The British also have security firms working there, who also employ Canadians. One security worker from Vancouver Island was killed last week. He was working as a bodyguard for a group of engineers who were working on getting electrical power up and running.

In my mind they all are all mercenaries, whether they are in the military or paramilitary. The bottom line is that they are doing it because of money, once you undrape them from their respective flags, some better paid than others.

There are also a number of Canadians in the American military and when interviewed a while back, the reason they gave was that the pay and the perks were better than that offered in Canada. Most of them were First Nations.

How many young kids would enlist in the armed forces if there were opportunities for paid education and advancement provided by other means? You just have to look at the demographics. You won't find much youthful cannon fodder being provided by the financially upwardly mobile middle class.