Canada and the Mali-Mission : From 1-week to 2-weeks to 1-month to "as long as needed"

A politician's  vocabulary is from a planet out somewhere in another universe  and beyond the understanding of ordinary mortals on Earth.  


Jan 8:  
 Prime Minister Stephen Harper says
Canada is not considering a direct military mission in Mali, despite concern about al-Qaeda's growing influence in the country.Canada is consulting its allies in the West and working diplomatically with its friends in Africa, Harper said Tuesday.

Jan 15:  ...Harper acknowledges Canadian forces committed to short-term aid to Malian military.A tweet by the president of Mali forced the Conservative government to admit Monday that it has committed Canadian military forces to help support the war against al-Qaeda-linked rebels in that country.....

....“The Government of Canada will support our allies in this request and will be providing one RCAF C-17 transport aircraft in a non-combat role to support operations for a period of one week. The RCAF aircraft will not operate in any combat zone.”....

March 12:  France’s Prime Minister says    countries like Canada will be “indispensable” in helping to put Mali on the road to democracy and development.
“It’s up to Canada to determine what support it wants to offer during this crucial phase for the return of durable peace to this important country and member of La Francophonie,” Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told The Globe and Mail on the eve of his first official visit to Canada, which begins Wednesday in Ottawa with a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.....

March 14:   Canada to keep C-17 with Mali mission as long as needed.   Canada will extend the loan of its C-17 military cargo plane to France's military operations against Islamic rebels in Mali as long as it's needed, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Thursday.
"We're obviously very pleased to assist with our plane and its team. It will remain there as long as we feel there's a need," Harper told a joint news conference with French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
The plane first flew in the Mali operation on January 15, and in mid-February, Canada extended the mission until March 15. Harper reiterated Canada would not take a combat military role in Mali but would provide development and humanitarian aid. 


And,  thus Canada is now joined at the hip to France in whatever it is that is  happening in that hellhole.  It's gonna get worse, much worse. At this moment in time, and if you want to take Harper's word for it, we have only the C-17 at France's beck and call.  Nobody is making a hullabaloo about the logistics support, I am very sure we are also giving.  Other things will be added to that and the cargo plane pretty soon ...wait and watch.  Is Mali going to be Canada's second Afghanistan??   I very much fear so.