“—with kid gloves.” That's the kind of argument we hear in the House all the time. It seems to be part of the talking points that we hear from the government.
What I would wonder, I suppose, and I don't need to ask Colonel Gibson this, is that if someone were to wilfully let go the people in their custody who were enemies of Canada, who were prisoners of war, who were captured, who were soldiers, if they were just to say, “We're going to let them go”, would there be any reasonable expectation that such a person would be called before a superior officer and simply reprimanded? You know, “Don't do that. Don't do that. Sir, you shouldn't be doing that. You're hereby reprimanded. Don't let the enemy escape. You're not supposed to do that. We're at war.” Somehow I don't think so.
Mr. Opitz over there, who's spent considerable time in the Canadian Forces in command positions, would have to agree with that.
You know, the chances of them forfeiting seniority, having a reduction in rank, being put in detention, being dismissed from the service, being imprisoned, being dismissed with disgrace, any of these sentences that would be applied here would apply to any of these punishments.