Although I find the possibility of withdrawing Canadian troops from Afghanistan in the foreseeable future to be somewhat foolhardy, I concur that the impending Canadian mission in Haiti has rekindled the spirit of Canadian Humanitarian Mission abroad that was long presumed to have faded into oblivion (at least under the auspicies of Harper's government). Whilst the support for the Afghan mission was not socially rooted (perhaps due to the controversy surrounding it), the Haitian mission bears an intense social support (propped by the enormity of the crisis along with the stupendous media campaign launched by different outlets in Canada). Moreover, what is also instructive is the fact that Québec society has had well-established cultural links with that of Haiti (It's indubitable that language and religion have played a crucial role in reinforcing these links whereas in the case of Afghanistan, such links were absent). Lysiane Gagnon, a Globe and Mail columnist, has very cogently expatiated on this link:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1433167/