Canadian love their Tim Hortons. It’s much more than a chain of coffee shops, its a cultural institution. There is a Tim Hortons on the military base in Kandahar, Afghanistan. And, when top Commanders of NATO shut down the Pizza Hut and Burger King on the base, Tim Horton’s got to stay. How nice.
But some are now thinking that changes to military policy, that makes Tim Hortons staff in Kandahar eligible for Afghan war medals is a step too far. Arguments in favour of Tim Horton’s staff receiving medals is based on previous wars where medals were awarded in WWII to civilians working for Salvation Army, Knights of Columbus, the Canadian Legion and the YMCA. Other say it doesn’t matter if Tim Horton’s staff are rewarded, the military has a reward system that shows who has done what type of service and for how long so it wouldn’t be as prestigious an award as those who were in combat in Afghanistan. Critics of the change in policy suggest that the only reason why the policy has changed is that American’s receive more medals than Canadian forces.
Canadians arguing over giving Tim Hortons staff awards, and being competitive with Americans? Yep, that’s the Canada I know and love.
(Spotted in the National Post)