything once said about your military; well sir, you have my apology.:thumbsup:

In addition, I have some reservations about the credibility of your source. Sure, his name is there with some filler info that's supposed to make him look like his opinion is significant, but he doesn't go so far as to document any of the information he purports to be correct.

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I hear ya about the credibility issue and I usually try to research this type of thing out before posting. There was actually many articles under the google search that lead me to believe that it was fact not to mention Canadian contracts within Iraq. When we, the coallition forces, entered Iraq one of the stipulations that was set up was that ONLY countries that participated were allowed to do business within Iraq or hold Iraqi currency.

When I read of the Canadian companies striking up oil contracts in the Kurdish area it come as a suprise because of that stipulation.....figured there had to be something behind the scenes that we weren't being told about. Within just the last year though the Iraqi government has kind of drifted away from that policy....to a point. I've noticed a few countries in negotiations, like China, that had nothing to do with the liberation.

All in all I'll tell ya.....I really don't give a crap if Canada or if any other country has 200,000 or 20 troops on the ground. Respect is deserved! Somebodys son, daughter, friend... is in harms way to give us a hand in this effort. Even with France and Germany that used to be stand-offish are now getting involved. As they say, "Better late than never".

Considering the proximity of Afghanistan to our NATO Europe allies, I've been a bit suprised that they weren't more eager to clean up their backyard for their own national security.

"I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.".....Louis Armstrong

Have a good one!:s4:

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Originally Posted by fishman3811

lol like i said we are there as a supply role only we dont pull the trigger.....

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So?

Canada still wants some of that Iraq money.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FreshNugz

However with that brightly crafted article, you've just poked a hole in your theory that Canada doesn't do enough to help you as an ally. Here you highlight all the things we do to help you in Iraq...so are we still such a shitty ally to you?

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Woah...wait a second...there's a big difference between acknowledging the support coming from Canada, and acknowledging support from the canadians themselves.
There seems to be a wide gap between the philosophies and realities of the two.
A shitty ally? IDK...do shitty allies hide in the shadows? Do they pretend to be bullied into these actions by the big-bad USA? Do they participate in wartime activities, while denying any direct involvement? Hmmm.......

So, cuz we have had involvement in secret opp's this makes us the leader? im not quite sure what this is stating. we know we are in the war, we are working for the U.S. Many commanding Canadian officials as you said were involved in massive attacks, but under United states rule.
All and all a very interesting report.
Now try and find the articles on the secret 13 canadian snipers that have been sent in. its a cool topic. All i know is they go in, shoot targets from a mile away and leave with no association with other members. supposedly they're of the best.
Once again my facts may not be perfect , not saying they are, its something worth checking out though.:rastasmoke: