As Canadian soldiers assembled at a ceremony in Afghanistan to send off the flag-draped casket carrying Pte. Jonathan Couturier, a report has surfaced in Quebec saying the 23-year old tried to stay positive about the mission, but quietly considered it as futile.
About 2,500 soldiers from Canada and other NATO nations gathered on the tarmac at Kandahar Airfield on Friday, as Couturier's remains were placed in a military transport aircraft.
The soldier, who was based in Valcartier, Que., died Thursday morning after the vehicle he was riding in struck an IED southwest of Kandahar city. Eleven others were injured in the explosion.
The vehicle was on its way back from a village where Canadian troops planned to live alongside residents, to provide them with greater security, according to Canadian Lieut.-Col. Joe Paul.
Meanwhile, the young soldier's brother told Le Soleil newspaper in Quebec city that Couturier doubted whether the NATO-led Afghanistan mission was accomplishing much.
"That war over there, he found it a bit useless -- that they were wasting their time over there," Nicolas Couturier was quoted as saying in the paper.
Such criticism of the war is rarely heard from family members in the wake of a soldier's death in Afghanistan. Relatives almost always speak of their belief in the mission's purpose, saying their family member died for an important cause.
Couturier's sister-in-law said he voiced his criticism quietly.
"He wouldn't talk about it, he stayed positive, but at some moments he said he was fed up," Valerie Boucher said.
It's not the first time a family member of a Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan has spoken out about the war.
Last year, the father of another fallen soldier, Capt. Jonathan Snyder, called the war "stupid." He said he supported his late son and the Canadian military, but that he did not agree with its Afghan operations.
But the comments from Couturier's family come as a political debate has heated up over the Afghanistan mission's odds of success.
Liberal Sen. Colin Kenny has called it Canada's Vietnam, sparking angry reaction from military officials.
On the other hand, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean has said the mission is improving the lives of Afghans.
Jawed Ludin, Afghanistan's ambassador in Ottawa, issued a statement on Friday in reaction to Couturier's death.
"I am greatly saddened by the news," Ludin wrote. "He is among many Canadians who severed their own country honourably as soldiers and sacrificed their lives in protection of vulnerable populations in my country. On behalf of the people of Afghanistan, I deeply commend and honour these sacrifices.
Couturier is the 131st soldier to die in Afghanistan since Canada sent troops there in 2002.
With files from The Canadian Press
