Legion letter to Prime Minister: On sovereignty, freedom, and Afghanistan

Organization calls remarks a “global wake-up call”

OTTAWA, Ontario, Jan. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Royal Canadian Legion has issued a formal letter to Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, in the wake of recent talks at the NATO meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The letter encompasses the organization’s reaction to remarks made internationally by the Prime Minister and addresses Canada’s role in Afghanistan. The content of the letter is reproduced below and can also be found on Legion.ca.

Dear Prime Minister,

We write to you on behalf of The Royal Canadian Legion in a time of unprecedented attacks by the United States’ administration on our sovereignty as a strong and independent nation. We would like to commend your recent remarks on the world stage in Davos, which provided a clear and important statement in support of the essential values that Canadians – and all who believe in freedom – hold dear. Your remarks were both needed and provided a global “wake-up call.”

These values are of great importance to the Legion, in alignment with its founding principles which were established by First World War Veterans one hundred years ago, in 1926. Many thousands of Canadians have fought and died for these same values throughout our history and all over the world.

We were therefore appalled to hear the President of the United States share his view that troops from other NATO countries had played an inconsequential role in Afghanistan. Our country’s mission there saw over 40,000 troops deployed, and 158 Canadian Armed Forces members gave their lives. It is completely unacceptable that the outstanding service and selfless sacrifice of so many allied troops, including Canadians, was trivialized. Especially given they were part of the response to the 9/11 attacks on America. We cannot stay silent when hurtful untruths are shared on a global scale.

It is not the norm for us to comment on speeches by national leaders, however the Legion shares the values you have articulated, and we believe it is critical that we show our clear support at this time.

We thank you for your inspiring words which truly met the moment. Please know that The Royal Canadian Legion stands ready to support Canada and Canadians across this country as we navigate these troubled waters together.

With appreciation,

About The Royal Canadian Legion
Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S. and Europe. With 270,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.

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