I was driving back to Toronto from Ottawa today, braving the snow and dirt courtesy of the 401 (and God?), when a little more than halfway there, I saw crowds of people standing on overpasses, looking down at the highway, waving Canadian flags.

At first I thought maybe the olympic torch relay was going to be hitting the 401 that day, but of course that was a silly idea. Eventually I realized that the section of 401 that I was on is called the Highway of Heroes and the people were showing support for the Canadian troops that died in Afghanistan recently.

There is no question that my heart was warmed a little bit, seeing people standing out in the cold on a snowy day to demonstrate their patriotism. After all, Canada is a great country. However, it’s rarely that simple; is it?

If I were to demonstrate support for Canadian troops in Afghanistan, I would do so by contacting my MP and requesting that they be brought home immediately. After all, one of the main ways one can support the troops of his or her nation is to seek their protection from harm.

But they’re soldiers, you say; the very nature of their work puts them in harm’s way.

Well, the other way to support the troops is to demand that the government defines a mission that is of the utmost necessity, either for the protection of its people or for other human beings around the world. You’ll notice that I did not say anything about fighting a war to appease a powerful neighbour with whom a nation depends upon for trade and to try and flex some muscle on the world stage. This is Canada’s only purpose in Afghanistan.

The other problem is the inevitable blurring of the lines between the phrases “support the troops” and “support the war,” which America created during the Iraq debate. I’m pretty sure every single Canadian supports the troops every single minute of every single day. Why wouldn’t they? But hell, if you put down the war they’re fighting.

I guess it’s all interchangeable in this modern world we live in.

Thus seeing those crowds of people was a mixed bag for me because I wanted to tell them all to pack up and leave to go and actually try and prevent more from dying for this war.