The trouble currently facing Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s minister of National Defence and a former intelligence officer during the Afghan War, arguably began when Sajjan stopped thinking like a soldier and began acting like a politician. Perhaps a solution lies in that transition, as well.
Sajjan has been on the defensive of late after it emerged that he has, on at least two occasions, publicly claimed that he was the “architect” of Operation Medusa, a major Canadian-led NATO offensive against the Taliban near Kandahar, in 2006. Though he played a role in his capacity as an intelligence officer during the planning stages and was on the front during the battle, Sajjan was not, suffice it to say, the “architect” of the mission, as he has now acknowledged. He has also apologized for the exaggerations and has offered no excuse for it. Nor has he offered any explanation.
READ MORE: Reality check: What Harjit Sajjan said about Operation Medusa vs. what really happened
This is, clearly, embarrassing for him and the government. It damages his personal credibility. The best possible explanation for Sajjan is that he let his ego run amok and bragged in front of a crowd (unpleasant but not fatal and hardly unheard of).
Some former and retired military personnel (and opposition members), however, are calling it “stolen valour” — where someone claims the honour of military sacrifices borne by another. This may seem inconsequential for civilians ignorant of military life. It isn’t. Among those in uniform, stolen valour is an extremely big deal. Sajjan himself would understand that even if the public does not.
The easiest answer to the questions raised by this unfortunate series of incidents is that Sajjan, in his previous life a highly respected soldier and police officer, stopped thinking like a military or law enforcement man and started thinking like a politician.
Politicians routinely take credit for things they haven’t done; or even things they literally could not have done. Think of a newly sworn-in politician taking credit for a positive economic report that nothing they or their government could yet have possibly contributed to.
READ MORE: Harjit Sajjan pulls out of fundraiser for Afghan vets amid credibility controversy
One can mourn that change in his perspective and behaviour without needing to be shocked by it. The expression “Ottawashed” — the process by which reform-minded outsiders get sucked into the capital’s ways — exists for a reason.
Sajjan isn’t the first. But if he’s gone and Ottawashed himself, that might be the solution to the prickly political problem Sajjan has presented the government. If he’s just another politician now, fine. Treat him like one.
Thus far there doesn’t actually seem to be any action pending. The prime minister has said that he stands by Sajjan and will continue to stand by him. This whole issue could well blow over in a day or two, and that’ll be that. But if it doesn’t, and opposition attacks and quiet outrage among military personnel (they’ll never intrude into politics via public statements but I’m hearing they’re seething mad over this) continue to make life hard on the Liberals, there’s an easy solution.
WATCH: Could credibility battle have lasting impact on Harjit Sajjan?
No prime minister likes firing ministers, that’s always an admission of defeat. So just shuffle him off somewhere else.
It’s not the most original solution to the political problem, but it’s certainly one that tracks with Sajjan’s increasingly political orientation. The main appeal of putting a first-time MP like Sajjan in as Minister of National Defence in the first place was giving Liberals the chance to show that they took the military seriously.
“Look, we’re appointing a bad-ass combat veteran to be our military expert!” they were clearly saying. It was reassuring to allies and to the Canadian Armed Forces.
But he’s only effective in that role to the extent that our allies and troops trust and respect him. If that magic bond is broken, and his continued service as National Defence minister is problematic, there’s an easy answer: move him somewhere else. He saves face, the government doesn’t have to swallow a fired minister and the political problem largely goes away.
To be clear, it’s not a sure thing that that magic bond has been broken. Canadians don’t pay a lot of attention to defence issues, and our federal politicians are easily distracted.
If Sajjan can ride this out for a few more weeks, the House will rise for the summer break, and he’ll probably be safe. Time may not heal all wounds, but it can make political scandals fade away. And it’s certainly possible that, on balance, both the Canadian military and our allies (America, in particular) will decide that they’d rather have a damaged but knowledgeable combat veteran as Minister of National Defence than some rookie stuffed into the office to make a political scandal go away.
Sajjan’s recent missteps, after all, don’t cancel out his service. He still put on a uniform and fought for Canada. The public and the opposition shouldn’t forget his honourable wartime service.
But no one should be blinded by it, either. The Canadian military will perform its duties admirably no matter who their minister is, and our allies will ultimately judge us by what we contribute to Western security, not the man in the ministry.
Sajjan was an undeniably attractive choice for Defence two years ago. But times have arguably changed. If necessary, his job title can too.
Matt Gurney is host of The Morning Show on Toronto’s Talk Radio AM640 and a columnist for Global News.
Comments